Vancouver Whitecaps face another tough test against CF Monterrey in Mexico

Vancouver Whitecaps FC's Brian White (left) and CF Monterrey's Hector Moreno battle for control of the ball during the second half of CONCACAF Champions Cup soccer action in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Rich Lam / The Canadian Press)

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps know they’re headed for hostile territory this week.

CF Monterrey isn’t hosting the ‘Caps in their home stadium when the two sides face off on Wednesday, but the volume and intensity of the crowd at Estadio Corona in Torreon, Mexico, will still favour the LIGA MX side.

That’s just fine by the Whitecaps, said Pedro Vite.

“If I’m at a stadium full of people and all the fans are shouting at us, then it’s better for us. It motivates us to play well, to make the plays we want to make,” the Ecuadorean midfielder said through a translator Tuesday.

“And honestly, the games are a lot about just focusing mentally and blocking that out. And if you have people shouting at you, it also just motivates you to keep on going and have to have a good game.”

The ‘Caps head to Mexico for the back half of their two-legged CONCACAF Champions Cup series against Monterrey in solid position.

Vancouver battled Rayados to a 1-1 draw in the first half of the round-of-16 matchup last week, and is undefeated in its last five outings across all competitions, including a 3-0-0 run in Major League Soccer play.

Vite has been a key piece in the success, contributing a goal in the club’s dominant 4-1 victory over the Portland Timbers on Feb. 23, and contributing assists in each of the other league games.

“On a personal level, I feel really good. I feel like I’m playing at a very high level, and I have a lot to go for this team,” the 23-year-old said of his current form.

“But right now, we’re just taking it day by day. And as long as the team is doing well, that’s what’s important to me. And if the team is doing well, then I’ll be playing well.”

The ‘Caps will need top performances from the entire club on Wednesday.

In order to win the aggregate series, Vancouver needs to score and either win the game or draw by two or more goals.

“We will not be passive, but patient is more a right word,” said head coach Jesper Sorensen. ”We know what we have to do. So, of course, we would like to keep a clean sheet, but we will have to balance the game out because we would like to be aggressive, but we’re not going to open ourselves up too early.”

Getting goals may be more difficult without captain Ryan Gauld in the lineup.

The Scottish attacking midfielder went down with a knee capsule sprain in Saturday’s 2-0 win over CF Montreal. The club has said he is expected to miss “a few weeks.”

“For me, it’s not pleasant to have a player like Ryan out,” Sorensen said. ”He’s definitely a player that we can feel his presence when he’s there. But when he’s not there, we have to play somebody else. And that’s just how football works.”

The Whitecaps have scored by committee early this season, with eight players contributing goals across all competitions so far.

Continuing the trend on Wednesday will require the team to find ways through Monterrey’s powerful defence.

Rayados boasts powerhouse players such as centre back Sergio Ramos. The Spanish star didn’t travel to Vancouver for last week’s game, but will likely factor into Wednesday’s game.

“We expect a different scenario down there, also the way they will approach the game,” Sorensen said. ”And I was confident that we, a week ago, that we were able to create chances against a team like Monterrey. We just have to take and strike them better, of course.

“But the good thing was that we were able to create that amount of chances. … I would expect that we can also go down there and surprise them a little bit.”

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2025.