After scoring a last-minute winner to overturn a 2-0 deficit and defeat Real Salt Lake, the Vancouver Whitecaps head back up north to take on Minnesota United in a midweek home sendoff match, ahead of the Champions Cup final clash with Cruz Azul in Mexico.
Indeed, Sunday’s Champions Cup final will surely be Jesper Sørensen’s priority, as it will offer the club the opportunity to win the biggest accolade in Whitecaps’ history, as well as secure a place at the Club World Cup, and write themselves into folklore.
This means that even though the Whitecaps will look to extend their 14-match unbeaten streak, we can expect Vancouver to rotate heavily, as they will hope to have their key players fully fit for the final.
Of course, as we have already seen this season, even a rotated Vancouver Whitecaps squad is fearsome and is still capable of competing with MLS outfits. However, a disappointing 2-2 draw with Valour FC in the Canadian Championship showed some cracks in that side, and it may cause a dilemma for Sørensen over which team he should field.
Interestingly, the last time Vancouver played Minnesota the game took place between the Champions Cup semi-final matches with Inter Miami, and for that clash Sørensen made 8 changes. Although the Whitecaps won that game 3-1, I still anticipate wholesale alterations to guarantee availability for Sunday.
Takaoka may want to recover some confidence after his error against RSL, so he may retain his spot between the sticks, but it would also be unsurprising of Boehmer was given another opportunity. I can see Utvik and Bovalina starting in defence, with the other spots in the backline probably being filled by Tate Johnson and one of Ranko Veselinovic after his rest in Utah, or Matthias Laborda, who will be looking to get more minutes in his legs following his recent return from injury.
Midfield will look a bit more like normal, as Sebastian Berhalter will probably start due to his suspension from the final, having accumulated three yellow cards across the tournament. Jeevan Badwal will likely start alongside him, as the youngster continues to benefit from the extra games by gaining vital experience. In attack, I can see Daniel Rios and Emmanuel Sabbi starting, as both forwards have been out of form as of late and a goal may do their confidence wonders.
These lineups leave out anyone who wouldn’t benefit from confidence minutes just before the final, and that means that there are a few gaps in the team. From looking at the MLS roster regulations, I believe that Sørensen can call upon up to 4 players from the MLS Next Pro side in his matchday squad, and I imagine he will do so to maximise rest to his key players. Caleb has produced a deep dive into the WFC2’s key players, which can be found below.
As Nelson Pierre is on loan from Philadelphia Union and is therefore ineligible, my predictions for step ups to the first team are Liam McKenzie, who has already made his debut in the 3-1 loss to Chicago Fire, and midfielder Jackson Castro, who signed for the team in January and at 22 years old is the most experienced of the young talents available.
Reading Sørensen’s mind about this game is proving to be a minefield, so I imagine that Guess the Starting XI predictions may be wildly inaccurate for this round.
Looking at the visitors, and Minnesota United are also flying this season as they sit third in the West.
Like Vancouver, Minnesota recently thrashed Inter Miami in a display of their attacking prowess, before 2 consecutive victories over St Louis City FC saw them advance to the quarter finals of the US Open Cup and climb up the league standings.
The Loons have been defensively solid this season, as they have only conceded 14 MLS goals, which is the second lowest out of any side in the league (behind the Whitecaps). That is partially thanks to Canadian goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who has kept the most clean sheets and has one of the highest save percentages out of any goalkeeper in MLS this season.
Other players for Vancouver to watch out for include Canadian striker Tani Oluwaseyi, who has 6 league goals this season but only 1 in his previous 8 games, and former Whitecaps wingback Julian Gressel, who will be returning to BC Place after his recent transfer to the Loons from Inter Miami.
Having played them in Minneapolis a month ago, the Whitecaps know all about Minnesota tactically, and they will be confident of winning the return fixture. Last time out, it took some inspired substitutions to turn the game in Vancouver’s favour and earn a 3-1 victory, and whilst ideally those changes won’t have to be made, it would be nice for Vancouver to earn yet another 3 points and go into Sunday in top form.
I predict that the Whitecaps will win this game, extending their unbeaten streak to 15 matches and building their confidence ahead of their date with destiny in Mexico City.