The Vancouver Whitecaps will look to avoid a post-Canadian Championship hangover on Sunday, as they welcome the San Jose Earthquakes to BC Place.

The Whitecaps will hope for a smoother match than the last time they played the Quakes, in what will now be known as the Tim Ford Affair, which ended in a 2-1 defeat for the away side despite Vancouver doing enough to merit a result. And both teams have plenty to play for, with San Jose fighting to secure the final playoff spot, while Vancouver tries to finish as high up the Western Conference as possible without sustaining any more injuries.

Since these two teams last met in early August, San Jose has lost four times and won twice. They have been largely stuck in neutral after a promising start to the season. One of those wins, however, was over San Diego, showing that this is a team that can test some of the Western Conference’s best — if they can just keep from conceding for long enough to finish a match off.

That has been easier said than done for Bruce Arena’s men, meaning there should be plenty of chances for Vancouver to get on the scoresheet. Their 1-0 win over San Diego was their first clean sheet since late May, and this team has conceded 13 goals in the six matches since they last played the ‘Caps. Their defense remains the fourth-worst in the league, ahead of only the likes of Sporting KC, LA Galaxy, DC United, and tied with Chicago, Montreal, and Atlanta. By and large, that isn’t great company.

San Jose loves a back three, giving Cristian Espinoza and Vitor Costa plenty of room to cook on the wings, an area they will look to exploit after seeing Portland have some luck testing Tate Johnson. But that has often left them without any real support for their centerbacks, forcing Daniel to turn in a man-of-the-match level performance like he did in their last match in order to eke out a win.

The Quakes do know where the goal is, and they haven’t been kept off the scoresheet in a match since mid-May. Much of that production has come from their two new arrivals, Josef Martinez and Chicho Arango, who have 13 goals apiece. Preston Judd has also been a revelation under Arena, and he recently inked a new deal for his troubles. The always dangerous Espinoza continues to be their creative force.

The recent tailspin has left San Jose level on 38 points with Dallas, who have a game in hand. So securing a result in this one is pretty much paramount to the Quakes making the postseason.

Vancouver, meanwhile, certainly has plenty left to play for, as they remain level with San Diego for first in the West and have a theoretical shot at the Supporters’ Shield. You have to think, however, that Jesper Sørensen will be looking to ensure this team is as well-rested as possible heading into the postseason, even if it means taking the foot off the gas slightly down the stretch.

Given that the Whitecaps never really had to push too hard to beat Vancouver FC on Wednesday, I would imagine at least some of the starters will be good to go for Saturday as well, though Andres Cubas, Sebastian Berhalter, and Emmanuel Sabbi all went 90 minutes and could probably do with a rest. Joedrick Pupe was back in full training on Friday, making me think he could at least be an option off the bench to mix things up in the backline. And you have to think Ryan Gauld gets another 15 minutes or so as he builds back to full fitness.

Vancouver has a habit of drawing matches after their Cup Finals — it will be interesting to see what the lineup looks like and how hard Sørensen pushes in this one, given the fixture congestion in recent weeks. Either way, all of Vancouver’s recent matches have been box office entertainment, and I don’t see that trend stopping on Sunday with San Jose’s penchant for scoring and conceding goals.