On Sunday afternoon, Vancouver Whitecaps welcome Seattle Sounders to BC Place having already secured the top seed in the West, and looking to complete a Cascadia clean sweep.
Ahead of the penultimate round of matches, FC Dallas needed to win both of their remaining games and hope the Whitecaps didn’t pick up more than a point to have any chance of topping the West. They appeared destined to do so after a late penalty was awarded, but Stefan Cleveland saved Petar Musa’s kick deep into injury time. As a result, Vancouver have an unassailable lead atop the Western Conference table, meaning they will claim the conference title, the associated Concacaf Champions Cup spot, and, crucially, home advantage throughout the playoffs until a potential MLS Cup final for the first time ever.
However, that doesn’t leave this Seattle game meaningless. Victory could also be critical for MLS Cup hosting rights, with New England Revolution and Inter Miami also in close competition to finish second in the Supporters’ Shield standings behind Nashville SC.
Turning our attention to the game itself, the two sides have already made plenty of history this season, with Seattle besting Vancouver 5-1 on aggregate when they met in the Concacaf Champions Cup. The Whitecaps then got their revenge in league play with a 2-0 win at Lumen Field to clinch the Cascadia Cup against a Sounders side that had lost eight straight MLS matches at the time. That sequence of results still haunts Seattle, as, despite improving since then, they now find themselves eighth in the Western Conference and only a point inside the playoff places heading into the penultimate round of matches.
A big part of their uptick in form has been the signing of Dejan Joveljic from Sporting Kansas City, with the Sounders putting together a run of four straight wins throughout September and October. However, another winless streak has seen them slide down the table, and they will be desperate for a victory that could seal a playoff berth depending on other results.
The Whitecaps may be tempted to rotate, and it is highly unlikely that influential players like Andres Cubas, Emmanuel Sabbi and Thomas Müller will be risked after missing Wednesday’s 4-1 win over San Diego. Rayan Elloumi is out suspended following his pair of late yellow cards, but Ranko Veselinovic and Ralph Priso may see more minutes as they look to recover from spells on the sidelines.
With those constraints in mind, it’s likely that we see a similar team to the one that started on Wednesday night, with Aleksa Cvetkovic and Oliver Larraz patrolling midfield ahead of a defence that has kept 12 clean sheets this season. There are questions over who starts in attack, with both Yadaly Diaby and Bruno Caicedo in contention for minutes.
Whoever plays, this game will likely have little bearing on Vancouver’s season. However, momentum heading into the playoffs is crucial, and they will be looking to build a winning run ahead of the postseason.
Although rivalry games are always tough to call, especially those with little riding on them, I can see Vancouver producing a statement performance at BC Place to back up their top seed and continue their winning run.