Valour held the Whitecaps to a disappointing 2-2 draw in Winnipeg, spoiling Vancouver’s defense with a spirited display that will leave things all to play for at BC Place.

Vancouver had ample chances to put the tie away but some grit, good fortune and a great strike from Valour’s Bruno Figueiredo kept them in it, despite a disappointing start to their Canadian Premier League campaign.

As expected, Jesper Sorensen opted to heavily rotate the side, handing Damir Kreilach his first start of the season alongside Emmanuel Sabbi and Jayden Nelson. Ralph Priso, JC Ngando and Jeevan Badwal held down the midfield and Sorensen opted to hand Sam Adekugbe and Mathias Laborda starts to help them return to full fitness.

The Whitecaps started the match comfortably in control and they opened their Voyageurs Cup account just minutes in. A quick free kick saw Sabbi played in 1v1 and while his attempt was saved, it found its way to Adekugbe at the top of the box and he had a wonderfully struck half valley that Eleias Himaras could do nothing about.

Vancouver did not abandon their typical play style, despite the rotation. This meant lots of quick build up play through the midfield to try and find Sabbi and Nelson on the wing in the gaps that Valour left them. It also meant some nifty building out of the back against a high press from the home side, though Isaac Boehmer and the makeshift backline struggled to cope at times.

The ‘Caps continued to find space and could have had a second but for Sabbi sending the shot to Yellowknife. Valour’s efforts to win back the ball were largely neutralized by Vancouver’s counter press but they did find some space 1v1 and some last ditch defending was briefly required to keep the hosts off the scoresheet. 

A bit of set piece magic did give Valour a way back into the match. After a couple of dangerous moves, it was a lovely set piece delivery from Themi Antonoglou which met the head of centerback Rocco Romeo, who out jumped the Caps defense. Boehmer was unable to get out to clear the cross away, capping off a shaky first half for the youngster.

It was a bright start to the second half for the home side, who continued to find success with long diagonal balls over the top opening up space. Some sloppy individual errors in possession didn’t help matters.

That left the door open for Valour to get a second and it was a belter from Bruno Figueiredo that gave Boehmer no chance. The away side questioned the referee not awarding the Caps a free kick following a heavy collision involving Halbouni. It was fortunate for the home side but a just punishment for a Caps team that had looked poor since the first half hour or so.

With about a half hour to go, Sorensen decided to stop messing around, introducing Brian White and Ali Ahmed alongside Giuseppe Bovalina. That provided a lift as the Caps chased the game, with White denied 1v1 by Himaras in the best chance Vancouver had in some time.

 The floodgates started to open, though, and Ahmed finally broke through with an equalizer. Sebastian Berhalter also entered as a sub and his excellent service on a corner created some chaos. The first phase of the corner was cleared but Ahmed made a lovely roulette around a defender and slotted into an empty net.

There were some shaky moments on either side in the closing minutes but no one could break through the deadlock, sending things all level back to BC Place for the second leg.

Stray Thoughts

• I don’t think that performance was as bad as it might seem on the surface but it still left a lot to be desired. The midfield did a pretty good job controlling things but after the first 20 minutes or so, the attack just wasn’t good enough. Damir Kreilach looks cooked, Emmanuel Sabbi had a stinker and Jayden Nelson couldn’t carry things on his own. That gave Valour a foothold back into the match and they punished some individual errors in the backline.
• This was also a horror show from the referee. From calling a foul on Sam Adekugbe on the cleanest tackle imaginable to missing two possible fouls in the buildup to the Valour goal to having zero consistency on fouls in the build up to corner kicks to missing a clear red card on Valour … this was a shocker. Soccer Canada either needs to insist on better refereeing or start using VAR in this competition because this was unacceptable.
• A tough first half from Isaac Boehmer, who clearly looked rusty and not quite accustomed to the rigours of playing in Sorensen’s system. I’m not convinced he was fouled on the first Valour goal and, in any event, he miscalculated and didn’t cover himself in glory. 
• The subs gave the ‘Caps a needed lift and, while I get Sorensen’s desire to take some risks with his lineup choices here, I would have brought them on sooner. Ahmed in particular was excellent, even before the goal, and I thought Bovalina could merit a start — he looked sharp.
• I don’t think this match is an especially useful data point, given the rotation, but it is concerning that it’s been a minute since the Caps have, well, looked like the ‘Caps. They’ll get a golden chance in the home leg to bury this tie, when I suspect we’ll see all of the big guns, so I’m not too concerned from that standpoint. But I suspected a more commanding performance and am somewhat worried that we didn’t get it. Given that we’re 10 days out from the trip to Cruz Azul, it would be nice to see signs of life at some point.

Three Stars of the Match

• Sam Adekugbe: A solid return to the lineup for Sam, with his goal stealing the show. He looked a bit vulnerable at times with Valour’s aerial through balls but his width helped open up pockets of space for the front three.
• Jeevan Badwal: Probably Badwal’s best performance in a ‘Caps shirt; he looked very comfortable and above the CPL level. He coped with the physicality well and his ball progression helped create danger.
• Ali Ahmed: Picking a sub feels like cheating but Ahmed was a real game changer, isolating the defenders 1v1 in ways that Emmanuel Sabbi and Jayden Nelson struggled to do. His goal was a well deserved cap to a fine night.

And Three Not So Stars

• Isaac Boehmer: I chalk this one up to rust and Boehmer looked a bit more comfortable in the second half. But, man, that was a rough first 45 minutes.
• Damir Kreilach: Kreilach was always going to get the start here but he looked off the pace and never was a real threat in the attack. Not an encouraging performance for a depth piece guy who is getting paid a pretty hefty chunk of change.
• Emmanuel Sabbi: This was a weird match for Sabbi, who found himself in good positions but just wasn’t very effective.