KEY TAKEAWAYS: White struggles and Badwal shines as the Whitecaps advance past Cartaginés in CCC first round
It wasn’t the smoothest start to the Vancouver Whitecaps 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign, but they eventually got the job done against Costa Rican side C.S. Cartaginés in their first round matchup, picking up a comfortable 2-0 aggregate win to advance to the Round of 16.
After settling for a 0-0 draw on the road in leg one, the Whitecaps found the goals they needed at home in leg two to advance, although most wouldn’t have expected them to finally find the net for the first time in the 148th minute out of 180 in this tie.
Yet, credit has to be given to Cartaginés for the way that they held their own in this matchup. Aware of the firepower that this Whitecaps team has at their disposal, they did well to sit back and frustrate the Whitecaps for large chunks of this tie, ensuring that if the 2025 finalists were going to advance, they were at least going to have to work for the result.
Considering some of the other results across the rest of the first round, which included some lopsided victories for other MLS and Liga MX sides, Cartaginés can be proud of what they achieved in a matchup against one of MLS’s best teams, even if they’ll wonder if they missed an opportunity to turn two good performances into more success, and perhaps even a win.
To that point, though, it must be acknowledged that the Whitecaps never really seemed at risk of being eliminated despite their offensive struggles, as they were great defensively. Across both legs, they allowed just 0.37 xG on 12 shots, as they kept Cartaginés far away from their goal.
Yet, that was the story of this first-round tie. Ultimately, the Whitecaps flexed their quality across the 180 minutes to cruise through to the next round, but there’s no doubt that they’ve got another gear to hit as a team.
Now, they’ll hope to find it in time for their Round of 16 tie, in which they’ll face their rivals, the Seattle Sounders, in what should be a very exciting matchup between two teams with a lot of history.
On that note, here’s a look at some KEY takeaways from the Whitecaps tie against Cartaginés.
Brian White is still looking for his shooting boots:
It’s been a tough start to the season for Brian White, who is yet to open his 2026 account, and his struggles were clearly reflected across this tie.
After a quiet first leg, in which he took just 20 touches and generated no shots, White struggled again in the second leg, despite receiving the service that he had been so badly lacking down in Costa Rica.
Much as in the first leg, he didn’t actually see much of the ball in this second leg, taking just 25 touches, but this time, his touches came in a lot more dangerous areas of the pitch.
As a result, he had four shots, including one penalty attempt, and created three chances, but he was unable to score or assist, despite generating 1.12 xG and 0.24 xA.
GOA– NO ❌
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 26, 2026
Brian White had a chance to give #VWFC a 1-0 lead over Cartaginés, but the goalkeeper makes a save on his penalty attempt 😵
It's still 0-0 here, though a member of the visiting staff was also sent off 🟥
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/eWy2UAeyk7
Yet, this shows that for a Whitecaps team struggling to score goals, sitting with just three from their first three games across all competitions, finding a way to get White going seems to be a good way to solve their woes.
When he runs hot, so typically do the Whitecaps, so it’s understandable that they’ve struggled to find goals with White yet to find his feet to start this new season.
For what it’s worth, White has sometimes typically taken a few games to find his feet in each of his past few seasons. In 2025, he scored his first goal in his third game of the season, in 2024, it took five games for him to open his account, in 2023, it took three games, and in 2022, it took four games for him to score.
Considering that he then went on to score seven goals across all competitions in 2022, 20 goals in 2023, 16 goals in 2024 and 24 goals in 2025, these slow starts have typically not impeded him from finding form, showing that this slow start is far from a worry for him. Typically, he needs a few games to calibrate and find his usual level, and that’s understandable for a player playing in a position that is so dependent on form and rhythm.
Plus, it’d be one thing if he was not seeing the ball around the box as he was in the first leg against Cartaginés, but seeing that he then followed it up with this livelier performance in leg two, things are trending in the right direction for him (and for context, he also had three shots worth 0.58 xG in the Whitecaps MLS match against Real Salt Lake on the weekend, which is encouraging).
