Cruising through to the quarterfinals in CONCACAF Champions League play will come with a massive challenge for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The B次元官网网址楥aps advanced Wednesday after completing a 7-3 aggregate win over Honduran side Real CD Espana.

Getting through, though, means facing reigning Major League Soccer champions Los Angeles FC in next monthB次元官网网址檚 quarterfinals of the tournament between the top clubs in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

B次元官网网址淚t will be a nice clash against, probably, the best team in North America,B次元官网网址� Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going to be a great stage for us to try to go to the semifinals. So IB次元官网网址檓 really happy that we went through.B次元官网网址�

Espana battled its way to a 3-2 victory in the second leg of a round-of-16 series at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on Wednesday.

Getsel Montes had a brace and Ramiro Rocca added a goal for the home side, while Brian White and Simon Becher each scored for Vancouver.

The Whitecaps came into the game up 5-0 after a decisive first-leg win at B.C. Place on March 8.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 happy the qualification was never in discussion. We were always in the game,B次元官网网址� Sartini said. B次元官网网址淎nd at the end, I told the guys, even if they were a little bit down, today we did not lose 3-2, we won 7-3. So we need to be happy.B次元官网网址�

LAFC took a 4-2 aggregate win over Costa Rican side Liga Deportiva Alajuelense on Wednesday. After taking a 3-0 win in the first leg of their series, LAFC dropped the second leg 2-1.

Espana heavily out chanced the B次元官网网址楥aps in Honduras, putting up 10 on-target shots against VancouverB次元官网网址檚 four.

Vancouver expected the home side to attack a lot, Sartini said, and the team did a good job withstanding, then countering until White opened the scoring in the 66th minute.

B次元官网网址淎nd then it became a little bit careless,B次元官网网址� the coach said. B次元官网网址淚 think players were very tired at the end. And the fact that a lot of players who played 90 minutes, they never played 90 minutes before today. And the wind became a big factor in the second half.B次元官网网址�

Midway through the second half, Whitecaps defender Javain Brown fought his way through a series of Espana defenders and dished the ball to White at the top of the penalty area.

The American striker B次元官网网址� who came off the bench in the 61st minute B次元官网网址� fired a shot in past EspanaB次元官网网址檚 goalkeeper Luis Lopez to break the goalless deadlock with his second of the tournament.

A minute later, the Honduran club tied things up after a rebound dropped in traffic and Montes popped it in past Vancouver B次元官网网址榢eeper Thomas Hasal.

Rocca gave Espana its first lead in the 75th minute, sending a shot into the corner of the net off a cross.

Becher knotted the score at 2-2 in the 83rd minute, working his way around an Espana defender before finding room between Lopez and the post for his first goal in CONCACAF Champions League play.

Montes put away his second goal of the game in the 86th minute, heading a shot in past Hasal off a corner.

The Whitecaps need to work on defending headers, especially off of set plays, Sartini said.

B次元官网网址淲e need to do much better in terms of positioning, in terms of being aggressive,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭here are some players that they donB次元官网网址檛 get the fact that if you are zonal, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 mean you are a stick. We need to attack the ball.B次元官网网址�

Six Whitecaps players were shown yellow cards across the match, something the coach said he was concerned about heading into the quarterfinals.

B次元官网网址淚 think we took too much yellow today. I think a couple of them were avoidable, a couple of them were maybe 50/50 yellow, but unfortunately we got them,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l have everyone for at least the first leg against LAFC and then weB次元官网网址檒l see.B次元官网网址�

Sartini made ample changes to his lineup heading into WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 game, swapping out eight players who started in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas in MLS play on Saturday.

The changes included giving Canadian B次元官网网址榢eeper Hasal his first start of the season and replacing White with Sergio Cordova in the starting 11.

WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 game marked VancouverB次元官网网址檚 fourth of five matches in 14 days. The Whitecaps will return to MLS play Saturday when they visit the L.A. Galaxy.