Whitecaps run wild in Leg 1 rout of Real España
Vancouver Whitecaps FC took a resounding 5-0 victory at BC Place on Wednesday evening on the strength of a dominant second half that saw them score four times. The Whitecaps will bring their five-goal aggregate cushion into the return leg at Real España’s Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on March 15 (6 pm ET | FS2, TUDN).
CCL continues with LAFC return
LAFC take on Alajuelense tonight at 10 pm ET on FS2 and TUDN. It’s the Black & Gold’s first appearance in CCL since they came just short of winning the title in 2020.
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We’re yet another day closer to the Watchgridometer and yet another day closer to a Saturday full of MLS. Let’s pass the time by making a few quick notes about both last night’s CCL result and a result yet to come.
Vancouver: The bellwether of MLS
Well, at least one team finally won in the first leg. After Tuesday night saw MLS teams pick up two draws and a loss, it’s nice to see someone show up and just go ahead and essentially take care of the second leg too. The Whitecaps are almost undoubtedly through to the CCL quarterfinals after entering this one as the only MLS-in-CCL team to miss the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs last year. I had my doubts. Especially after their first two appearances of the MLS season saw them blow two 1-0 leads in basically the same way.
But they got the job done! And now they can give up a goal, or four, in Honduras and still make it through. That should be a major confidence boost for a team that seems to have made a handful of smart signings over the last couple of years, yet hasn’t turned a solid roster (on paper) into consistent results. Maybe this wakes them up and kick starts their season, and we don’t even have to worry about them making their regularly-scheduled second-half-of-the-season run because they’ve taken care of business the rest of the way. It feels like they have it in them. Even if it doesn’t quite feel like they have a deep CCL run in them because…
Here come LAFC
The reigning MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield champs start their CCL run tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them rotate a little, but I don’t know how much risk they’ll take with their lineup. Because this is (or should be) the competition for the Black & Gold.
They have the firepower. They have a relatively gentle bracket. And a big shiny trophy is in this group’s crosshairs. If it happens, I think we can go ahead and refer to this as a historic treble for LAFC (can we stretch that across two years?). If it doesn’t happen, this is one of the very few teams in MLS history who could see it as a genuine disappointment.
Would you be shocked to see LAFC put in a Vancouver-esque performance tonight? I mean, it’s not so easy to go out there and put on your ‘Caps cap and win 5-0. Especially on the road, in Costa Rica, against Alajuelense. However, LAFC should have a clear sense of purpose throughout this competition.
Meanwhile…
We have to mention something MLS adjacent real quick. Liga MX’s Atlas got thumped last night by Honduran side Olimpia. The final scoreline finished 4-1.
The winner of the matchup will go on to face the winner of Alianza and Philadelphia and, well, if you’re Philadelphia, you’re probably feeling somewhere between good and stellar about your chances to take down either side. Not that anything is easy in CCL. And not to say they have their Round of 16 matchup locked down after drawing 0-0 in the first leg. But last night’s result is another data point suggesting that Atlas are firmly strapped into a seat on the struggle bus. Even if they eventually get through, the Union won’t be facing the kind of Liga MX giant that’s derailed other MLS favorites. If it’s Olimpia who get through, the Union will be favored heavily there as well.
All in all, last night’s result had to be encouraging. Not definitive. Just encouraging. Now Philly better get the job done next week.
Things might get easier for Austin too…
There were reports yesterday that Violette AC, due to visas, might have some difficulty getting enough players to Austin for the second leg of a matchup they’re leading 3-0. I’ll just say that I’m hopeful something will be worked out and we get to see Violette defend one of the biggest upsets I can remember in CCL. Just trying to manifest good things through the newsletter here. It wouldn’t be the first time, ya know?
St. Louis CITY sign center back Bartlett: St. Louis CITY SC have signed center back Lucas Bartlett through the 2023 MLS season with option years for 2024-25. Concurrently, the expansion side placed Joakim Nilsson on the Injury Reserve List. The Swedish international and German Bundesliga veteran signed with St. Louis last summer, but hasn’t debuted due to a long-term knee injury. Now, Bartlett adds depth alongside a domestic-only center back corps that’s featured Tim Parker and Kyle Hiebert as early-season starters.
- Major League Soccer celebrated International Women’s Day yesterday.
- The Whitecaps might just be back on track after that dominant performance.
- Eduard Löwen is finding happiness and a "real home" at St. Louis CITY SC.
- Jonathan Sigal picked out 12 under-the-radar offseason signings that deserve more attention.
- Pedro Gallese’s masterclass left Orlando City on the cusp of pulling off a CCL upset against Tigres.
- Inter Miami's Robert Taylor won the Goal of the Matchday for Matchday 2.
Good luck out there. Always bring a smile.
