Vancouver Whitecaps seek comeback against Deportivo Saprissa

Concacaf

·25 February 2025

Vancouver Whitecaps seek comeback against Deportivo Saprissa

MIAMI – The 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup continues with the last second leg match in Round One on Thursday to determine the final spot in the Round of 16.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC will seek to rally behind its home fans to deliver a comeback after falling 2-1 in Costa Rica.

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In the case of a draw on aggregate, away goals would decide the series. If teams are still tied, extra time and penalty kicks are the following procedures to determine a winner.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Deportivo Saprissa

Vancouver Whitecaps FC host Deportivo Saprissa at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Ryan Gauld opened the scoring to place the Canadians in the lead in the first leg. Mariano Torres and Ariel Rodríguez responded for Deportivo Saprissa in the second half, including a 90'+5 match-winner.

Torres has scored Saprissa’s last three goals from outside the box in the CCC (excluding own goals).

Rodríguez has scored three goals in the CCC since 2016-17. All three goals were scored at home, with two coming against Canadian opposition (CF Montréal in 2020), as he seeks to translate his form on the road.

The Whitecaps held 56% possession against Saprissa, the first time they've out possessed an opponent in the tournament since their 2023 debut against Real España (54%). In between, the MLS side went winless in five matches (D1, L4).

The winner on aggregate will advance to face Mexican side CF Monterrey in the Round of 16.

Post-Match Data

· Mariano Torres (ARG) reached five goals in the CCC, all with Saprissa, and found the net against a Canadian club for the first time. Meanwhile, Ariel Rodríguez (CRC) tallied his eighth goal in the tournament, all with Saprissa, scoring for the second consecutive time against a Canadian team, making him the top scorer against Canadian clubs since the 2008/09 season.
· Saprissa ended a streak of two consecutive draws against Canadian clubs in CCC history, securing its first-ever win over a Canadian opponent in the tournament. This also marked its second historical series against a Canadian club, having been eliminated by CF Montréal in the Round of 16 in 2020.
· Saprissa snapped a nine-match winless streak in the CCC (L-5 D-4), though it has won only two of its last 16 matches in the competition (W-2 D-7 L-7). The Costa Rican side had not won at home in the CCC since a 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL (MEX) in the first leg of the Round of 16 in 2019, when Johan Venegas scored the winner in the 73rd minute on February 19, 2019.
· Ryan Gauld (SCO) of Whitecaps FC netted his first CCC goal, becoming only the second Scottish player to score in the tournament since the 2008/09 season, following Adam Moffat’s goal for Houston Dynamo in 2012. Gauld also became the oldest Scottish player to score in the CCC since the format change in 2008/09, doing so at 29 years, 2 months, and 4 days.

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Vancouver Whitecaps seek comeback against Deportivo Saprissa | OneFootball