Vancouver Whitecaps beat Tijuana to advance to the League Cup round of 32

VANCOUVER — Forwards Levonte Johnson and Faba Picault each scored a goal and had an assist in the second half to help the Vancouver Whitecaps beat Club Tijuana 3-1 on Saturday night to advance to the last 32 of the League Cup.

Johnson gave Vancouver a 2-1 lead with a 77th-minute goal, a shot that found the far corner of the net, and Pedro Vite made it 3-1 in the 83rd minute after Picault passed the ball to him.

Kevin Castaneda scored for Tijuanu in the eighth minute.

Picault equalized early in the second half, beating Tijuana goalkeeper Jose Rodriguez with a shot off a fluid pass from Johnson, a second-half substitute. It was his ninth goal of the season in all competitions and Johnson’s first assist.

The goal came just minutes after Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka saved a shot by midfielder Efrain Alvarez with his fingertips.

Shortly after Vancouver’s goal, Johnson fired a shot that hit Rodriguez in the face. The goalie fell to the turf and was carted off, but gave a thumbs-up sign to the crowd of 18,896 at BC Place Stadium.

Jose Carona replaced Rodriguez in goal, and was forced into a diving save in the 74th minute to keep out Vite’s long shot.

Tijuana were forced to field a man short after Aaron Mejia Montoya was shown a red card for violent conduct towards Picault in the 81st minute.

For the opening goal, defender Diego Barbosa made a good move to bypass a Whitecaps defender before passing to Castaneda, who scored with a right-footed shot from inside the penalty area.

Both teams played without their coaches.

Vancouver’s Vanni Sartini received a red card during the Whitecaps’ 4-2 penalty shootout win over LAFC on Tuesday night.

Tijuanu coach Juan Carlos Osorio also received a red card after confronting a linesman during the Xolos’ 3-0 loss to LAFC on July 26.

Michael D’Agostino took over as Vancouver coach, with Saucedo Cirilo taking over Osorio’s duties.

Trailing by one early on, Brian White had a chance to equalise from a corner in the 14th minute, his header being blocked by a diving Rodriguez.

Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter had another chance in the 28th minute when his long-range shot hit a defender, changed direction and sailed over the net.

In the 32nd minute, Rodriguez was forced to once again save Picault’s long-range shot.

Picault made another good move in the 37th minute to get past a Tijuana defender, sending a pass into the box that White, with another defender on his back, deflected just wide of the goal.

The League Cup brings together 47 clubs from Major League Soccer and LIGA MX. The tournament decides three qualifying rounds for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup. The winner of this competition will represent the region at the FIFA Club World Cup.

COMMENTS

A large portion of the crowd sang the Mexican national anthem before the game. … It was the first time the Whitecaps and Club Tijuana have played each other. … Forward Ryan Gauld, who leads Vancouver with nine assists, remains sidelined with a leg injury. … After winning three of their last four home games, the Whitecaps play six of their remaining 10 MLS matches at BC Place. … Vancouver placed Jamaican defender Javain Brown on the reserve list.

IN THE FUTURE

The Whitecaps have a busy schedule. They return to MLS action, hosting LAFC on Aug. 24, then face Pacific FC at home on Aug. 27 in the second leg of the Canadian Championship semifinals, before playing Austin FC away on Aug. 31.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.