Vancouver Whitecaps, Mexico's Tigres fight for Champions Cup tie – Winnipeg Free Press

LANGFORD, BC – The Vancouver Whitecaps looked for a rare win against Mexico in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday.

But Andre-Pierre Gignac ended their hopes with a free kick in the dying moments as Tigres UANL drew 1-1 against Vancouver.

Tigres manager Robert Siboldi described it as a “beautiful free-kick”.

Damir Kreilach opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with his first goal as a Vancouver Whitecaps player.

Defender Luis Martins delivered a deep cross to striker Brian White, who deflected the ball into the path of Kreilach and past Tigres goalkeeper Nauel Guzman.

Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini said he was pleased with the team's offseason signings.

“He's not the most dynamic player in the world, but he combines well with two strikers,” Sartini said.

“Hopefully his goal will be in an important role in CONCACAF.”

Kreilach, 34, spent much of the 2023 season dealing with the effects of a back injury he suffered in 2022 and was limited to four goals and one assist in 27 games.

In the 17th minute, Kreilach almost opened the scoring after Ryan Gould moved forward when he found an open ball and his cross deflected off the Croatian.

Sartini said he had no problem with how his team performed or the result.

Earlier in the week, the Italian head coach spoke about falling behind Tigres in terms of preparation, with Vancouver forced to endure a shortened off-season and pre-season.

“I think we played very well against a very good team,” he said on Wednesday. “We basically applied everything we said during the week.”

White thought he had doubled the lead for Vancouver early in the second half after converting a failed Tigres player's pass, but was ruled out by video replays for offside.

The game was Sartini's 100th appearance in charge of the Whitecaps, with the Italian compiling a record of 38-33-29.

The second leg will take place on February 14 at the Estadio Universitario in San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico.

The first leg was played at the Starlight Stadium in Langford, due to a scheduling conflict with the Whitecaps' usual home at BC Place.

Tigres are unbeaten in five league matches, including wins over Leon and Chivas to open the 2024 calendar.

The Mexican side have lost just two of their last 20 matches until September 17, 2023.

But Sartini said he relishes his team's chance to advance in the competition.

“We are confident that we will go there and win,” he said.

The Whitecaps faced Tigres in the League Cup last year, losing 5-3 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 in regulation time.

Tigres goalkeeper Guzmán had a magical show during this match and before the decisive shot, he pulled the silly string out of his mouth.

Vancouver entered the competition by defeating Montreal to win the Canadian championship.

Canada's other participants are CPL champion Forge FC and CPL regular season winner Cavalry FC.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 7, 2024.