The Whitecaps are unbeaten in six in league play, and are looking to bring some stability to a season that has been filled with ups and downs. It is still early on in the season, and many players are beginning to find their stride and build chemistry, with standout players looking to continue a hot start. After last week’s 0-0 draw with Austin, the Whitecaps are taking on the team one place below them in the table, the Colorado Rapids.
Colorado has had a difficult start to their season, with nine games resulting in one win, five draws, and three losses. Michael Barrios is currently their only player with more than one goal, indicating a problem with their finishing, as they only have six goals on the season. They have not had much luck with controlling games, as most of their goals to draw games come very late on, showing that they are most effective when trying to salvage a point.
The strongest performance Colorado has had so far is their performance in the US Open Cup this week against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, which they won 3-0 against the USL League One. This is the only game they’ve won by more than one goal so far this season. In fact, the only time Colorado scored more than one goal in a match in MLS play was against Charlotte in a 2-2 draw. What the Whitecaps can learn from Colorado’s best goalscoring performance in the league is the fact that while Colorado scored first, consistent pressure allowed Charlotte to score two in basically ten minutes. The Whitecaps are no strangers to a defensive scramble themselves, so they have to be careful when they take the lead as well.
Speaking of the Whitecaps, the loss of Cristian Dajome depletes an already thin attacking roster for Vancouver, with White and Becher left to do much of the heavy lifting (I’m expecting Sartini to play with Gauld and White as 10s and Becher as a 9).
Dajome’s stock has dramatically fallen since he was brought in during Dos Santos’ tenure in 2020. His Colombian counterpart Caicedo is growing into his role and will look to carry the slack going forward. Pedro Vite, who’s been off to a slow start, could also be a beneficiary of more minutes going forward. The way I see it, the agility of Becher will be key to score on Colorado, and a solid defensive line in the last ten minutes should be enough to make sure Colorado doesn’t get their second win of the season. I think this Whitecaps team has enough experience to get a 1-0 victory this game.
What do you think the result will be? Sound off in the comments below.
(Image Credit: Colorado Rapids)