Whitecaps' Carl Robinson admits to gap between MLS, Liga MX

Carl Robinson built a career in Major League Soccer, but the Welsh manager is aware of the disparity between the quality of football in MLS and its Mexican counterpart, Liga MX.

Speaking after the Vancouver Whitecaps were humbled 2-0 by Club Tigres UANL at El Estadio Universitario, Robinson acknowledged the chasm in quality between MLS and Liga MX, saying, according to ESPN FC's Tom Marshall: "anyone that says there isn't a gap doesn't understand football."

The game between the Whitecaps and Tigres marked the first leg of a tie in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, and it continued the trend of American clubs losing on Mexican soil. Of the last 53 meetings between a side from MLS and a team from Liga MX in Mexico, only twice did the visitor win.

The Whitecaps failed to tally a shot on target while picking up four yellow cards on Tuesday night, and Tigres boasted 79 percent of the possession.

But Robinson is refusing to accept elimination, even if it means scoring at least two goals at BC Place.

"We must get the first goal in the next game and then we'll see where it goes," he said.

The second leg will take place on April 5.