- Whitecaps FC will host the second leg of the quarterfinals on Wednesday, July 9 at BC Place
- Sam Adekugbe scored his third goal across all competitions this season
- Ali Ahmed scored his first goal of the season and is now up to seven goal contributions across all competitions this season (one goal, six assists). Ahmed became the 14th different player to score a goal this season for Whitecaps FC, the same amount of goalscorers the team had during the entirety of the 2024 season
WINNIPEG, MB – Vancouver Whitecaps FC drew 2-2 with Canadian Premier League side Valour FC in the first leg of the 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship quarterfinals on Tuesday at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The Blue and White began with a bang. In the sixth minute, winger Emmanuel Sabbi bolted into the box, but he was dispossessed. The ball found it’s way to Sam Adekugbe, who volleyed a rocket that went bar down, past outstretched Valour FC goalkeeper Eleias Himaras for an early 1-0 lead.
Before the half-hour mark, the ‘Caps displayed their speed and creativity. Sabbi punted a long through ball for Jayden Nelson, who laid it off for the onrushing Sabbi but saw his effort go over the bar.
Valour FC would get their equalizer just before halftime. Off a Themi Antonoglou corner kick, defender Rocco Romeo put all of his six-foot-five frame into a leaping header that knotted the match at 1-1.
After the break, Valour FC took the lead off a Zachary Fernandez pass that flashed across goal to Bruno Figueiredo. The Portuguese midfielder unleashed a shot from distance to make it 2-1.
In the 64th minute, ‘Caps head coach Jesper Sørensen subbed in striker Brian White, who quickly earned a golden opportunity when he got on the end of a J.C. Ngando through ball to go one-on-one with Himaras. The goalkeeper denied him from close range.
Moments later, two other substitutes teamed up to put Vancouver level. Off a Sebastian Berhalter corner that dipped to the far post, Ali Ahmed ran to the bouncing ball, and pulled off a brilliant spin in the box before he smashed his first goal of the season to put the Blue and White level at 2-2.
The teams continued to push for the winner but the match would end level.
The ‘Caps will host the second leg of this 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship quarterfinal on Wednesday, July 9 at BC Place, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. PT. For tickets, visit https://www.whitecapsfc.com/
Meanwhile, the Blue and White will now look ahead to MLS regular season action this Saturday, May 24 as they take on Real Salt Lake. Kickoff from America First Field in Sandy, Utah is set for 6:30 p.m. PT.
MATCH DETAILS
Attendance: 3,500
Referee: Yusri Rudolf
Scoring Summary
6’ – VAN – Sam Adekugbe
38’ – VAL – Rocco Romeo (Themi Antonoglou)
51’ – VAL – Bruno Figueiredo (Zachary Fernandez)
80’ – VAN – Ali Ahmed
Cautions
7’ – VAL – Bruno Figueiredo
26’ – VAN – Jeevan Badwal
38’ – VAN – Isaac Boehmer
56’ – VAL – Rocco Romeo
67’ – VAL – Kris Twardek
73’ – VAL – Gianfranco Facchineri
89’ – VAL – Kian Williams
Ejection
67’ – VAL – Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi (assistant coach)
Statistics
Possession: VAN 68% – VAL 32%
Shots: VAN 11 – VAL 12
Shots on Goal: VAN 4 – VAL 5
Saves: VAN 3 – VAL 2
Fouls: VAN 11 – VAL 17
Offsides: VAN 1 – VAL 2
Corners: VAN 8 – VAL 7
Valour FC
1.Eleias Himaras; 13.Zachary Fernandez, 3.Rocco Romero, 23.Gianfranco Facchineri, 30.Themi Antonoglou; 27.Raphael Ohin (64.Safwane Mlah 75’), 28.Bruno Figueiredo; 11.Kris Twardek (7.Kian Williams 76’), 20. Xavier Venâncio (17.Jordan Faria 64’), 8. Diogo Ressurreição (5.Kelsey Egwu 90+5′); 19.Jevontae Layne (10.Shaan Hundal 64’)
Substitutes not used
50.Jonathan Viscosi, 2.Roberto Alarcón, 12.Wesley Wandje, 21.Myles Morgan
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
32.Isaac Boehmer; 2.Mathías Laborda, 12.Belal Halbouni (4.Ranko Veselinović 54’), 15.Bjørn Inge Utvik, 3.Sam Adekugbe (27.Giuseppe Bovalina 64’); 26.J.C. Ngando, 13.Ralph Priso, 59.Jeevan Badwal (16.Sebastian Berhalter 76’); 7.Jayden Nelson (22.Ali Ahmed 65’), 19.Damir Kreilach (24.Brian White 64’), 11.Emmanuel Sabbi
Substitutes not used
30.Adrían Zendejas, 18.Édier Ocampo, 45.Pedro Vite, 54.Daniel Russo
