VANCOUVER, B.C. – It's been a long time coming, but the Vancouver Whitecaps will kick off their first ever CONCACAF Champions League campaign on Wednesday evening when the Seattle Sounders head to BC Place for the Group F opener (10 pm ET; Fox Sports 1 in the US, Sportsnet One/World in Canada).
Vancouver came agonizingly close to qualifying for the competition on several occasions, falling just short under a number of strange circumstances over the years.
Having joined the club's residency program in 2008, Whitecaps Homegrown midfielder Russell Teibert has been through enough of those heartbreaking attempts to know just how much this first appearance in the competition means to everyone connected with the 'Caps.
"We talk about making history all year long. This is an opportunity for us to do so," Teibert told reporters at training this week. "Big game for the club and big game for the fans. I'm absolutely positive BC Place is going to be rocking and I can't wait to get going."
With over 40 years of rivalry built up between them, It's perhaps fitting that Vancouver's first foray into a new competition pits them against their Cascadian rivals, the Seattle Sounders. Not that games between the two teams need much build up, but Vancouver's 3-0 trouncing of Seattle this past weekend certainly seemed to up the intensity of their rivalry another notch.
Teibert had described the Whitecaps as "probably the most dangerous team in MLS" heading into Saturday's match. It's a claim that he feels Vancouver ably demonstrated over the weekend, and he's hoping for more of the same tonight. "That's what this sport is about. It's not just talking," he said. "It's about getting on the field and actually practicing what you preach and doing what you say. We definitely did that on the weekend."
Wednesday’s match will likely feature two very different lineups than those that took the field on Saturday. Both head coaches have indicated that a number of their squad players will get minutes in the game.
As far as Vancouver are concerned, this isn't a signal that they're not giving the Champions League a high priority--more that they are very confident in the strength of their depth.
That depth will be tested fully in an eight-game August. Teibert doesn't see that situation as anything new, with the way that Carl Robinson likes to rotate his starters. It just gives more players the chance to show their quality.
"Because of the roster, because the lineups have changed so much, you can see how much depth we do have," Teibert said. "But this is a real opportunity for us over the next five weeks to show how deep we are as a squad.
The makeup of the Whitecaps squad, with their mix of Central and South American players, and the fast, counter-attacking road style that Carl Robinson loves to play, seems perfect for the CONCACAF stage.
"We can be prepared for any competition that is thrown at us," Teibert said. "Our squad is ready for whatever is thrown at us the next couple of weeks."
