By Canadian Press

Whitecaps rally to beat Tijuana 3-1, advance to Round of 32 in Leagues Cup

Aug 3, 2024 | 10:26 PM

VANCOUVER — Forwards Levonte Johnson and Faba Picault each scored a goal and assisted on another in the second half as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Club Tijuana 3-1 Saturday night to advance into the round of 32 in the Leagues Cup.

Johnson gave Vancouver a 2-1 lead with his goal in the 77th minute on a shot that found the far corner of the net. Pedro Vite made it 3-1 in the 83rd minute after Picault threaded him a pass.

Kevin Castaneda scored in the eighth minute for Tijuana.

Picault tied the match early in the second half, beating Tijuana goalkeeper Jose Rodriguez with a shot after a smooth feed from Johnson, a second-half substitute. It was his ninth goal of the season across all competitions and the first assist for Johnson.

That goal came just a few minutes after Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka made a finger tip stop off a blast from midfielder Efrain Alvarez.

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Shortly after Vancouver’s goal, Johnson hammered a shot that hit Rodriguez in the face. The goalkeeper collapsed to the turf and was removed on a cart but gave the thumps up sign to the crowd of 18,896 at BC Place Stadium.

Jose Carona replaced Rodriguez in goal. He was forced to make a leaping save in the 74th minute to stop a long blast from Vite.

Tijuana was forced to play a man short after Aaron Mejia Montoya was given a red card for manhandling Picault in the 81st minute.

On the opening goal defender Diego Barbosa made a nice move to get around a Whitecaps defender then passed to Castaneda who scored with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box.

Both teams played without their head coach.

Vancouver’s Vanni Sartini was given a red card during the Whitecaps 4-2 road shootout win over LAFC Tuesday night.

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

Michael D’Agostino handled the coaching duties for Vancouver while Saucedo Cirilo took over for Osorio.

Trailing by a goal early, Brian White had a chance to tie the game off a corner kick in the 14th minute. His header was stopped by a diving Rodriguez.

Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter had another chance in the 28th minute when his blast from distance hit a defender and changed directions but sailed over the top of the net.

Rodriguez was forced to make another diving save in the 32nd minute off a long shot by Picault.

Picault made another nice play in the 37th minute to work his way around a Tijuana defender. He sent a pass into the box that White, with another defender on his back, deflected just wide of the net.

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

NOTES

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

UP NEXT

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

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

Jim Morris, The Canadian Press