3 KEY TAKEAWAYS: Vancouver Whitecaps advance to CCC Round of 16 with 2-0 win vs. Saprissa
The Vancouver Whitecaps have advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, as they defeated Deportivo Saprissa 2-0 thanks to a Brian White brace in leg two of their first-round tie, which gave them the win 3-2 on aggregate.
Here are three key takeaways from this one.
White rescues Whitecaps to extend CCC journey:
It’s never easy to play in Concacaf.
The Whitecaps and new head coach Jesper Sørensen, have been reminded of that over the last week, as despite putting in two strong performances across both legs of this Saprissa tie, it took until stoppage time of this second leg for the Whitecaps to finally feel confident that they’d get through.
Despite having several opportunities to put the tie to rest, the Whitecaps let Saprissa hang around, and that left them open to a shock result right until the very end.
For what it’s worth, credit has to be given to Saprissa - despite having to do a lot of defending across both legs, they protected their goal very well and still managed to put the Whitecaps backline under a lot of stress in the moments they were able to push forward.
Despite that, the Whitecaps were favourites in this tie for a reason, with the top end of their roster being why, and they showed that across both legs. First, Ryan Gauld grabbed what ended up being a crucial away goal early in that first leg, before Brian White scored two big goals for his team in this second leg.
In particular, White’s two goals will be worth remembering - the goals themselves might not be much to write home about, as they were both simple finishes, but the timing of both couldn’t have been better, as he put the Whitecaps ahead early into the second half, and snuffed out Saprissa momentum with his late tally.
GOAL 🏔️🏔️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 28, 2025
BRIAN WHITE makes it 2-0 for the Vancouver Whitecaps over Saprissa, getting on the end of a rebound from a Ryan Gauld free kick – can #VWFC hold on and secure the 3-2 agg. win? 👀
🔴 Watch #ConcaChampions on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/ExwAPCBldV
Plus, more importantly, he found a way to get both goals without Gauld’s involvement, something that he’ll be pleased with, given that many feel his strong attacking numbers over the last few years have been heavily dependent on Gauld, who has done a lot of heavy lifting in the attack for the Whitecaps.
No doubt, White thrives when Gauld’s around - the pair have excellent chemistry, making them the heartbeat of this team’s attack - but there will be games where the Whitecaps want White to step up like this, with Gauld set to have a busy 2025 between his responsibilities for club and the Scottish National Team.
“Brian [White] as an attacker will always be measured upon how many goals he scored,” Sørensen said. “That’s just how it is. But to me, he’s a player that brings so many different things.”
Of course, it’s not just White who will have to step up in games where Gauld will be rested or unavailable, but he’ll certainly play a leading role, which he found a way to do in this game.
Now, ahead of that tie against Monterrey, the Whitecaps will need all hands on deck, but this will give them plenty to build off of in terms of positive momentum.
“We’re a team in a learning progress right now,” Sørensen offered.
Saprissa opts for more simplicity in the attack:
Entering this game, Saprissa found themselves in a strange position.
Given that they led the tie on aggregate, they had the goal of managing that lead, but they also knew that the Whitecaps weren’t that far out of the tie, needing just a goal to turn things around.
Because of that, they needed to find an intricate balance, as they needed to ensure they were still capable of threatening the Whitecaps' goal even if they were playing more defensively to start.
To do that, however, they opted for a surprise approach - despite likely knowing that the Whitecaps were going to attack in numbers, leaving open space on the counter-attack, Saprissa preferred to play slower, with the goal being to fashion up dangerous crossing opportunities.
Given the size they had in their attack, it was an approach that made sense for them to employ, especially against a Whitecaps team that has struggled with defending crosses in the past.
Plus, it almost worked to their advantage, too - despite going down on aggregate to the Whitecaps' second-half marker, Saprissa were able to mount a furious push for a winner, hitting the woodwork on multiple occasions, coming close to finding a winner.
“We could have put the game away, but didn't, and all of a sudden, we could have been out,” Sørensen said of Saprissa’s late push. “It's charming, and it’s frustrating in the same way, right? But that's what football is about, right? It’s never over until the game's over.”
Unfortunately for Saprissa, that wouldn’t be enough for them in the end, leaving them to extend their run without a knockout series win in this competition to another year, having last done so in 2011.
At the same time, they can look at this game and feel like they did everything in their power to advance, putting out the right game plan to produce a shock result, but were just on the wrong side of some fine margins when it came to finishing. In a tie where they were underdogs, that’s a point to build off of, even if a club as established as Saprissa will find that hard to immediately digest in the aftermath of this one. 
Nelson’s big week:
He may have only made three appearances for his new club, but Jayden Nelson has quickly become a key part of Sørensen’s new tactical system, putting together a two-game stretch to remember.
Coming off a magical one-goal, three-assist performance for the Whitecaps in their 4-1 win over the Portland Timbers in MLS action on the weekend, Nelson was rewarded with a second straight start for this match. Not just that, but he was tasked with a bigger role, too - with no Ryan Gauld, who was left on the bench to rest, Nelson was one of the pieces Sørensen tasked with filling the shoes of the Whitecaps playmaker.
To his credit, he certainly did that, finding another goal contribution at a key moment for his side.
Having seen the Whitecaps endure a frustrating first half, as despite dominating possession they had failed to convert several key opportunities, he looked to make sure they weren’t going to rue those chances for long.
Knowing that his team needed at least one goal to win, Nelson provided the key intervention required to break open the deadlock with his cross to White, busting open a dam it looked like they might never break through with how the first half had gone for them.
GOAL 🏔️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 28, 2025
Jayden Nelson picks out Brian White in the box with a perfect cross and the striker applies the headed finish to tie this series 2-2 on aggregate – and give #VWFC the away-goal advantage 🙌
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/BDUIbaSZ7D
Unfortunately for him, that would be the only action he’d get to provide in this game - despite looking likely to find more goals, he was taken off shortly after an hour, perhaps with an eye on the Whitecaps next match in a few days, a sign of his growing influence in this team.
Given that he’s already bested his offensive output from 50 matches with Toronto FC in his first stint in North America, it shows how hungry he is to impress after his stint in Europe, as he looks to reach the potential he’s shown glimpses of over the years.
Now, his big goal will be turning this hot streak into consistent output, something the Whitecaps certainly won’t mind seeing, as well as CanMNT head coach Jesse Marsch, who will start to consider him as an option for international action if he keeps up this run of form.
Player of the Match
Brian White, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Fresh off signing a contract extension, White was a key presence up front for the Whitecaps, scoring both goals and putting in a big shift on both sides of the ball, while almost scoring another goal if not for the post.
What’s next?
As winners of this tie, the Whitecaps will now get set to face Liga MX side CF Monterrey in the Round of 16, with the first leg of that tie set to be contested in Vancouver at BC Place on Wednesday, March 5th, before playing the return leg in Monterrey on Wednesday, March 12th.
Meanwhile, in league action, the Whitecaps will welcome the LA Galaxy to BC Place for a clash on Sunday, March 2nd (2:00 p.m. PT), while Saprissa will travel to Cartago for a match against CS Cartaginés in Liga FPD play later that Sunday (4:00 p.m. PT).
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