PREVIEW: Vancouver Whitecaps set for crucial clash vs. Alianza in preliminary round of innaugral Concacaf W Champions Cup
Over the past three years, the Vancouver Whitecaps Women’s Elite side has gotten used to reaching new frontiers.
From their dominance provincially in League 1 BC, where they’ve won two regular season and three playoff titles to go along with two Juan De Fuca Plates in just three years of the league’s existence, to their play nationally at the League 1 Canada inter-provincial championships, where they’ve won two straight titles, and even their play internationally, such as their win at the 2023 FIFA Blue Stars Youth Cup, they’ve done well to thrive at each level they’ve played at.
Now, however, arguably their stiffest test awaits them, as they get set to tackle the 2024-2025 Concacaf W Champions Cup, which kicks off with a preliminary round match between the Whitecaps and El Salvador side Alianza this week.
The inaugural edition of the tournament, which was launched to give the top professional women’s sides in North America a platform to battle for continental supremacy, it promises to be a competitive competition.
Because of that, it’ll be fascinating to see how this Whitecaps side fares in this competition. Given that it’s made up of the top professional sides across the region, while the Whitecaps are yet to fully make that step up as they gear up for the launch of the NSL next spring, it’s hard to predict how the Whitecaps might do against sides of that calibre.
At the same time, based on what they’ve shown over the past three years, it’s not a challenge they’ll be fazed by. Given that they’ve always been the youngest side in League 1 BC and one of the youngest in League 1 Canada, they’ve been used to proving themselves and surpassing expectations in the face of adversity, and they’ll now look to prove that once again.
With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about the Whitecaps participation in the 2024-2025 Concacaf W Champions Cup.
The tournament’s format:
To begin, it’s worth noting how this inaugural tournament will work, giving an idea of how Concacaf plans to pit some of their region’s best against each other.
First, there’s the qualification format, as 11 teams have qualified for the tournament - nine have directly qualified for the group stage, while two will play in the preliminary round - the Whitecaps and Alianza. 
In terms of the nine teams, however, it’s worth noting they include some heavy hitters, as Concacaf has allocated one spot apiece to the league winners from Panama, Costa Rica and Jamaica, as well as three spots to teams from the NWSL and Liga MX.
Given that Tigres, Monterrey and Club América make up the Mexican contingent, Gotham, the San Diego Wave and the Portland Thorns make up the NWSL contingent, and that the last three teams are Alajuelense (Costa Rica), Santa Fé (Panama) and Frazsiers Whip (Jamaica), those are several sides that many will recognize as prominent sides in their respective leagues.
Especially in terms of the three NWSL sides, who are loaded with past World Cup and Olympic champions, including some key Canadians, it’s wild to imagine the Whitecaps could share the pitch with teams of that calibre, who are among some of the best in the world.
Speaking of facing those teams, however, they face a nervy scenario to make that happen - they’ve got to beat Alianza in their one-game playoff this week, which will be held at the Estadio Cuscatlán in El Salvador.
If they do that, though, an incredible journey awaits them, as they’d be placed into Group B of the group stages, where they’d join the San Diego Wave, Portland Thorns, Club América and Santa Fé, playing América and Santa Fé away before hosting the Wave and Thorns. 
From there, the tournament is pretty straightforward - after each team in both groups has played four games, the top two will advance to the semi-finals, where the top team in Group A would face the runner-up of Group B and vice-versa with the winner of Group B and the runner-up from Group A, with the winner of each matchups meeting in the final, and the losers in a third-place game.
All single-game elimination matches, those games will be held next May after the group stage wraps up this fall, meaning we will find out the inaugural winner of this trophy on May 25th of next year, which will be an exciting occasion.
What to expect from Vancouver:
Because of all that, it shows why this is so exciting for the Whitecaps, starting with this game against Alianza this week.
It’ll be tough, as it’s never easy to play away in Concacaf, especially in Central America, but this Whitecaps side will feel confident in their ability to grind out a result.
Having gotten used to playing experienced sides in League 1 Canada, where they’ve often been pitted against teams filled with University-aged players and ex-pros while the core of the Whitecaps side has primarily consisted of U19 players, it’s not anything this group of players won’t be used to. 
Plus, it’s worth noting that the Whitecaps have been preparing for this opportunity, as they recently signed six key veterans in Josie Longhurst, Jessica De Filippo, Morgan McAslan, Brianne Reed, Jourdan Ziff and Dakota Beckett, who have varying experiences professionally and at the university level, making them huge additions to this squad.
