Kenji Cabrera and Sebastian Berhalter scored in the Whitecaps’ second-leg win that sent Vancouver into the round of 16, and those goals are the moment the club brings into a new test: a two-legged Concacaf Champions Cup series against the Seattle Sounders. The first game will be at BC Place, and the return match is set to decide who advances to the quarterfinals.
Whitecaps at BC Place: March 12 kickoff and home momentum
Vancouver booked its round-of-16 spot by eliminating C. S. Cartaginés with a 2-0 victory in the return leg at BC Place, with goals from Kenji Cabrera and Sebastian Berhalter. That win followed a 0-0 draw in the first leg, and it capped a run that includes three straight MLS victories to open the season and a series of shutouts at home.
Tristan Blackmon, who scored the game-winner in an away match against the Portland Timbers, also logged eight defensive clearances in that contest. Those performances are the texture of Vancouver’s form as it prepares to host Seattle on March 12; the match is listed as a March 12 kickoff and was scheduled at 7: 00 pm PT (10: 00 pm ET).
Seattle Sounders in ONE Spokane Stadium for March 18 return leg
The Sounders will play the decisive return match at ONE Spokane Stadium on March 18 because Lumen Field is undergoing renovations. Seattle earned a bye into the round of 16 as 2025 Leagues Cup champions, so this two-legged tie is the club’s entry into this year’s Champions Cup.
Seattle’s situation entering the series includes a mix of early MLS results and roster challenges. The club began league play with two wins and one loss, and it has been managing injuries across its attacking group. Those factors shape the narrow path the Sounders face when traveling to Vancouver and then to Spokane for the second leg.
Concacaf Champions Cup stakes for Whitecaps and Sounders
The winner of the Vancouver–Seattle series advances to the quarterfinals and will face the victor from the FC Cincinnati versus Tigres matchup. This edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup features five rounds and 27 clubs from across the region, and the eventual winner qualifies for the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
Seattle is one of five teams that received automatic berths into the round of 16 because of recent titles; the list includes the Sounders as 2025 Leagues Cup champions. Vancouver reached this stage after its Canadian Championship successes and a first-round aggregate win over CS Cartaginés earlier in the tournament.
Vancouver’s opening details — the goals from Kenji Cabrera and Sebastian Berhalter that propelled the whitecaps past C. S. Cartaginés — come back into view as the club prepares for two regional derbies that now carry continental consequences. The confirmed next developments are clear: the first leg at BC Place on March 12 with kickoff at 7: 00 pm PT (10: 00 pm ET), followed by the return match at ONE Spokane Stadium on March 18 to determine who reaches the quarterfinals.
