It is getting down to crunch time for the Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders, who face each other for the final time in the 2022 MLS regular season on Saturday at BC Place Stadium.
Vancouver kept their postseason hopes alive with a 3-0 triumph over the Los Angeles Galaxy in midweek, while the Rave Green have won back-to-back encounters, currently sitting four points behind the Western Conference playoff line with a game in hand on Real Salt Lake.
Match preview
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There is still life in Vancouver, as the Caps ended a three-match losing run on Wednesday with their biggest victory of the year.
After a stagnant first half versus LA with chances few and far between for either side, Vanni Sartini's men showed plenty of aggressiveness and determination in the final 45 minutes, scoring three goals.
It was a game full of high intensity for the Whitecaps, and one which could have ended their postseason chances had they lost and RSL earned a point.
Since neither occurred, the Caps still have an opportunity to climb into a top seven position, and they will be facing another potential make or break scenario this weekend.
Their victory on Wednesday was the first time that this group had tallied three goals in a game since drawing the San Jose Earthquakes 3-3 in the middle of May, though they are still the lowest-scoring team in the Western Conference, currently tied with Sporting Kansas City at 36 goals.
Two of their final three regular-season affairs will be at BC Place Stadium, where Vancouver have won three of their last four games.
They have had all sorts of problems against their arch-rivals Seattle in recent years, without a victory versus the Rave Green in 12 successive regular-season encounters, with their last win against them coming at home in 2017 (2-1).
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Like Michael Myers in the famous Halloween movie franchise, the Seattle Sounders refuse to die, winning convincingly last weekend, 3-0, versus Austin FC.
Though their comeback campaign is far from complete, a victory this weekend would extend their winning streak to a season-high three games.
Seattle have never missed the postseason in their MLS history, and to keep that streak intact, they will likely need to earn some points on the road, something that the Rave Green have failed to do in six of their last seven matches.
Down the stretch of the regular season, Brian Schmetzer's men have two games at home and two on the road, though of those four opponents, only FC Cincinnati currently have more points than the Sounders.
In three of their previous four regular season campaigns, Seattle have conceded the fewest goals in the Western Conference, though they have not been quite as compact along the backline in 2022, conceding 40 tallies, seven more than a year ago.
They have posted five clean sheets so far this year, and if they were to concede in each of their remaining games, it would set a new franchise record for the fewest shutouts in a single season, with the current mark set in the shortened 2020 campaign (six).
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Team News
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Ryan Gauld picked up his seventh of the campaign for the Whitecaps this week, scoring the winner against the Galaxy, Pedro Vite notched his first career MLS goal and Tosaint Ricketts tallied his fourth of the year.
Julian Gressel and Brian White each had an assist on Wednesday, Thomas Hasal picked up his first clean sheet since April 2, while Luis Martins started his first match for the Caps since June 14, when his side lost 4-0 at Lumen Field to Seattle.
Lucas Cavallini will be suspended for one more match because of his violent red card versus Nashville SC, while Deiber Caicedo remains out after undergoing right knee and meniscus surgery earlier this year.
Sebastian Berhalter will miss this match as he was given a yellow card 11 minutes after entering their contest on Wednesday in place of Leonard Owusu.
Two Whitecaps players have been called up for international duty next week as Javain Brown will be with the Jamaican national team, while Andres Cubas will represent Paraguay.
Raul Ruidiaz leads the Sounders with nine goals on the year, as his brace against Austin put him two ahead of Jordan Morris.
Both were called up to their respective national teams, as Ruidiaz will be with the Peruvians next Saturday when they face Mexico at the Rose Bowl, while Morris hopes to make an impact for the Americans when they face Japan in a World Cup tuneup match next Friday.
Stefan Frei only had to make one save last weekend for his first clean sheet since early August, Nicolas Lodeiro and Alex Roldan each scored in their 4-0 victory against the Caps back in June as Ruidiaz notched two on that occasion.
Fredy Montero seems to enjoy these Cascadia Cup encounters, as the Colombian has tallied a combined nine goals with Vancouver and the Sounders in these clashes.
Cristian Roldan remains out following his groin surgery, Andrew Thomas and Obed Vargas are still suffering from lower back stress fractures, while Joao Paulo will not return this season after sustaining a right ACL tear.
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Hasal; Nerwinski, Veselinovic, Blackmon; Raposo, Cubas, Schopf, Gressel; Dajome, Gauld; White
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; A. Roldan, Gomez, Arreaga, Tolo; Rowe, Leyva; Morris, Lodeiro, Rusnak; Ruidiaz
We say: Vancouver Whitecaps 1-1 Seattle Sounders
There is a lot is riding on this match for these two rivals who are desperate to get back above the playoff line, and with so much at stake, we anticipate both sides will hang back and be more concerned about not conceding, rather than taking chances going forward.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
