Fresh off a 3-0 victory over USL Championship side Real Monarchs, Whitecaps FC will finish off Week 6 of 2021 Training Camp, presented by Enerex, with a trip to Illinois to take on Chicago Fire and Indy Eleven in a preseason doubleheader on Saturday.
The first match, kicking off at 9:30 a.m. PT, will be the regulation 90-minute length, and the noon match will be two 30-minute halves due to player availability and health.
Both matches will be streamed live across most of British Columbia, as well as in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta on whitecapsfc.com.
POSITIVE SHOWING
Thanks to goals from Lucas Cavallini, Cristian Dajome, and Erik Godoy, the ‘Caps captured their first win since their temporary relocation to Utah, as they continue building momentum towards their MLS regular season opener on April 18.
“For our first game back, getting used to altitude, getting used to a new environment, I thought there was a lot of positive things”, said head coach Marc Dos Santos. “The mindset of the guys is great. I think in the first half we created a lot of chances, we had a good attitude about the game, we went at them.”
The ‘Caps fielded a strong lineup to start the match but MDS could be rotating things around for the two games on Saturday.
“We will have a team that will play Chicago and another team that will play Indy, one of those teams is going to be younger and less experienced team but a team that could gain a lot of experience from a game like that”, said Dos Santos.
One thing that won’t be changing over the course of the two matches is the system the ‘Caps utilize.
“We have a way that we want to play and we’re sticking to this way”, explained Dos Santos. “The only way you develop a culture and a model is that you’re very consistent with that way of playing so that’s not going to change, you will see the same system and the same model in both games.”
STATUS UPDATES
The ‘Caps are set to have most of Tuesday's roster available for Saturday’s doubleheader, with 25 players making the trip to the Midwest.
Erik Godoy, Tosaint Ricketts, and Derek Cornelius are staying behind in Utah - Godoy for precautionary reasons, while the Canadian international duo will be busy with their rehab.
Offseason acquisitions Caio Alexandre, David Egbo, and Bruno Gaspar are arriving over the weekend, while Ali Adnan remains in Vancouver sorting out his travel documents and training with 'Caps U-23 coach Vanni Sartini.
“For Caio, David, and Bruno, they will need to do their quarantine before playing,” said Dos Santos. “As for Ali, he’s still in the process of waiting for the answer for his visa.”
PUT OUT THE FIRE
Going into Saturday’s match, the Fire are undefeated in preseason after a 2-2 draw against Orlando City SC on April 3 and a 2-0 win over Forward Madison FC this past Wednesday.
One player to watch out for on the Fire is midfielder Luka Stojanovic.
The Serbian spent the majority of last season on the sidelines with an MCL injury but has looked sharp in preseason with one goal and one assist to his name.
The ‘Caps beat the Fire 2-0 in their last meeting back on July 23 in their final group match of the MLS is Back Tournament and are 6-2-3 (W-L-D) against the Eastern Conference side all-time in league play.
INDY, ‘CAPS CONNECTIONS
Long-time ‘Caps fans will recognize a couple of familiar faces once the Blue and White line up against Indy Eleven on Saturday afternoon in midfielder Gershon Koffie and head coach Martin Rennie.
Koffie, who ranks fourth all-time in MLS appearances for the ‘Caps (137 including playoffs), started the very first MLS match for the ‘Caps at Empire Field against Toronto FC and scored nine goals in MLS during this time with the club.
As for Rennie, the Scotsman led the ‘Caps to their first MLS postseason berth back in 2012. Among his players on the roster is midfielder Aboubacar Sissoko, who was in Vancouver as a trialist during the 2020 preseason.
On the opposing bench, 'Caps assistant coach Phil Dos Santos held a similar role with Indy Eleven during the 2018 season, prior to his move to Vancouver.
