Whitecaps food poisoning drama: Canada's Jesse Marsch urges Concacaf action after players fall ill in Mexico

In the wake of losing the Concacaf Champions Cup to Cruz Azul in Mexico, the Vancouver Whitecaps have had to cancel training due to players and staff experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms. That also impacted the Whitecaps contingent who are with the Canadian national team, which caused Jesse Marsch to call for protection during these matches at a breakfast ahead of facing Ukraine on Saturday in a friendly.

Ali Ahmed, Sam Adekube, and Jayden Nelson all missed training due to that illness, and while they have returned as of Friday, they won't be ready for 90 minutes of action in this friendly.

"All three Vancouver players were poisoned," Marsch said. "They're doing better, but they're probably not ready for 90-minute performances."

"They're better now," he continued. "But for me, it's appalling that this is the second year in a row that CONCACAF and the powers that be have allowed an MLS team to go down to Mexico for a big final and get poisoned. It's ridiculous. Something has to be done to protect these environments."

When the Columbus Crew faced Pachuca in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup final, they had similar issues with food poisoning impacting the team and the staff before losing 3-0 to Pachuca, which is what Marsch was referring to. He did add, "I don't have any evidence, but It's not random that two years in a row that this has happened."

Vancouver coach Jesper Soresen doesn't have a reason to believe that this was deliberate, as he was asked about Marsch's comments.

"Yeah, I don't know about that. I don't think so," Sorensen said. "I don't think that. We also have done great work with people coming to Mexico, making sure all that we got was cleared. I don't know. I haven't really seen Jesse's comments. I don't expect this to be deliberate or anything."

The Whitecaps did prepare for this with a chef and a dietitian, but even that wasn't enough to stop the team from falling ill. The team released a statement on the issue.

"Following the team's return from Mexico, a significant number of Whitecaps FC players and staff reported gastrointestinal symptoms. As a precautionary measure, and in consultation with the club's medical team, as well as the local infectious disease consultant and Vancouver Coastal Health, the club cancelled training on Wednesday and held a modified individual closed session for cleared players today.

"The health and well-being of our players and staff remain our top priority. Each player has been provided with an individualized program by the medical and performance staff to support their continued preparation and recovery. We are actively monitoring the situation and will provide updates as more information becomes available."

With this now impacting Canada for their friendly on Saturday, as well as Vancouver in their Cascadia clash with the Seattle Sounders on Sunday, the fallout from the illness could give the Sounders a chance to get back in the race for the Western Conference. Currently, the Whitecaps are six points ahead of the Sounders with two games in hand, but a loss could open the door for Seattle to make a run.