Now, the challenge will be for him to convert those chances and to find a bit of rhythm - if anything, that’s where White’s penalty miss looms largest among the opportunities he squandered, even if it didn’t cost his team, as that was the exact perfect way for him to get on the board and build some confidence.
Instead, it wasn’t to be, so he’ll look to find that first goal in either of the Whitecaps next two MLS matches, which will be against Toronto FC and the Portland Timbers, helping him build a little confidence before the first leg of their Round of 16 tie against the Sounders on March 12th. Certainly, the Whitecaps will need him firing if they’re to get past the Sounders and have a deep run in this competition - after all, there’s a reason why he had five goals in last year’s Champions Cup, helping lead the Whitecaps to the final.
“Brian will always be held accountable for the goals he scores (or doesn’t) - as a striker, that's also what you live for and what you want, so of course there’s a frustration when you are close, and it doesn't go in for you,” Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen offered after the match.
“We know what he can do and what he will do for us; we know that Brian is one of the best finishers in the league. He’s had spells before where he hasn’t seen the ball go in the back of the net, but he will get over it, and we know that. (Either way), we know that we have a guy that we rely on whenever he plays.”
Jeevan Badwal appears ready to step up:
Part of the success of the 2025 Whitecaps came down to the play of their depth players, as several of them had career years, with some even thriving in bigger roles than perhaps previously expected.
Thanks to those contributions, the Whitecaps were a more balanced and deeper team, and that paid dividends across a long and gruelling season.
One such player that took a big step forward was Jeevan Badwal, who, despite entering the year with just one professional appearance to his name, ended up playing 33 games across all competitions (for a total of 1133 minutes). Not only that, but he provided serviceable play, too, which provided surplus value relative to his status as a 19-year-old homegrown player.
While it might not have provided the same external value to the team as players who had career seasons such as Sebastian Berhalter, Ralph Priso, Ali Ahmed and others, Badwal’s under-the-radar contributions still had a positive effect on the success of this team as a whole.
Clearly, those minutes proved to be valuable to him, too, as Badwal looks to have taken a step forward this year, as he looks to play an even bigger role on this year’s team as a breakout youngster.
Thrust into the starting lineup across both legs of this tie, he was arguably the Whitecaps' best player across both games, as he was a lively presence in midfield.
In particular, the big thing that stood out from his game was the confidence he had with the ball, as he looked dangerous every time he was in the attack. 
Sometimes in 2025, Badwal could often be seen playing quite safely when in possession, which, while not a bad thing, was a reflection of his adjustment curve as a player moving up to a higher level. Despite being known for being a dynamic ball-carrier at lower levels, he sacrificed some of that dynamic play as he tried to earn Sørensen’s trust with safer, more ball-secure actions.
Now, though, he’s re-found a bit of swagger on the ball, and that was reflected across this tie, in which he had two shots (0.26 xG), created five chances (1.34 xA), completed two dribbles, had 10 touches in the box, completed seven passes into the final third and won a whopping nine fouls in 169 minutes of action. 
Here's Badwal's actions from the first leg of this tie, showing how lively he was, all over the pitch (OPTA)
That’s huge, because even without what he brings on the ball, Badwal is an extremely serviceable player, as he has a relentless motor, one that allows him to cover all sorts of ground on the pitch. Sørensen realized that in 2025, and often tasked Badwal to go out and cause chaos in midfield, knowing that he’d run his socks off.
And, despite what he was doing on the ball, his work rate didn’t dip in this tie, which is encouraging. While Sørensen will want to push him to become a regular offensive contributor, Badwal won’t see the field regularly unless he’s responsible enough on both sides of the ball to be trusted, which he certainly was in these games. 
Here's Badwal's actions from the second leg of the tie, showing that he was even more dangerous on the ball and in the attack in that game (OPTA)
Because of that, look for him to build on this positive first-round performance. With how heavily the Whitecaps rely on midfielders Sebastian Berhalter and Andrés Cubas, Badwal stepping up and proving that he can offer functional minutes in midfield will take a load off both of those players going forward, and that will prove to be quite valuable as the season goes on.
