One BIG learning lesson for each Canadian team in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup
Despite hopes of more, it ended up being a short stay for Canadian teams in the Concacaf Champions Cup this year, as the Vancouver Whitecaps, Forge FC and Cavalry FC were all eliminated from the first round of the competition this month.
Plus, things didn’t end up being very close in the end for them, either, as they combined for zero wins, one draw and five losses, and were outscored 15-4 across those six games.
At the same time, it’s important to note the context of these three teams’ matchups, as they were all quite challenging for different reasons.
For example, the Canadian side with the biggest potential to go on a run, the Whitecaps, had one of the worst draws possible, as they faced tournament favourites Tigres in their clash. Meanwhile, Forge and Cavalry, who were participating in this competition for their second and first times, respectively, faced off against two other teams expected to make pretty good runs in Chivas and Orlando City.
Because of that, it was always going to be tough for either team to go on a run, especially for Forge and Cavalry, who aren’t just battling the difficulty of those matchups, but the fact that they both hadn’t played since October and weren’t slated to start their CPL seasons until April, adding another layer of difficulty to their preparation for these matches.
As Canada's trio of clubs bow out of the 2024 #ConcaChampions, any reflections on the format, particularly with the balancing of pre-season vs. in-season sides?
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 28, 2024
(Oh and @AndiPetrillo has a solution that could work, btw 😅) pic.twitter.com/6v1oJGfeuk
Yet, that doesn’t soften the blow of defeat, especially for the Whitecaps, who are familiar with Tigres, and felt that they could’ve emerged with more from the tie than they did in the end.
But as all three sides learned, performances can often quickly go out the window in these sorts of knockout competitions. All three had good flashes across their respective games, but didn’t do enough to win, and were ruthlessly punished for that by their opponents.
On the flipside, however, they can take comfort in the fact that they learned important lessons, which they’ll now look to apply in their 2024 seasons, as they try and book their spots back in this competition next year.
Here’s a look at one key thing each of them learned across these ties.
Vancouver Whitecaps: Sometimes outplaying isn’t enough
At first glance, if you hadn’t watched both legs of the tie, you might laugh at the idea that the Whitecaps were competitive in their clash with Tigres.
Given that the score was 4-1 on aggregate, it’s hard to look at a result like that and suggest that things were close, given the disparity on the scoreboard.
Despite that, however, the games themselves told a different story.
In the first leg, for example, the Whitecaps arguably outplayed Tigres, and should’ve won by a few goals after leading for most of the game, but instead had to settle for a 1-1 draw after giving up a late equalizer.
Then, on the road, they had several opportunities to grab a crucial away goal that they needed to at least have a chance at penalties, but let a bunch of opportunities go to waste, allowing Tigres to pull away with a late flurry of goals. 
Despite generating nearly two xG across both legs and crafting several dangerous chances that they failed to turn into shots, the Whitecaps were only able to score one, which was never going to be enough to win against a dangerous Tigres attack.
Yet, that shows the big lesson they learned in a tie like this, and something that they’ve struggled to do in some of their big matchups over the last few years - it’s important to take your chances in these games.
You can outplay a team for 89 minutes out of 90 in a game, but if you let your chances go to waste, all it takes is one opportunity for the game to go in your opponent's favour.
Unfortunately, the ‘Caps have come up on the wrong side of that ledger several times over the last few years, such as in their MLS Cup playoffs matchup against LAFC, their Leagues Cup clashes against Léon and Tigres, and their Concacaf Champions Cup tie against LAFC last year, in which they put up good performances but were often unable to convert them before their opponents came up with moments of magic.
GOLAZO 👀
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 8, 2024
André-Pierre Gignac is a special, special talent 🤯#VWFC stunned back to 1-1 as the Tigres star hits a perfect free kick in this #ConcaChampions Leg 1 clash 🎯
🔴 Watch @TheChampions on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/U2VXg7Vgb7
Because of that, it’ll be important for them to find that ruthless edge in big games this year, as they’ve proven that they can compete against top teams, which was a huge step they wanted to take, but still need to show that they can show that cutting edge that’s required to win those sorts of matches.
If they’re to win an MLS Cup or push for a Supporters Shield, two things this side has the potential to do, finding a way to do that will be key, if not they’ll be known as a side that could compete with the best, but not get over that hump and become one of the best.
Forge FC: Timing is everything
As mentioned earlier, while performances matter, it’s important to manage games, especially against top opponents.
