The Vancouver Whitecaps hope to maintain their momentum following a 5-0 thrashing of the San Jose Earthquakes in the knockout round when they host the Seattle Sounders on Sunday in the first leg of their MLS Western Conference semifinal.
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Substitute Nicolas Mezquida scored twice in the knockout round match, with Cristian Techera striking a picture-perfect free kick as the Whitecaps put on a show at BC Place.
Now in the conference semis, the Whitecaps face a familiar foe.
| Game | Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle Sounders |
| Date | Sunday, October 29 |
| Time | 5:30 PM PT / 8:30 PM ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
In Canada, the match will be available to watch live in English on TSN 1 & 4. It will also be broadcast in French on TVA Sports.
| Canada TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| TSN 1 & 4, TVA Sports | TSN Go |
In the U.S., the match be available to watch live on ESPN
| U.S. TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ESPN | Watch ESPN |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Vancouver Whitecaps players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ousted, Marinovic, Richey |
| Defenders | Harvey, Waston, Edgar, Seiler, De Jong, Maund, Williams, Parker, Nerwinski, Levis |
| Midfielders | Bolanos, Jacobson, Mezquida, Techera, Laba, Tchani, Shea, Teibert, Bustos, Igiebor, Ghazal, Davies, Rosales |
| Forwards | Montero, Hurtado, Ibini, Reyna, Greig |
Stefan Marinovic seems to be the man between the posts for Carl Robinson going forward.
David Edgar and Matias Laba are long-term absentees.
Potential starting XI: Marinovic; De Jong, Parker, Waston, Nerwinski; Tchani, Ghazal; Bolanos, Reyna, Techera; Montero
| Position | Seattle Sounders players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Miller, Frei, Meredith |
| Defenders | Evans, Nouhou, Marshall, Alfaro, Leerdam, Torres, Jones, Fisher |
| Midfielders | Svensson, Alonso, Roldan, Rodriguez, Lodeiro, Kovar, Mallace, Shipp, Delem, Wingo, Mathers |
| Forwards | Dempsey, Adekoya, Morris, Bruin, Neagle |
Clint Dempsey was red-carded in Seattle's final regular season game and will miss the match.
Osvaldo Alonso returned to training and is probable to play. Gustav Svensson, Victor Rodriguez and Jordan Morris are all doubtful.
Potential starting XI: Frei; Nouhou, Marshall, Torres, Leerdam; Alonso, Roldan; Jones, Lodeiro, Shipp; Bruin
GAME PREVIEW
It's a Cascadia clash in the playoffs, and that usually means fireworks.
The Vancouver Whitecaps missed out on first place in the Western Conference and a knockout round bye thanks to a disappointing loss in Portland on the final day of the regular season, but on Wednesday they were able to take their frustrations out on a hapless San Jose Earthquakes side.
A 5-0 win for the Whitecaps in that game definitely gives them momentum heading into a two-legged series against their nearest rivals, especially as the Seattle Sounders will be missing at least a few key pieces for the first leg. With fiery attacker Clint Dempsey getting himself into disciplinary problems again, the onus falls to Nicolas Lodeiro and Will Bruin to bolster the Seattle offence at BC Place.
Sounders captain Osvaldo Alonso appears ready to return to the field after a month-long absence, but he'll need to shake off the rust quickly.
As for Vancouver, head coach Carl Robinson seems to have finally found his best squad. More importantly, the players have rediscovered their form after a troublesome final few weeks of the regular season.
Kendall Waston has been flying high since leading Costa Rica into the World Cup, and the rest of the side has been feeding off his infectious attitude. Fredy Montero finally broke his playoff duck with the first goal against the Earthquakes, while several others looked to be up for it in the one-off elimination game.
While the Sounders are a massive step up from the Earthquakes, Vancouver's players can take heart in knowing that they can reach another level when the games become more important.