Whitecaps beat Pumas, advance to face Inter Miami in CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal
Vancouver will host Lionel Messi's Inter Miami either April 23 or 24
A stunning start to the season continues for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Tristan Blackmon scored late in stoppage time Wednesday to seal Vancouver's dramatic win over LIGA MX side Pumas UNAM in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The 'Caps battled Pumas to a 2-2 draw — 3-3 on aggregate across the two-legged quarterfinal series — but advanced on away goals.
"The team worked hard tonight, and we put ourselves in position to score late," Blackmon said. "It was always not pretty, but we showed grit, and at the end of the day, we got the result that we wanted."
The Whitecaps will host Lionel Messi's Inter Miami in the first leg of the semifinals on either April 23 or 24. The second game will take place in Florida between April 29 and May 1.
Miami advanced earlier on Wednesday after Messi scored twice to give his side a dramatic 3-1 comeback victory over Los Angeles FC.
The win over Pumas is the latest accomplishment for a Whitecaps team that has surprised many early in the Major League Soccer season.
Seven games into the campaign, Vancouver climbed to the top of the standings last week when it improved to 5-1-1 with a 2-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids.
"It's amazing being part of something like this," said Jesper Sorensen, who took over as the team's head coach in mid-January.
"Getting all this so early on, for me as a new coach is unbelievable. But mostly, I'd say I'm happy for everybody. I'm happy for everybody because a lot of people have been working hard in this club for many years, and getting to this stage in the CONCACAF is not normal. And we really have to celebrate and enjoy it."
A condensed schedule meant the 'Caps did not get to train in Mexico City ahead of Wednesday's game. Sorensen said his players struggled with the altitude and how it impacted the ball.
"I don't really think that we played the game that I thought we could and should. But we hung in there," he said. "I think Pumas played a great game and put us under pressure.
"This is football, right? It's just somehow how things end up. I'm very happy for the result, but I can also see that we have some things that we have to catch up on."
Daniel Rios set up Vancouver's first strike of the night, touching a ball into Sebastian Berhalter. Deep in the penalty area, the American midfielder jumped up and backheeled a shot in past Pumas 'keeper Alex Padilla to give the 'Caps a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute.
The home side was quick to counter off a corner kick.
Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka came up big with a save on Adalberto Carrasquilla, but the ball popped out to Guillermo Martinez at the top of the six-yard box. Martinez slammed a shot in to level the score at 1-1.
Pumas controlled the pace through much of the game, trying to wear down the injury-plagued Whitecaps.
Sorensen was preparing for extra time when the Mexican club finally struck again in the 88th minute.
Ignacio Pussetto headed a shot on goal, and Takaoka scrambled to bat the shot away, but Pussetto chased down the rebound and popped it in off the crossbar to give Pumas a 2-1 advantage.
The visitors continued to press as time ticked down.
Vancouver defender Edier Ocampo whipped a ball into the penalty area in the dying minutes and found Blackmon at the top of the six-yard box. The American defender ticked a right-footed shot into the top of the net to make it 2-2 and give the 'Caps the advantage on away goals.
"We just made a move and hoped for the best. There's not much time to use left on the clock, so we just had to try and do something, and it worked out," Sorensen said. "You have this belief always that you can do something, and then it's up to the players in the end if it can actually happen. And it did."
The Whitecaps will return to MLS action on Saturday when they host Austin FC.
With files from the Associated Press