Just look at Forge’s first leg against Chivas as a big reason why that’s so important.
There, they put up a good performance, going toe-to-toe with Chivas in an entertaining showing, but allowed three goals in a 3-1 loss, one that didn’t fully reflect the nature of the game.
Yet, it wasn’t just the fact that they allowed three goals that frustrated Forge, but when they allowed them, too.
First, they went down 1-0 in the first half, conceded the second right before half time, and then conceded a third pretty early into the second half.
That had a huge impact, as they allowed Chivas to control the game through those goals, with that opener allowing them to force Forge onto the back foot early, their second goal gave them all sorts of momentum heading half time, and their third allowed them to take the sting out of the game late.
Through that, it gave Chivas a huge edge heading into the second leg, carrying that two-goal lead along with the three away goals, which allowed them to cruise to a 5-2 aggregate win as they controlled proceedings in the second leg. 
Because of that, it was a key lesson to Forge - sometimes, it’s important to knuckle down in certain moments against top teams.
For example, that second goal in leg one arguably ended up deciding the tie - had Forge been able to hold on until half time at 1-1, they could’ve reset in the locker room, and adjusted their approach based on what they learned, which would have increased their chances of getting a result.
Instead, they had to come out of the break aggressively, starting down a 2-1 deficit, and that likely contributed to them going down 3-1 soon after, given that they had to be out a lot more on the front foot than they might’ve liked.
So for Forge, look for them to take those lessons to heart. As they’ve shown, they can compete against top opposition, showing well in their two Champions Cup cameos, which both saw them play Liga MX teams, but they’ll feel that they could’ve managed certain moments better across those ties.
GOAL 🔨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 14, 2024
A consolation? Sure, but for 17-year-old Kevaughn Tavernier, @ForgeFCHamilton, a HUGE goal kicks off what hopes to be a promising career in #CanPL! 🇨🇦
🔴 POST-GAME SHOW now airing on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/TX9W51EbAU
Of course, that’s far from a bad thing, but that’s just the difference between playing teams like this, who will catch you at vulnerable moments, as Chivas did.
Cavalry FC: Any sign of weakness can be quickly exposed
For Cavalry, this competition was always going to be all about learning lessons, as unlike the Whitecaps and Forge, who have experience in this competition, this was their first appearance.
Not only that, but this was the first time that they had played in Concacaf, period, which is a stark contrast to Forge, who have played in five separate Concacaf tournaments - Concacaf League in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and the Champions Cup in 2022 and now this year.
Because of that, Cavalry were eager to use this as a learning opportunity, and admitted as much, especially against a top Orlando side who is expected to compete for trophies in MLS this year, and is a strong candidate to make a deep run in this competition.
And if there’s one thing they learned, it’s how quickly little mistakes can be exposed in these sorts of games, as they ended up conceding six goals across this tie despite showing relatively well in the two games.
Yet, right from game one, they looked to play aggressively, employing some big rotations between when they were in possession and out of it, and Orlando immediately targeted that, realizing that they could find some joy if they got in behind Cavalry’s full backs when they won the ball back.
Because of that, Orlando ended up finding a lot of offence by targeting that, especially in transition, where they were dominant across both legs, starting with a 3-0 win in leg one before cruising to a 3-1 result in the second to win 6-1 on aggregate. 
So for Cavalry, it was a key learning lesson, as it showed the importance of being able to avoid exposing those sorts of weaknesses and quickly patching them up when you do.
And to their credit, they did already show signs of having learned - in the second leg, they went for more of a true back five on both sides of the ball instead of rotating between a four and a five, which helped them be much more solid out wide, so that’s a positive.
GOAL 🐎@CPLCAVALRYFC ARE ON THE BOARD 💥
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 28, 2024
The #CanPL regular season champs get their first-ever #ConcaChampions goal, catching Orlando for the 1-1 score as Willy Akio and Myer Bevan combine 😎
Just about 30 minutes left in this one... can they find even more? 👀 pic.twitter.com/wrE5YPWwtC
Because of that, look for them to take that to heart as they try and return to this competition. A team that wants to play aggressively no matter their opponent, this showed that harnessing that aggression is important, as good teams know how to turn that in their favour, as Orlando did.
As the old adage goes, it’s important to maximize one’s strengths and limit one’s weaknesses, and while Cavalry felt that playing aggressively was the best way to go do the former, they’ll have to find a way to do that without opening themselves up to the latter, or else top teams will expose that.
