León Win A Thriller

Photo Credit Mark Steffens/Shotbug Press

The weekend in Vancouver was proving to be a fun filled event all starting the the Whitecaps playing host to Club Leon in a match that attracted 17,391 excited fans that were entertained from the opening kickoff.\

There was no question that the game at times was a  physical contest that saw more delay’s  on what some called questionable injuries or unnecessarily injury delay’s.

For those unable to attend you missed a dramatic shootout that featured both goalies getting the chance to have shots both of which were turned aside.

It’s fair to say that León’s fast start allowed them  to set up the opening goal that aw Iván Moreno send it past Yohei Takaoka, finishing low off a cross giveing León a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute.

They came close to opening a two nil lead 10 minutes later only to have it blocked by Luis Martins to deny his second goal.

After a long extended penalty shootout that was eventually won by Los Esmeraldas, which got them an extra point granting them in the Leagues Cup table.

As much as León kept pushing it would be the ‘Caps who evened the match in the dying  moments of the first half after a well delivered ball from Sebastian Berhalter sending Sergio Córdova behind León’ defence. 

To the surprise of some the Cap’s jumped out to the lead after the half after sending Brian White to the pitch managing to send one wide as they continued to put points on the board. 

The strong play of the Cap’s saw them jump out to the lead in the 57th minute but given the strong play it would be León who got the next one evening the match in the 77th minute that saw  Elías Hernández get one of his own.

With the match coming to an end it was the Whitecaps who were close to getting the win that saw Martins ring one off the goal frame after a corner kick.

There was an additional six minutes added, but with nothing settled the game went to a shootout that saw both teams going through their full lineup even having each goalie getting a chance, but neither scored.

It sounds strange but at the end of regulation and added time when the whistle went several fans began walking out thinking the match was over only to have other fans instruct them to o back to their seats.

The shootout went 19 rounds that saw Léon deliver the winning goal for the visiting team to the delight of several staunch supporters. 

 Whitecaps FC return back in Leagues Cup action Saturday, July 29th taking on the Los Angeles Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park at 7:30 pm.

If the Whitecaps are able to advance, they could host a Leagues Cup knockout round match being played between August 2-4 at BC Place.

The ‘Caps next MLS home game is Sunday August 20th when they take on the San Jose Earthquakes at 7:30 pm. 

Thanks to Whitecaps for the following info:

Córdova continues hot streak as ‘Caps earn a point in feisty and dramatic Leagues Cup opener

• Friday’s Leagues Cup match was the third competitive match in club history against a LIGA MX side after the 2017 Concacaf Champions League two-leg semifinal against Tigres UANL
• With his assist on the second goal, Ryan Gauld set a new club record in the MLS era with 27 in all competitions
• With two goals, Sergio Córdova has now scored four times in the last three matches in all competitions
• Sebastian Berhalter recorded his third assist of the season in all competitions
• 2023 MLS SuperDraft pick J.C. Ngando earned his first start at BC Place with Whitecaps FC, and second start overall

MATCH DETAILS (Thanks to Whitecaps FC)

Attendance: 17,391

Referee: Fernando Guerrero Ramírez

Scoring Summary

23’ – LEO – Iván Moreno

44’ – VAN – Sergio Córdova (Sebastian Berhalter)

57’ – VAN – Sergio Córdova (Ryan Gauld)

77’ – LEO – Elías Hernández (Jaine Barreiro)

Statistics

Possession: LEO 64.6% – VAN 35.4%,  Shots: LEO 14 – VAN 8

Shots on Goal: LEO 4 – VAN 2,              Saves: LEO 0 – VAN 2

Fouls: LEO 13 – VAN 13,                        Offsides: LEO 2 – VAN 4

Corners: LEO 11 – VAN 2

Cautions

20’ – LEO – José Rodríguez,                   39’ – LEO – William Tesillo

45’+2 – LEO – Victor Dávila,                  65’ – VAN – Andrés Cubas

88’ – LEO – Elías Hernández