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After a thrilling leg one encounter, the Vancouver Whitecaps are set to host Valour FC in leg two of their Canadian Championship quarter-final tie at BC Place on Wednesday.
Having traded blows in a thrilling 2-2 draw in May, there’s still everything to play for in leg two, setting up a thrilling conclusion to this battle.
No doubt, the Whitecaps enter this tie as favourites, as one would expect for the side that has won this tournament three years in a row, but credit has to be given to Valour for not just keeping this tie alive, but giving themselves a legitimate shot at advancing heading into the second match, with this essentially being a single-game knockout match after the elimination of the away goals rule in this tournament.
At the same time, a lot will have to go right for Valour for them to win in Vancouver, as the Whitecaps have been a force at BC Place this year, sitting with a record of 8W-4D-2L at home this year in all competitions.
Plus, adding to that, they’re yet to lose in cup competition at home this year, either, as they picked up two wins and two draws in the four home games they played in their run to the Concacaf Champions Cup final.
Not only that, but they remain one of the top sides in MLS, too, sitting fifth in the entire league in overall points and third in points per game, showing what Valour is up against.
The Whitecaps do come into this game in a bit of a mini-slump, having dropped three of their last four games, but given that they’ve been significantly shorthanded over the last month due to injuries and international absences, they’ll hope to turn their fortunes around with the return of some key names this past week.
“We should bring everything we’ve got, and not hold back on anything,” Whitecaps head coach, Jesper Sørensen, said this week. “I expect it to be a battle, I expect them to want a battle, and I hope we can avoid the battle by moving the ball very fast.”
Meanwhile, Valour has continued to struggle in CPL play, sitting in seventh with eight points from 12 games, and enters this game on a run of three straight losses.
Because of that, they won’t be too worried about the potential of facing a Whitecaps side a bit lower on confidence than they were six weeks ago, as their focus will be on finding a bit of good momentum of their own.
For what it’s worth, this first leg tie might’ve been Valour’s best performance of the season, so perhaps this game could be just what they need to find their best level. Sometimes, a match in a cup competition like this can be a jolt that can liven up a team’s season, and Valour will hope that this match can give them that sort of spark.
Their biggest enemy this year has been consistency, and the prospect of keeping a dangerous Whitecaps team at bay might be what they need to stay locked in and focus for 90 minutes.
“We keep working, and we have to work again,” Valour head coach, Phil Dos Santos, said this week. “I told them that we earned the right to go to Vancouver and play for one result, and that’s a right that the guys earned, nobody gave it to us, that’s what that 2-2 draw gave us.”
“Now, we have to go and go, one play at a time, one half at a time, see where we're at after the first 45 minutes, as we have to play a perfect game, or at least a near-perfect game, in order to go to BC Place and get a result.”
In terms of player availability, the Whitecaps remain without Sam Adekugbe, Ryan Gauld, Andrés Cubas and Ali Ahmed due to injury, but welcomed back Brian White and Sebastian Berhalter after the end of their run with the US at the Gold Cup. Meanwhile, Valour can count on Themi Antonoglou for this match as he returns from a short injury absence, and will also welcome back Gianfranco Facchineri after he missed their last 3 CPL matches due to suspension - although it's worth noting he would've been eligible for this competition regardless.
Canadian Championship History
Last meeting: May 20, 2025 -- Valour FC 2-2 Vancouver Whitecaps (Quarter-final first leg)
Vancouver Whitecaps:
All-time record: 26W-15D-15L
Best finish: Champions (2015, 2022, 2023, 2024)
Valour FC:
All-time record: 2W-1D-6L
Best finish: Quarter-finals (2021) - Lost 2-1 to Forge FC
Key Quotes
“In cup football, anything can happen, we have high aspirations and we hope we can reach the final and win it (again), and this is the first step, so we have to be ready for that challenge. This is a different (matchup), these aren’t familiar teams that you play, it’s great, because in these cup competitions you don’t always know what to expect, so you have to approach things a little bit differently, which is great.” – Vancouver Whitecaps FC head coach Jesper Sørensen
“If you asked me which game you’d want to play to turn a season around, I would tell you that this is the best one. Win, lose or draw, you want a good performance here, you want to match up with the best, and that's what we're going to do. We're playing a very good team, let’s not kid ourselves. It's a team that's going to be prepared for us, it’s a team that is electric in the way they press the opposition, the way they attack, and the pace at which they do that, the courage and the aggression with which they play - it’s worked against the best teams in North America. (...) What a moment for us to play them again. I told the guys, we put ourselves in this position where the tie is not lost, so if we don’t believe, we're not playing the game right, we have to go and believe that we can get something out of it.” – Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos
“I'm willing to give everything. And all of the boys are feeling the same. As soon as you go to play a team like the Whitecaps, you know it's going to be a tough game, so you've got to be switched on for the full 90 minutes and give everything you can. It’s not just going to be hard work, either, it’s tactically executing the plan that the coaches have set out, which we've been working hard on in training before, so we’ll want to go in there and execute everything we've worked hard on this week, and I believe that we can do that.” – Valour FC forward Kian Williams
