VANCOUVER — Three seasons into his Major League Soccer career, the allure of facing another Canadian club hasn't faded for Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ali Ahmed.
He's set to experience the excitement again Saturday when CF Montreal (0-2-0) visits the 'Caps (2-0-0) at B.C. Place.
“It's extra special when you're playing another Canadian MLS club. I can't even lie — for sure, you just want to show and prove you’re the best Canadian MLS club," said the 24-year-old Toronto native. "So it'll be fun. It's always fun playing against Montreal and Toronto.”
Saturday will mark the 80th meeting between the Whitecaps and Montreal, and the 16th time they'll battle in a regular-season MLS game.
Vancouver's head coach Jesper Sorensen has yet to experience the energy of the Canadian rivalry, but he's heard that fireworks should be expected.
"It's always great where there's something extra besides the game itself," said the Danish coach, who was hired to lead the team in mid-January. "I like the Canadian clash here, and we're looking forward to it. I know that there's a lot at stake because the Canadian teams want to beat each other up.”
Vancouver heads into the matchup undefeated in its last four games across all competitions (3-0-1) after drawing LIGA MX giants CF Monterrey 1-1 in CONCACAF Champions Cup action on Wednesday.
Now, the club is looking to start its MLS season with three wins for the very first time.
“I think in the past, we've had some troubles in the start of the season," Ahmed said. "One thing (Sorensen's) been preaching, too, is starting like this to build confidence and belief. And once we all have that, it'll be hard to stop us."
Montreal, which lost its first two games of the MLS campaign, isn't thinking about their opponent's record heading into Saturday, said Victor Loturi.
“We take every game step by step, game by game, and just focus on that. Obviously, we’ve been working on our stuff in training, how to hurt them and stuff like that," said the midfielder, who got his first MLS start in Montreal's 1-0 loss to Minnesota United last.
"Everybody’s been super focused, 100 per cent focused. And we’re hoping to get the job done on Saturday.”
Montreal's head coach Laurent Courtois has integrated some new faces into the mix this season, including Aleksandr Guboglo.
The 17-year-old fullback from Ottawa got his first MLS minutes last week, coming on as a sub against Minnesota.
"I'm really grateful for the opportunity," Guboglo said. "I feel like all the emotions came flooding in at once. When you step on the field, it’s a different type of emotion. So just really happy.”
CF MONTREAL (0-2-0) AT VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (2-0-0)
SATURDAY, B.C. Place
INS AND OUTS: Montreal will be without defender Jalen Neal (knee) and forward Giacomo Vrioni (groin). Defender George Campbell (lower body) and midfielder Samuel Piette (lower body) are listed as questionable. Vancouver fullback Edier Ocampo will sit out on a one-game suspension for a studs-up tackle in last week's win over the L.A. Galaxy. The Whitecaps are also missing Canadian midfielder Sam Adekugbe (quad).
WELCOME BACK: Montreal's squad features some familiar faces, including centre back Joel Waterman, who hails from Langley, B.C., and newly signed 'keeper Emil Gazdov, who's from North Vancouver and came up through the Whitecaps academy before joining Canadian Premier League team Pacific FC.
WHITE HOT: 'Caps striker Brian White was named to the MLS team of the match day for his performance against the Galaxy. The 29-year-old American scored the game-winning header in the 87th minute.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2025.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
