VANCOUVER — Tristan Blackmon's pre-game meal included some unusual sides on Sunday — pickle juice, caffeine pills and Red Bull.
After battling a gastrointestinal illness that took out about half of the Vancouver Whitecaps squad earlier in the week, the veteran defender was ready to ingest whatever it took to get his energy levels back ahead of a matchup with his team's regional rivals, the Seattle Sounders.
The additions worked. Blackmon was a force as the 'Caps (10-1-5) blanked the Sounders 3-0.
“It was weird circumstances. I didn’t train all week. I trained the day before the game because I wasn’t feeling that great," Blackmon said of the lead up. "But I just told the staff that I wanted to be there and help the guys out as much as I could.
"Definitely got a little winded towards the end of the game, but happy we got the result.”
The result extended Vancouver's club-record unbeaten streak in Major League Soccer play to 11 games (6-0-5). The 'Caps will look to stretch the mark further on Saturday when they visit the Columbus Crew (7-3-7).
Players and staff continued to recover this week, but the team was able to train more this week, said head coach Jesper Sorensen.
“We can see in training sessions, (players) have more energy now, and they get a little better every day," he said. "We can see it in the faces and the eyes … I think that everybody looks a little bit better than they did a week ago. And, yeah, they couldn't look any worse anyway, so it could only go one direction."
Vancouver announced Thursday that it will be without defender Sam Adekugbe for the rest of the season after he tore his Achilles tendon while playing for Canada on Tuesday.
The club will also miss four players to international duty come Sunday. Forward Jayden Nelson and midfielder Ali Ahmed are with Canada as the team prepares for its Gold Cup opener against Honduras in Vancouver on Tuesday. Striker Brian White and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter are with the U.S. team for the same tournament.
The Whitecaps will get four players back from international duty, though.
Midfielder Pedro Vite is back after helping Ecuador secure a spot in next summer's World Cup, while defensive midfielder Andres Cubas and Paraguay inched closer to the same goal. Defender Giuseppe Bovalina (Australia U-23) and Tate Johnson (U.S. U-20) have also returned.
The Whitecaps weren't far from Johnson's mind when he was with his national team in Egypt. Despite the distance, he still made a point of watching Sunday's game.
"It was at 4 a.m. where I was, so I work up at 4 and watched it and then went back to bed for a little bit," he said. "It was awesome to be able to get a win. … So I was trying to be quiet in my room. But I was excited."
All four returnees will figure into Saturday's game, Sorensen said.
"I think they come back with a lot of positive energy and it’s always good for the group," he said.
"We also saw last week that we also have players who really can step up when need be. So I think that it’s good we have a lot of competition."
In Ohio, Vancouver will meet a Columbus side looking to rebound from a 5-1 loss to Inter Miami last weekend. The result stretched the Crew's winless skid to six games (0-2-4).
The Whitecaps aren't taking the opponent lightly, though.
“Another tough game away against a really good team that likes keep the ball a lot, have dangerous players," Blackmon said of the matchup. "So we’re going to go there with the guys we have — we don’t have everybody available, people are gone for international break. But we’re confident in the guys we have.”
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (10-1-5) AT COLUMBUS CREW (7-3-7)
Lower.com Field, Saturday
HISTORY BOOKS: The Whitecaps hold a 5-3-3 edge in all-time meetings with the Crew, and have gone 4-2-0 in previous appearances at Lower.com Field. The club's last trip to Ohio didn't end well, though, with Columbus blanking the 'Caps 4-0 back on Feb. 22, 2022.
LEAGUE LEADERS: Not only does Vancouver sit atop the MLS standings, the club is also No. 1 in points per game (2.19), goal differential (+18) and expected goals (36.99)
TERRIFIC TANDEM: Whitecaps defenders Blackmon and Ranko Veselinovic are set to make their 100th start together for Vancouver across all competitions. Their first start together came in Columbus back in February 2022.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
