Vancouver Whitecaps with Müller stumble to Cartaginés in Concacaf | OneFootball

Vancouver Whitecaps, runners-up of the competition, had a weak start in the new edition of the Concacaf Champions League this Wednesday. They only managed a 0-0 draw with Cartaginés from Costa Rica.

German Thomas Müller, captain of the Canadian team, started on the bench in this first-round match, played in the city of Cartago.

The MLS team had 75% possession and took 16 shots, but could not break through the Costa Rican defense, which won the competition in 1994.

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Uruguayan defender Mathías Laborda had one of the visitors’ best chances just before halftime. However, the player was unable to convert a powerful free kick that came his way in the heart of the box.

Faced with Vancouver’s fruitless dominance, Danish coach Jesper Sorensen brought Müller onto the field in the 66th minute at Fello Meza Stadium.

But the presence of the former Bayern Munich captain also failed to intensify the Whitecaps’ attack.

Vancouver, defeated in the last MLS Cup final by Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, will have to secure their spot in the next round. The return leg takes place on February 25, in front of their home fans.

Uruguayan Damiani scores for Philadelphia

The other two matches on Wednesday ended with resounding away wins for MLS franchises.

Philadelphia Union thrashed Defence Force FC from Trinidad and Tobago 5-0, with two goals from Uruguayan Bruno Damiani.

The former Nacional striker sealed the rout in Port of Spain with a shot from the edge of the box in the 69th minute and a penalty converted in the 81st.

The previous goals were scored by American Milan Iloski in the 29th minute, Ghanaian Ezekiel Alladoh in the 32nd, and South African Olwethu Makhanya in the 64th minute.

“Scoring five goals and conceding none is all a coach can ask for,” said Philadelphia coach Bradley Carnell to reporters.

Meanwhile, FC Cincinnati had another quiet night in the Dominican Republic, with a 4-0 win over O&M FC.

American Tom Barlow (12′), Togolese Kevin Denkey (33′), and Moroccan Ayoub Jabbari (86′ and 93′) celebrated on a night that could have been tougher for the Dominicans in Santiago de los Caballeros, if not for the great performance of Dominican goalkeeper Omry Bello.

*With content from AFP.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.