Vancouver and Monterrey drew 1-1 in leg 1 of the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 series.
The Whitecaps got off to a nightmare start as Jayden Nelson went down injured just two minutes in, forced to ask for a substitution despite no contact.
Despite that, it was a great first 45 minutes for Vancouver, getting forward and getting most of the chances.
Ryan Gauld had a couple of opportunities to score, but Esteban Andrada saved his shots.
Against the run of play, Monterrey’s Roberto de la Rosa found himself completely alone in a 1v1 against Isaac Boehmer, netting the visitors’ first despite what looked like a clear offside.
Concacaf did not provide any great angles, and neither the linesman nor VAR deemed the play to be offside.
The second half picked up where the first left off, with Vancouver pressing forward.
Ali Ahmed saw a shot blocked just outside the six-yard box, while Ryan Gauld's overhead kick into an open net struck the post.
Brian White came on in the 60th minute and nearly made an instant impact, forcing Andrada into a 1v1 save.
Gauld continued to push for a goal but saw another effort deflected wide.
Despite a standout performance, the Scottish international couldn’t find the net.
In the dying moments, Belal Halbouni–who was one of the best players of the match–headed past Esteban Andrada to secure a 1-1 draw.
Vancouver returns to action in just three days, where they’ll host fellow Canadian rivals CF Montréal in league action before travelling to Mexico for leg 2 against Rayados on March 12.
