Progressing in the Leagues Cup was made a whole lot more difficult tonight as the Vancouver Whitecaps lost their first match of the tournament 1-0 to Atlante F.C.
Jhojan Julio scored the lone goal of the match, a strong effort in the first half.
“The first half, there were not many chances,” Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen said. “We tried to see if we can get some openings. We had difficulties with that. And we knew they would play direct and go for the counter. We didn’t give much away.”
It took a good 10 minutes for the Whitecaps’ youthful starting XI to find their footing. Atlante was more organized in midfield, moving the ball side to side well but unable to find much of an entry into the box.
The Whitecaps did get their flow as the first half progressed, particularly through their fullbacks, Sam Adekugbe and Édier Ocampo. Both did well to get the ball forward and cut through Atlante’s wingers, moving it up the wide channels or carrying it inside.
Atlante grabbed the only goal of the first half, a strong single-handed effort from Julio. Julio got under a floating ball at the top of the 18-yard box, battled Mathías Laborda for space and shot it past Isaac Boehmer in the 40th minute.
“It was a great strike from them on the goal. We over-committed, but he turned and did well,” Sørensen said.
The Whitecaps tried to mount an instant attack, and while Rayan Elloumi did manage the first shot on target for the home side, it was handled well by Atlante’s keeper, Óscar Jiménez.
Changes in the second half gave the Whitecaps a much-needed spark. Emmanuel Sabbi came on at the half and provided two quick opportunities to try and get his team back in the game. Later on in the 64th minute, Thomas Müller added creativity in the middle of the pitch.
“We pushed a little bit more [in the second half],” Sørensen said. “The game got a little bit more open, and of course, we have to chase. We created the opportunities we needed, but we also gave some opportunities away.”
But for the increased quality of play in the last 45 minutes, the Whitecaps were chasing. Atlante was able to sit back and bunker down, showing an effective defensive, low block system that has plagued the Whitecaps throughout the season.
Laborda had one of the Whitecaps’ best chances of the game, a second-half header off of an Oliver Larraz corner kick. But the ball was hit just wide of the near post.
There was also danger on the other side of the pitch. Julio had two clear chances to add another for Atlante, but each shot trickled just wide of the post by inches.
The loss leaves the Whitecaps in a precarious position in the Leagues Cup. Only the top four MLS clubs and top four Liga MX clubs will advance out of the three-match Phase One.
Whitecaps rotate in the depth
Sørensen gave starts to Nikola Djordjevic, Isaac Boehmer and J.C. Ngando, players who do not get many minutes at the start of matches. But the Leagues Cup has often been used as a tournament to give competitive minutes to depth players.
“We have a lot of limitations in the roster right at the moment. And we have a very tough schedule. We have a lot of players who have played a very demanding game Saturday [versus LAFC].
Adekugbe and Priso were also both given the first 45 minutes as they return to match fitness coming off of their respective injuries.
“The thought process was it was great to have Sam and Ralphy coming back into the starting lineup. We haven’t seen them for a long time in the starting lineup. That was great having them in,” Sørensen said.
Leagues Cup format
The 2026 version of Leagues Cup has thrown a new set of rules at fans. All 18 clubs of Liga MX qualify. In MLS, the top nine clubs in each conference of the 2025 MLS standings qualify for this year’s tournament.
The tournament starts with each team being drawn against three clubs in the opposing league in the first phase. For example, the Whitecaps will play all three of their Phase One matches against Liga MX opposition. A club such as Cruz Azul will play all of their opening three matches against MLS clubs.
Points are awarded as follows: three points for a win, two points for a penalty shootout win and one point for a penalty shootout loss. Ties are not allowed. Phase One matches will go to penalties if the game is tied after 90 minutes.
Once Phase One is complete (each club has played their three matches against opposing league clubs), they are placed into an overall table. The top four clubs from each of MLS and Liga MX move on to single-elimination knockout matches.
The quarterfinal knockout round is drawn with the top MLS club in Phase One playing the fourth Liga MX club, the second-placed MLS club playing the third-placed Liga MX club and so on.
All knockout matches, from the quarterfinals to the final, are single-elimination knockout. Ties after 90 minutes go straight to penalties.
Up next
League Cup matches are fast and furious to begin August. The Whitecaps play right away on August 7 against FC Juárez at BC Place.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
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