Whitecaps blank Red Bulls to advance

VANCOUVER (CP) — Midfielder Alphonso Davies scored an early goal, then new striker Fredy Montero decided the match late in the second half as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the New York Red Bulls 2-0 Wednesday night to win their CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final series.

Davies opened the scoring on a pretty goal in the fifth minute. Montero, one of Vancouver’s prized off-season signings playing in his first game as a Whitecap, connected in the 76th minute, much to the delight of a crowd of 14,183 at BC Place Stadium.

Vancouver wins the two-game aggregate series 3-1 — the teams battled to a 1-1 draw in the opening match last week in Harrison, N.J.

The Whitecaps next face Tigres UANL of Monterrey, Mexico, in the Champions League semifinal beginning in mid March. Vancouver opens on the road, then returns home for the second game in the first week of April.

At 16, Davis was the youngest player on the pitch but he showed some veteran poise throughout the night. On the opening goal, midfielder Marcel de Jong crossed a ball into the box where Davis fought off a New York defender and tucked it into the corner of the net.

The CONCACAF Champions League features the top teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The Whitecaps open their MLS season Sunday at home against the Philadelphia Union.