After the conclusion of a gruelling 34 game league season, the business end of the campaign starts now. The MLS playoffs begin this weekend, with Vancouver Whitecaps approach starting their quest for MLS Cup against FC Dallas in a tricky first round tie.
The two sides met in the final match of the regular season, and a resilient defensive display allowed Dallas to defeat Vancouver 2-1. This score was enough to set up rematches in a Best-of-3 series, as the Whitecaps fell behind San Diego FC, into second place in the West, while Dallas leapfrogged Portland Timbers into 7th to avoid the wildcard round.
With their second-place finish, the Whitecaps are favourites for this matchup, and they approach the post-season in top form, having lost only once in their final twelve matches. However, with that result being against Dallas, the visitors would be perilous opposition to underestimate, despite Vancouver being the higher seed.
Indeed, after looking out of contention for most of the season, Dallas have produced a scintillating run of form in recent weeks to secure their place in the playoffs. They overcame a dismal start to the year to turn their form around, and they have enjoyed a sequence of results that has seen them only lose once since August. Further, Dallas become even more intimidating opposition for the Whitecaps when you consider that Logan Farrington and strike partner Peter Musa, who has notched 18 MLS goals this season, will be returning to the side after missing out on the Decision Day finale due to suspensions.
With Dallas having their star forward duo returning, it is unfortunate for the Whitecaps that they will be without the vast majority of their defensive unit. Ralph Priso and Belal Halbouni finished the last match following Mathias Laborda’s early red card, and with the Uruguayan suspended, that pair may be forced to resume that role in this game. Alternatively, Joedrick Pupe may make his debut for the club after the Belgian recovered from his injury troubles, while Tristan Blackmon has been training this week as he faces a race to be fit for this match.
In terms of other team news, Brian White has been doing a mixture of individual and team training as he hurries to be available. Meanwhile, Ryan Gauld may finally be fully deployed after the club managed his fitness in regular season games to ensure his availability.
Having watched Jesper Sørensen’s side over the course of the campaign, it has become obvious that this Whitecaps team are incredibly mentally strong, and are capable of overcoming any setback. Although missing out on a first ever first place finish in the Western Conference on the final game of the season was a heartbreaking blow, this side has the makeup to turn it around and produce the result they need when it really matters.
With all that being said, I predict that the Whitecaps will learn from their previous mistakes and defeat FC Dallas in this game, taking a vital lead in the best of three series.
i think that with Dallas getting back their 2 top players, a resilient defense and quick counter and 2 CBs who are the Caps # 4 & 5 picks, i will go with a Dallas win– 2-0
DAMN, I HOPE I AM WRONG
Betting on the ‘caps getting shut out is a bold guess, especially if Gauld is starting. Between him and Müller we could pop up a goal from anywhere.
That said, I suspect we’ll need to score quite a few to make up for whatever they’ll end up scoring.
My final guess would be something like 3-2 Dallas, but hopefully we both end up wrong
I’m not taking winning against Dallas for granted, but the biggest consequence of not winning on Decision Day vs Dallas is that we most likely will have to play against LAFC next.
For that, we’ll need Blackmon to quickly return to form, Laborda to keep his nose clean, and Johnson and Ocampo to be hyper vigilant too, not to mention no more injuries. If we can get any reasonable level of service from Pupe, that would certainly be a bonus!
I’m definitely nervous, but excited as I believe in this group as much as they believe in themselves. Let’s go!!
Totally agree /for once!….If Ryan AND White AND X are fit enough for the bench start them and keep them on until we are 3-0!
If Ryan is truly back in pre-injury form, I really hope Jesper chooses to start him rather than bringing him in near the 60 minute mark. The Whitecaps do much better if they take the lead early on, and having Ryan and Thomas on the pitch at the same time should be what it takes to do that. They need to score early and often. More Caps’ goals means less defensive pressure; not none, just less.
Dallas plays rough and they are aggressive. History has shown they have zero problems taking our guys to the ground.
Another consideration is who is on the pitch in case the game goes to over time followed by penalty kicks. Jesper mentioned in his most recent interview that they have been working on PKs in training. It would really suck to lose because of a missed PK. Even if Blackmon and White aren’t completely ready to play, I’d like to see them on the bench as subs just in case they need to go in for a few final minutes to be available to shoot PKs.
While I haven’t checked which teams the Whitecaps failed to beat, they are capable of beating every team in the playoffs. After listening to many interviews from around the league, I believe some teams still underestimate the Whitecaps, and that will be a costly mistake for them.