The Vancouver Whitecaps’ start to the season continues, as they take on Canadian rivals CF Montreal in a third consecutive home game.

After a promising first leg against Monterrey which leaves them with a solid chance of qualifying, Vancouver will see this game as an opportunity to test the strength of their squad and build momentum before the second leg in Mexico.

This game also offers a good opportunity for Vancouver to compare themselves against their rivals for the Canadian Championship. Montreal face Toronto in the first round of the competition, so the winner of that tie will likely play the Whitecaps in a potential final. This gives the Whitecaps a great opportunity to compare themselves early in the season.

Last year, this fixture ended in a 1-1 draw in Montreal, and the last time these two teams played in Vancouver was the 2023 Canadian Championship final, which the Whitecaps won 2-1.

CF Montreal

Montreal lost their first two games of the MLS season, against Atlanta and Minnesota United, and are bottom of the Eastern Conference. However, they are starting the season with a 7-match road trip, and with the strong home advantage tilt of the MLS, perhaps a poor start is to be expected.

Their off-season included adding DP forward Giacomo Vrioni, and former LA Galaxy U22 initiative centre-back Jalen Neal, although both players have started the season injured, which hasn’t helped Montreal’s woes. Forward Prince Owusu scored on his debut against Atlanta after arriving from Toronto, and his goals will be crucial to Montreal’s hopes over the season.

For both matches, Montreal lined up in a back 3 system, and it can be expected that they’ll do the same again. They made 5 changes between the games, meaning predicting a starting lineup is challenging. There were defensive changes between the games, but we can expect Nathan Saliba and probably new signing Victor Loturi to start in midfield. Going forward, Vancouver will have to deal with Owosu, as well as American playmakers Bryce Duke and Caden Clark.

In the first half against Atlanta, Montreal struggled to deal with the quality from players like Miguel Almiron and Emmanuel Latte Lath. Montreal conceded 8 shots on target against Atlanta, and in Minnesota, Montreal controlled the ball by having 65% possession, but had 0 shots on target compared to United’s 6, giving up 1.51 expected goals in the process.

This may play into the hands of the Whitecaps, who have been playing some impressive attacking football. I think that Ryan Gauld and Pedro Vite will get plenty of opportunity to trouble the Montreal defence. Gauld’s goals against Saprissa and Portland show that this team have not forgotten how to do those transitions they were so effective at using under Vanni Sartini, and these might prove crucial to breaching Montreal’s defence.

Montreal haven’t been particularly threatening so far in the season either, as aside from a dominant second half against Atlanta, they only had 0.24 xG across the other 3 periods.

However, in that second half they had 2.33 xG, and only lost the match because of some poor defending and a brilliant late winner. Young midfielders Saliba and Clark are key players for the Whitecaps to watch out for. Saliba scored the equaliser in Atlanta, whilst Clark had a goal and an assist in the USMNT January camp.

Vancouver Whitecaps

The Whitecaps have started the season in impressive form, with 2 wins from 2 MLS games: at Cascadia Cup rivals Portland Timbers, and at home against reigning MLS Cup Champions LA Galaxy.

Both of their opponents have made poor starts to the season but, as the old saying goes, you can only beat who’s in front of you. The Whitecaps did what they needed to do to ensure they got the 3 points in both matches, and they will be confident of doing so again.

Team news is particularly difficult to predict given the early season fixture congestion, but given the result against Monterrey I would expect Sørensen to make a few changes to keep his key players fit and firing for the second leg.

Pedro Vite has played particularly well, scoring that screamer against Portland and setting up both goals against LA. Jayden Nelson recorded 3 assists and a goal in Portland, but his injury on Wednesday may see him miss this match.

The absence of Sam Adekugbe will be a huge loss for the Whitecaps. He scored in both MLS games before suffering an injury against Galaxy. Vancouver were rocked for a while after his substitution, and they lost a lot of threat from that side of the pitch.

Edier Ocampo came on and grew into his role against LA, but his natural preference to be on the right side saw him come infield, which limited the effectiveness of Ryan Gauld. Ocampo is suspended for this game, meaning Tate Johnson will likely be given the starting shirt for his MLS debut. Johnson didn’t look out of place when he came on for the second half against Monterrey, and he will be instrumental as the Whitecaps need to find a system to succeed without Adekugbe.

If the Whitecaps can continue to play as they have done under Jesper Sørensen, they should be victorious against a Montreal side who are yet to get going this season.

However, with a daunting but crucial trip to Mexico on the cards, the Whitecaps need to avoid slipping up, and should take this week one game at a time. Team selection will be crucial, as key players like Gauld and Veselinovic played full matches on Wednesday and may be rested. If Vite and Gauld start and have their usual influence on the game, Vancouver will likely defeat Montreal and continue their perfect start to the MLS season.

(Image Credits: CF Montreal & Mark Zhuang)