Vancouver Whitecaps put five past Real Espana to mark CCL return

The Vancouver Whitecaps will have one foot in the next round of the CONCACAF Champions League, seeing off Real Espana 5-0 at home Wednesday night, an exclamation point as they make their return to the competition after a seven-year hiatus.

After two straight matches of not being able to capitalize on a 1-0 halftime lead, the Caps turned on the afterburners in the second half, keeping a relentless barrage of pressure on the Honduran side to carry a commanding lead into the away leg next week.

Vanni Sartini went with a mostly first choice XI for the Caps’ champions league return but dialed up the tactics to add a healthier dose of attack. With Alessandro Schopf injured, Ryan Gauld dropped back…