3 KEY takeaways: Whitecaps magical CCC run continues after late heroics vs. Pumas in QFs
The Vancouver Whitecaps magical 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup run will continue for at least two more games, as they eliminated Liga MX side Pumas UNAM on away goals (3-3 on aggregate) in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, setting up a date with Inter Miami CF in the semi-finals.
After pulling off an upset against Liga MX giants CF Monterrey in the Round of 16, it’s another monumental result for the Whitecaps, who have reached the semi-finals of this tournament for just the second time in their history.
Now, a tough date awaits against Miami and their collection of stars headlined by Lionel Messi, who reached the semi-finals after defeating LAFC 3-2 on aggregate earlier on Wednesday, doing so thanks to a leg two brace from Messi.
Yet, the Whitecaps won’t mind that challenge of playing that Miami team, as these are the sort of games they’ll have long craved being able to play, having struggled to make these sorts of deep runs in competitions like the CCC, the MLS Cup playoffs or Leagues Cup in the past, with their lone success in cup competitions in recent years coming in the Canadian Championship.
Now, they’ve flipped that script in this competition, and it’s made for this magical run.
Returning to this match, however, there was certainly a lot that happened before the Whitecaps magical ending. The game started slow, but then came alive after the 30th minute of the first half, as both teams traded goals in quick succession.
First, the Whitecaps grabbed a crucial away marker in the 33rd minute, as Daniel Ríos found a wide-open Sebastian Berhalter in the box, and the Whitecaps midfielder showed a bit of flair to finish with a backheel to give his team the lead on aggregate.
Unfortunately, their lead didn’t last long, as Pumas then equalized in the 37th minute. There, much like they did in the first leg, capitalized on a set piece, which has otherwise been a strength for the Whitecaps this season. This time, Guillermo Martínez did well to find the net from close range, as he managed to be first to a rebound on a shot from Adalberto Carrasquilla.
After trading chances over the next 40 minutes, Pumas found a crucial goal late. There, Igancio Pussetto got the end of a perfect cross into the box, and scored on his own rebound from in-close following a nice save from Yohei Takaoka, putting his team up 3-2 on aggregate in the 88th minute.
Despite conceding that goal, however, which seemed to be a fatal blow to the Whitecaps’ hopes of advancing, they managed to fight back just minutes later. After some nice play from Édier Ocampo, he found Tristan Blackmon with a perfect cross, and the Whitecaps centre back, who had drifted forward in chase of a late goal, made no mistake with the finish from close range.
From there, the Whitecaps managed to hang on to their aggregate lead, allowing them to reach their first CCC semi-final since 2017, where they fell to Tigres UNAL 4-1 on aggregate.
Here are three KEY takeaways from this one.
Whitecaps show survival instinct with late heroics:
You just can’t seem to get rid of these Whitecaps.
Despite suffering a few scares in this Champions Cup run, they just keep finding a way to get the job done, and this result was the latest example of that.
After suffering a leg one loss in Round one vs. Saprissa, they responded with a 2-0 win in leg two. Then, against Monterrey in the Round of 16, they went down 1-0 in leg one, but then clawed back a late goal to slightly shift the momentum ahead of the second leg. There, however, they suffered an early goal, but did well to respond with two key goals, before surviving a late onslaught to advance on away goals.
That led them to this round, where they’ve continued those heroics. After a frustrating leg one, where they went up 1-0 but gave up a late goal to give Pumas the advantage heading into leg two, they got off to a dream start to this second leg by scoring that early goal, one that seemed to indicate they’d comfortably cruise through this round.
If only it was that easy.
Yet, to the Whitecaps' credit, they never laid down. Even as Pumas turned around the game and grabbed what seemed to be a sure late winner, one that was going to add another chapter to the countless number of heartbreaks the Whitecaps have suffered in big games like this, they just found a way to ensure this game would have a different ending.
Credit to new manager Jesper Sørensen, however. Despite still being just a few months into his time in this job, he has not only instilled a strong tactical base that has fuelled this run in the Champions Cup along with a red-hot 5W-1D-1L start in MLS play, but has also given this group something else - some belief.
