Saturday night, the Vancouver Whitecaps will host FC Dallas at BC Place in a Western Conference matchup that is going to test Vancouver’s depth, as they continue their push for a top four place in the West.

After a key 1-0 win over Austin FC down in Texas last weekend, the Whitecaps will be looking to consolidate their standing against an FC Dallas side that has struggled for consistency all year. Dallas is currently 11th in the West, with 33 points from 27 matches. Dallas started their season very poorly, with only one win in their first eight MLS matches of the season (that single victory win coming against San Jose).

In terms of players to watch for FC Dallas, it’s been all Petar Musa up front, as the 26-year-old Croatian striker has 14 goals this season, with the next closest Dallas player on just 4. Musa has scored in each of his last 5 MLS matches, though he did come off the bench against Colorado Rapids last weekend, playing just 30 minutes after he picked up a toe injury in the lead up to matchday.

Elsewhere, veterans Paul Arriola and Asier Illarramendi help hold things down for Dallas centrally, while GK Martin Paes has played every minute of MLS, Leagues Cup, and US Open Cup competition for his side so far this season, with a number of stellar performances. Paes’ consistency is worth noting for this matchup, because Dallas will be without their reliable keeper on Saturday night, as Paes has recently opted to file a one-time switch to represent Indonesia in international play. Paes started for Indonesia Thursday, as they registered a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia in World Cup Qualifiers. Without Paes in the mix, Dallas will presumably start veteran Jimmy Maurer between the sticks at BC Place on Saturday night.

Obviously, it’s not only FC Dallas that is feeling the pressure of playing through the international break, as the Vancouver Whitecaps will be without a number of their best players for this match. Ryan Gauld, Andres Cubas, Ali Ahmed, Pedro Vite, and Fafa Picault are all away with their respective national teams, while Brian White is out and Sam Adekugbe is questionable when it comes to the injury report.

These absences place a lot of pressure on those remaining to fill the void. Vancouver will be able to maintain their back three along with Yohei Takaoka in goal, but the front seven in front of that group is going to look much different than normal. It seems certain that Seb Berhalter and Alessandro Schopf will have big roles to play in the midfield, while this is also a big opportunity for Levonte Johnson and Damir Kreilach to show what they can offer up front. It’s also worth pointing out that Giuseppe Bovalina might be a good shout for a start in a wide role, as Vancouver is thin at that spot for Saturday beyond Canadian Ryan Raposo.

Off the bench, newcomers Stuart Armstrong and Édier Ocampo might see their first minutes, though I would assume those will be limited, while Deiber Caicedo could also make his return in a Whitecaps shirt.

If Vancouver was at full strength in this matchup, I’d be very confident in the Whitecaps’ ability to come out on top, much the same as last weekend. Obviously though, the amount of forced changes for Vancouver throws a bit of a wrench into the mix. Nonetheless, Vancouver is certainly capable of claiming all three points at home Saturday night, and it would be incredibly valuable if Vancouver can pick up 6 of 6 points over these next two weekends against Dallas and San Jose.