Welcome back, everyone.
Well, last weekend did not go exactly as expected.
Vancouver’s home woes to start the season compounded last Saturday, with a second half collapse against Real Salt Lake, leading to their first loss in MLS play of 2024.
Nonetheless, another week brings forward another opportunity, this time against Cascadian rivals at BC Place.
The Timbers were flying high to start the season, but they’ve suffered two straight losses heading into this one, so there should be a high level of urgency for Portland to get their play back on track.
For Vancouver, we’ll have to watch out for the progression of Brian White, who is working his way through concussion protocol (As of Friday afternoon he is OUT). Meanwhile, Sam Adekugbe actually looks set to return this week, after being held out at the last minute from last weekend’s match. Finally, Fafa Picault and Andres Cubas are back from international duty.
Ok, on to rules and standings we go…
- Predictions will be ‘valid’ if posted HERE (or more accurately, whichever is the correct match thread) before the lineup is officially announced, usually about an hour before kickoff.
- You receive 1 point for every player you correctly guess to be in the Starting XI. You receive 4 bonus points for correctly predicting all 11 starters.
- You get 5 points for correctly guessing Win/Lose/Draw, this doubles to 10 if you also predict the right score-line along with the result.
- All this means, if you correctly predict the Starting XI, Final Score, and Winner, you can earn 25 points!
- At the end of each half of the season, the contestant’s lowest two scores (or missed predictions) of that period will be deducted from the cumulative standings.
3-0 caps
Blackmon Veselinovic Laborda
Cubas Ahmed vite brown
Gauld picault Kreilach
Takaoka
Laborda Ranko Blackmon
Ahmed Vite Cubas Schopf
Picault Kreilach Gauld
Caps lose 2-1
Takaoka
Laborda Ranko Blackmon
Ahmed Vite Cubas Schopf
Picault Kreilach Gauld
Caps win 2-1
Takaoka
Laborda Veselinovic Blackmon
Raposo Cubas Vite Ahmed
Picault Kreilach Gauld
2-2 tie
Have yet to get a winner right this season.
Takaoka
Laborda, Ranko, Blackmon
Ahmed, Cubas, Vite, Raposo
Gauld, Fafa, Kreilach
Draw 1:1
Oops. This is AtlantisB
2-1 Caps
Takaoka
Laborda Veselinovic Blackmon
Raposo Vite Cubas Schopf
Gauld Kreilach Picault
Now I’m just predicting a result that I want despite not feeling very optimistic today. Is Schopf fast? I had Ahmed in my starting XI last week but not today. Am I making a mistake? Who knows!
At least today we can boo Crepeau and the real refs. No more scabs!
VAN 2-1 POR
Gauld Kreilach Picault
Brown Schopf Cubas Raposo
Blackmon Veselinovic Laborda
Takaoka
Caps 2-1
Takaoka
Laborda Ranko Blackmon
Brown Cubas Vite Ahmed
Gauld DK Fafa
Well I have predicted Ahmed starting for the past 3 weeks, if he doesn’t actually start today I don’t even know what we are doing
Island Life
dirqx piqx for starting XI for Game V season MMXXIV, Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers
Takaoka
Laborda Veselinovic Blackmon Raposo
Vite Cubas Ahmed
Gauld Schopf
Picault
‘Caps win 2-1
Go ‘Caps
Caps get a 3-2 W
If we dont see 2 Red cards today I will be disappointed
Takaoka
Laborda, Ranko, Blackmon
Brown, Vite, Cubas, Ahmed
Gauld, Kreilach, Johnson
Hard to leave out Fafa – but I think we can get a better 60 out of a Young Johnson and send in Fafa to clean up for the last 30 (despite Fafa being amazing when he started – i eat my words as I type this out)
when we get excited about Picault and kreilach- pick-up free agents- being in the line-up, it tells you a lot about our off-season recruiting from Axel Schuster and the cheap owners
Takaoka
Laborda Ranko Blackmon
Brown Cubas Vite Ahmed
Gault Kreliach Picault
2-1 win for the Caps
Cam Pierce
2-1 Loss
Gauld Krielach Picault
Ahmed Vite Cubas Brown
Blackmon Ranko Laborda
Takaoka
Takaoka
Laborda Veselinovic Blackmon
Raposo Cubas Vite Ahmed
Picault Kreilach Gauld
2-0 Caps
Picault-Kreilach-Gauld
Raposo-Cubas-Vite-Brown
Laborda-Ranko-Blackmon
Takaoka
Caps concede late and take a 1-1 draw
Kreilach
Gauld Picault
Martins Cubas Vite Ahmed
Blackmon Veselinovic Laborda
Takaoka
VWFC 1-1 PDX
Takaoka
Laborda Ranko Blackmon
Brown Vite Cubas Ahmed
Gauld Kreilach Picault
Vancouver Wins 2-1
Takaoka
Laborda Veselinovic Blackmon
Ahmed Cubas Vite Schopf
Gauld Kreilach Picault
3-1 ‘Caps win
Takaoka
Laborda Ranko Blackmon
Brown Schopf Cubas Ahmed
Gauld Kreilach Fafa
3-1 Caps
That’s if Brian White is out with the concussion otherwise I would swap him in for Krielach
Takaoka
Laborda Ranko Blackmon
Brown Vite Cubas Raposo
Gauld Kreilach Ahmed
Vancouver 1-1 Portland