That belief hasn’t always needed to come out in MLS play, given their dominance there, but it keeps showing up in this competition, and Blackmon’s goal might’ve been the best example of the mentality they have.
There, they had every reason to fold. Not only were they down a goal, but they looked exhausted, having dealt with the heat and altitude of Mexico City for 90 minutes.
For an already tired group, one that continues to get hit by injuries, no one would’ve batted an eyelid if they were eliminated via a late goal, chalking it up to fatigue finally catching up to them after a busy start to the season.
Instead, they channelled one last moment of magic, and that paved the way for one of the biggest goals in club history.
GOAL 🏔️🏔️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 10, 2025
THE WHITECAPS SCORE AGAIN! 🤯
Tristan Blackmon finds the in-game equalizer, the 3-3 aggregate AND the away goals advantage and #VWFC have minutes to go before clinching a semi-final berth in #ConcaChampions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/bfDTvI6XDl
Now, the task doesn’t get any easier for them in the semi-finals, as Miami seem destined to lift this trophy given the players they have at their disposal. At the same time, no matter how tough this tie ends up being, it feels like one thing is for sure - the Whitecaps won’t be counted out until the final whistle at the end of leg two.
Until then, they’ll give Miami everything they got, much like they’ve done through the first three rounds they’ve played up until this point. 
Whitecaps alter tactical approach for the conditions:
It took a while for the Whitecaps to get themselves into this game, as they employed an abundance of caution early on.
Knowing that the conditions weren’t in their favour, as they dealt with the aforementioned heat and altitude that comes with playing in Mexico City, they wanted to avoid running out of gas early as they went in chase of the goal they needed.
Because of that, they didn’t end up holding as much of the ball in the first half, finishing the half with just 44% possession, instead of pushing that number into the mid-to-high 50s as they’ve typically done under Jesper Sørensen.
Not only that, but they didn’t take as many risks on the ball, either, as they weren’t afraid to send it long if they felt any Pumas pressure.
Through that, they were able to grow into the game, and that approach paid off for them, as seen by Berhalter’s goal, which came off a nice sequence of play on a transition moment.
Speaking of transitions, that ended up being the theme of this game - the Whitecaps never settled into the rhythm that they wanted in possession, as they stuck with that caution all game, sitting back and relying on those transition moments. As a result, they then only kept 40% of possession in the second half, which is where some might’ve expected them to start to grab more control of the game.
Yet, that was clearly by design, as the Whitecaps knew the risks that came with opening things up, and preferred to try and sit back and hang on.
To their credit, they did that about as well as they could’ve - the result shows that in the end.
At the same time, it’s also worth noting that the Whitecaps did play with fire a bit more than they’re used to. A big benefit of their controlled possession is that it also allows the Whitecaps to use the ball to defend, something they weren’t able to do as much in this game.
As a result, Pumas were able to pepper the Whitecaps' goal a lot more than most teams have this year, especially late on, where they were able to capitalize on some tired Whitecaps legs. That the Whitecaps conceded 2.63 xG and 20 shots shows that, as they’ve been one of the best defensive teams in MLS this season, not allowing much in terms of shots or xG.
GOAL 🐈⬛
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 10, 2025
And just like that, Pumas UNAM equalize in Leg 2 of this #ConcaChampions quarter-final vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps, and it's 2-2 on aggregate, with each team holding an away goal 🥶
🔴 Watch #VWFC on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/vFPiB1JrTs
In particular, the Whitecaps struggled with set-pieces and crosses, which has been a strength of theirs this year, as they just seemed to be second to most balls played into their box.
GOAL 🐈⬛🐈⬛
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 10, 2025
Pumas UNAM go up 2-1 over the Vancouver Whitecaps (3-2 agg.) as Ignacio Pussetto finds a late goal off the crossbar from his initial shot 🎯
Can #VWFC find an equalizer - and series-winner on away goals - in the last ~5 minutes of this #ConcaChampions QF? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/madO9egxnT
Because of that, don’t expect the Whitecaps to employ this approach very often going forward. There’s a reason why they’ve stuck to their usual possession-based tactics in most games, even against teams like Monterrey, which isn’t easy to do.