Given that those six have now been with the team since the end of the League 1 BC season and into the League 1 Canada inter-provincial championships, that’s given them time to build chemistry with their new teammates so that they’re not tackling this opportunity fresh, too.
So overall, this group is in a good position to give Alianza a good run. Especially given that the inter-provincial championships wrapped up this past weekend, they enter this game in form, too, having done well at that tournament. They showed that with their two wins, as they defeated League 1 Alberta’s Calgary Blizzard 2-0 in the semi-finals before beating Ligue 1 Québec’s CS Mont-Royal Outremont on penalties in the final after drawing 2-2.
In particular, they’ve done well to rely on some of their key names, new and old. Among the veterans, they’ve leaned on Reed, Longhurst and De Filippo, with the latter of those three scoring a brace against Calgary while the others have played key minutes at the back and in midfield, while youngsters Jeneva Hernandez-Gray, Kaylee Hunter and Jamie Perrault have been crucial all season long and in their recent big games.
Specifically, Hernandez-Gray and Hunter have shown a knack for showing up with big performances and goals in key games, having had experience representing Canada at the youth levels, and it’s important to remember that Hernandez-Gray has also even earned a senior call for her play with the Whitecaps, so she’ll have gotten a taste of playing with professionals already. 
And, crucially, the Whitecaps have done well to rotate their squad and use their depth to their advantage, ensuring that they use their full allotment of players whenever possible, so they’ll be able to lean on several other key players if needed, too. As they’ve shown in League 1 BC over the past few years, where they’ve had to continue competing even when key players have gone to college or on international duty, that is key.
Therefore, they’ll feel up for this game and will hope to pick up a massive result, one that can push them onto the next round.
What this represents:
Speaking of, it’s important to note how big of an opportunity this could be for the Whitecaps, as well as what this means for Canada at large.
With the launch of the NSL next spring, where the Whitecaps are a key founding member, it’s worth noting that the inclusion of a Canadian squad in the Champions Cup is a precursor for a future where there could be several NSL teams playing in this competition, much like with the NWSL and Liga MX sides, helping it grow further.
Given that they were willing to include a Canadian semi-professional outfit among several of the top professional sides in the region already, that’s a strong vote of confidence for the future of the league once it launches.
GOAL 🏔️🏔️#VWFC find another equalizer for 2-2 vs CS Mont-Royal Outremont in the 2024 @League1Canada Women's Inter-Provincial Championship FINAL – and it's Kaylee Hunter again! 🏆
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) August 11, 2024
🔴 Watch FREE on OS YouTube pic.twitter.com/ru8do6tts7
And if the Whitecaps are to make the group stage, that would be an important preview of how strong the league might look in year one, as it’s worth noting that the core of the league will be made up of League 1 Canada players.
For a long time, it’s been said that many League 1 Canada women’s players were good enough to play professionally, as many of them have since gone on to do, but this is a great chance to prove that.
Not only that, but this is going to be a great opportunity for this group of Whitecaps players, in particular. For some of these younger players, they would have only dreamed of being able to go against Alex Morgan and take shots on Kailen Sheridan as they could potentially do if they played the Wave in the group stages, or went head-to-head with Canadians Christine Sinclair, Jessie Fleming and Janine Beckie like they could go if they faced the Thorns. Now, with a win over Alianza, those scenarios could become a reality. 
Plus, it would give them a taste of what the professional game can be like when they make the jump up to the NSL or elsewhere, too, which is key.
Lastly, it’s also important to note that this is an audition for some of the veteran players who signed with the club, like De Filippo, who spent the last two years in the Bundesliga and La Liga with sides Turbine Potsdam and Sporting De Huelva.
No doubt, she’s been on the long list of potential Canadian call-ups to monitor over the past few years, and she’ll see the chance to play in the NSL as a big one to inch toward earning a senior call and advance her professional career. Impressing in a tournament like this is a good way to do that.
CHAMPIONS 🏆#VWFC are your 2024 @League1Canada Women's Inter-Provincial Champions after defeating CS Mont-Royal Outremont on penalties 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/bsVqCOrPaa
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) August 11, 2024
Because of that, there’s a lot to watch out for from the Whitecaps perspective, who will know how important this tournament can be for them as a team, as well as for their players.
They’ll now look to take advantage of the chance that awaits them this week, and then go from there, continuing their strong run as a club.
