Vancouver FC head coach Martin Nash wants to put more pressure on Cruz Azul in their second Concacaf Champions Cup match.
“I think we gotta get more pressure [on them] and try to turn the ball over more, and try to get them when they’re maybe disorganized.” Nash said during a virtual media availability session on Wednesday with VFC midfielder Nicolás Mezquida
“It’s just a great opportunity for us to go out, work hard and see if we can, you know, get a goal in the first half and see where we are at half time,” Nash commented.
During their first meeting in Langley on Feb. 4, the teams drew a near-capacity 6,000 fans to Willoughby stadium where Cruz Azul scored twice against VFC in the first half and again in the second to win 3-0.
“I’m happy with the way we played the first game,” Nash remarked during the question-and-answer.
“I thought we had some good moments in the second half. I thought we defended quite well,” Nash said.
“We didn’t give them too many opportunities.”
He described the first two goals by Cruz Azul as “untimely,” the result of errors by VFC.
Fans of both teams packed Willoughby stadium in Langley to watch Vancouver FC play Mexican powerhouse Cruz Azul. pic.twitter.com/ouSgLq1ivc
— Langley Advance Times (@LangleyTimes) February 7, 2026
It won’t be the first time Mezquida has faced a Mexican rival in the Concacaf champions league. The Uruguayan played against Mexican teams for the Cup as a Vancouver Whitecaps player.
It was “amazing” to get to do it again, Mezquida said, but it is different.
“I’m with a club that is pretty new.”
Mexican sports media has been focused on the sprained ankle suffered by key Cruz Azul forward Gabriel ‘Toro’ Fernández in the 90th minute of the game, when he was tacked by Mezquida, and had to leave the field. Fernández is considered a cruicial attacker, and his injury has left a big hole in the Cruz Azul offence, several commenters have said.
Both teams will meet Thursday at Cuauhtémoc stadium in Puebla, Mexico at 5 p.m.
Vancouver FC is among 27 teams competing in the Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) Champions Cup, which Cruz Azul won last year.
Eagles earned their place by competing in the 2025 Canadian Championship final against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, finishing second.
As runners-up, after the Whitecaps’ secured their own berth, the final qualification spot officially opened, granting VFC its first-ever entry into the tournament.
Cruz Azul is a powerhouse of Mexican football, with a record-setting seven Concacaf Champions Cup titles. Their most recent triumph was last year’s 5–0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Mexico City.