By Alejandro Guzmán
Juárez came from behind to defeat Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3-1 on Friday at BC Place, scoring twice in the second half to secure its second victory of the 2026 Leagues Cup.
The Whitecaps struck first in the 12th minute when Édier Ocampo found Jeevan Badwal inside the penalty area. Badwal calmly finished with his left foot to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead.
Juárez responded in the 34th minute. Jairo Torres threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the box for Ettson Ayón, who finished first-time with his left foot to level the match at 1-1.
The home side had several opportunities to regain the lead before halftime, including a close-range effort from Brian White that was brilliantly saved by Sebastián Jurado in the 40th minute. White was forced off with an injury just three minutes later and was replaced by Rayan Elloumi.
Juárez was also forced into an injury substitution early in the second half, with Ayón making way for Óscar Estupiñán in the 51st minute.
The Whitecaps continued to push after the restart, but Jurado proved to be the difference. The Juárez goalkeeper denied efforts from J.C. Ngando, Johnny Selemani, and Elloumi to keep the match level as Vancouver searched for a second goal.
Instead, it was Juárez that struck next. In the 74th minute, Denzell García launched a quick counterattack before slipping a through ball to Estupiñán, who finished emphatically into the upper-left corner to give the Liga MX side a 2-1 advantage.
Vancouver threw numbers forward in search of an equalizer, but Jurado continued his outstanding performance, finishing the night with eight saves, including crucial stops on Tristan Blackmon and Tate Johnson in the closing minutes.
Juárez sealed the victory in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Following a poor restart from Whitecaps goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer, Ricardinho intercepted the ball and noticed the goalkeeper off his line. From more than 30 meters out, he unleashed a right-footed strike that found the back of the net, putting the result beyond doubt at 3-1.
The victory gives FC Juárez six points from its first two matches, putting Los Bravos in an excellent position to reach the Leagues Cup quarterfinals. For Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the defeat ends any realistic hopes of advancing and extends the club's winless run to five matches across all competitions.
REACTIONS
- Vancouver Head Coach Jesper Sorensen
- “I think that we played an okay overall game, we created a lot of chances, we had a lot of nice flow in our attack. We lacked a little bit of execution in some of the important moments.”
- “Right now, when we make mistakes, we are punished very hard, and that's sometimes the way it is in this game.”
- Juárez Head Coach Salvador Valero
- “We have turned it around with a lot of work from the entire team. I value a lot what we have achieved here. It has been an enormous effort from the players who started and those who came off the bench.”
- “We must want it and desire it more than the opponent. We ran; we made sacrifices for the team. That mentality and that passion is what makes me most proud.”
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- Juárez
- Óscar Estupiñán was named Player of the Match for the second consecutive game after scoring the go-ahead goal.
GAME NOTES
- Sebastián Jurado had a great night, finishing with eight saves.
- Ricardinho scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time from more than 30 meters away.
- Juárez earned its second win under interim head coach Salvador Valero, who took charge of the team on Monday.
- Vancouver Whitecaps extended their winless run to five matches, with two draws and three losses.
- Vancouver finished with 62% possession, 19 shots and eight shots on target.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards:
- Vancouver: Tate Johnson
- Juárez: Guilherme Castilho, Alejandro Mayorga, Ricardinho
- Injury Report:
- Vancouver: Brian White left the match in the 43rd minute and was replaced by Rayan Elloumi
- Juárez: Ettson Ayón was substituted in the 51st minute and was replaced by Óscar Estupiñán.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Vancouver: Aug. 11 vs. Tigres
- Juárez: Aug. 11 vs. Real Salt Lake