In this one, however, they had to alter that approach, and it turned this game into more of a physical battle instead of a tactical one, one where they had to use their wits to survive.
Yet, that’s knockout soccer - sometimes, you have to be willing to roll your sleeves up. The Whitecaps did that, surviving some close calls to get a result they felt like they deserved across the balance of 180 minutes, even if things got hairy late.
Pumas's heat map from this game (attacking the right), showing how much territory they were able to occupy in the Whitecaps final third and box (via OPTA)
Unheralded contributors step up for Whitecaps goals:
Given how good the Whitecaps have been this year, it’s hard to single out players who have contributed to that success, as they’ve relied on contributions from everywhere in the lineup.
From their high-paid DPs to their less experienced players at the bottom of the roster, it’s truly been a team effort for the Whitecaps, especially given the injuries they’ve dealt with.
One player who has stepped up in a big way, however, has been Sebastian Berhalter, who has started every game under Sørensen, the lone player to have done that up to this point.
There, he’s played a huge role in helping Sørensen’s system tick in midfield, with his skills on the ball and work rate off it crucial to helping the Whitecaps find the control they crave in games.
His impact hasn’t always been as noticeable, as he does a lot of grunt work for the team, but that’s exactly why he’s become so important to this Whitecaps side, as he frees up a lot of their dangerous attacking players to focus on their offensive play.
Yet, while his biggest contributions might come in less noticeable moments in possession, or with the work he does defensively, he can also be dangerous in the final third. He showed that this past weekend, as he assisted Brian White on the Whitecaps opening goal in a 2-0 win vs. the Colorado Rapids, a sign of what he can do in the final third.
Then, he continued that into this game, finding a way to score that crucial opening goal for the Whitecaps. Needing that goal in order to even have a chance at advancing, it completely altered the complexion of this tie, swinging it in the Whitecaps' favour.
GOAL 🏔️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 10, 2025
OH MY, SEBASTIAN BERHALTER 😱
The Vancouver Whitecaps go up 1-0 over Pumas UNAM (2-1 on aggregate) AND get an away goal in this #ConcaChampions QF Leg 2 🏆
🔴 Watch #VWFC on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/QpsNmHGWNE
In a sense, however, it made it fitting to see that goal come from Berhalter, given his growing importance to this team, allowing him to get some of the shine that he has deserved given the work he’s put in.
On that note, it’s worth noting that Blackmon was also a fitting goalscorer for the late winner, as much like Berhalter, he’s also done a lot of important quiet work for this team.
Granted, Blackmon already had an important goal like this under his belt this season - he scored the winner in a 1-0 Whitecaps victory over FC Dallas in MLS play last month - but he’s done a lot of key work for this team at centre back.
Sørensen’s system relies on a lot of important possession play from his centre backs, as well as some tough 1v1 defending, with Blackmon and Ranko Veselinovic doing a good job of stepping up in both regards.
At the same time, they’ve also got the freedom to help chip in goals on set pieces, and in this case, Blackmon used a chance to step forward and support the attack in a time of need.
Having supported them in several other ways throughout this season, it’s fitting to see him get a reward for that work, once again showing the impact of the Whitecaps depth.
A team that now has a whopping 13 goalscorers in all competitions after Berhalter’s goal, it’s yet another sign of the buy-in they’re getting from their group, as they continue to show that their success this year is truly a team effort - on both sides of the ball.
Player of the Match:
Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Berhalter was lively in midfield for the Whitecaps, chipping in with a goal while also completing 20/24 passes (83%), including three out of five long balls, while adding a key pass, five passes into the final third, one tackle, one clearance and two recoveries.
All of Berhalter's actions from this one (via OPTA)
What’s Next:
The Whitecaps will be back in MLS action this upcoming weekend, as they get set to host Austin FC at BC Place on Saturday, April 12th (4:30 p.m. PT). Then, in the semi-finals of this competition, they’ll play the first leg of their tie against Inter Miami in late April, and the second leg in May, with the dates and venues for that set to be confirmed.
Watch the Concacaf Champions Cup live on OneSoccer. For a full list of what games will be available in round one, click here. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.