“We've been seeing from him that he has gained more and more confidence,” Sørensen said of Badwal. “So he now believes a little bit more in himself and what he can do on the pitch.”
The Whitecaps winger question:
Across both legs of this tie, the Vancouver Whitecaps both saw a glimpse of the difficulties that life after the departure of wingers Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson will pose to them, as well as what some of their replacements could potentially offer as they find their feet.
In leg one, it didn’t look great. Not only did the Whitecaps generate just 1.09 xG from 15 shots, but they also struggled to create the movement required to break down Cartaginés’ solid defensive block, as wingers Kenji Cabrera, Emmanuel Sabbi and AZ Jackson were too static on and off the ball. 
Here are all the passes, dribbles and crosses attempted by the Whitecaps wingers in leg one. As seen there, they didn't get the ball into the box as often as hoped, especially in terms of volume (OPTA)
Then, to start leg two, things didn’t appear to improve, either. Through one half, the Whitecaps didn’t threaten the Cartaginés backline as much, as they again lacked movement in wide areas.
Eventually, though, things started to click, and that paid off in the second half. All of a sudden, Cabrera, who started again on the left wing in leg two, started to show a bit more bravery on the ball, making it fitting that he was rewarded with a goal in the 58th minute.
GOAL 🏔️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 26, 2026
The Vancouver Whitecaps finally find their opening goal as Kenji Cabrera smashes home a corner kick for the 1-0 lead vs. Cartaginés 😎
🔴 Watch #ConcaChampions on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/hxoJjCGW2m
Then, when AZ Jackson came in off the bench in the 62nd minute (days after scoring the winning goal vs. Real Salt Lake in MLS play), he also provided a spark, as he essentially set up Sebastian Berhalter’s second goal (even if he won’t get the assist for it), as he put a defender on his rear before setting up Berhalter with a nice cross.
GOAL 🏔️🏔️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 26, 2026
Sebastian Berhalter makes it 2-0 for #VWFC as he finds the top corner to round out a flurry of attacks vs. C.S. Cartaginés 💪
🔴 Watch #ConcaChampions on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/IyYxQ9FBAe
That’s huge, as the Whitecaps immediately started to look a bit more like themselves once they started to attack with a bit more vigour in wide areas, as that allowed them to open up spaces that just weren’t there for them in the rest of the tie. 
Here are all the passes, dribbles and crosses attempted by the Whitecaps wingers in leg two. Much like in leg one, they didn't get the ball into the box as much as hoped, although things improved in the second half of the match (OPTA)
Yet, that shows the true challenge that the Whitecaps face in filling the hole left behind by Ahmed and Nelson. While they won’t ever truly be able to replace them, as Ahmed is a unicorn of a winger that can provide all sorts of value on both sides of the ball, while Nelson is an excellent 1v1 player, there is one skill that both of them have, which all of the Whitecaps players can try to reproduce - bravery on the ball.
For better or for worse, Ahmed and Nelson were always willing to take players on with the ball, as they were eager to drive play forward. Sometimes, that came at a cost, as they could force things that weren’t there (especially Nelson), but more often than not, they succeeded in their attempts to drive the ball forward and open up space in the attack.
So far, though, the Whitecaps wingers have been a bit more timid on the ball, preferring to retain possession and play it safe when they’ve received the ball in wide areas. While that’s not a bad thing, as this is a Whitecaps team that likes to hold the ball, that’s made this team a bit more predictable in possession, and that’s made it harder for them to break down low blocks.
In the second half, though, the Whitecaps started to be a bit more adventurous and aggressive in wide areas, and that paid off.
Now, look for them to build on that, because while they’re still far from finding what works for them out wide, as they figure out how to replace the profiles of Ahmed and Nelson with a completely different set of wide players, they’ll hope to see their wingers take more risks on the ball going forward.
