COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO – Vancouver Whitecaps FC look to extend their winning streak to four against Colorado Rapids at 6 p.m. PT (TSN and TSN 1410 radio). Here are some news and notes on Vancouver’s starting XI.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.David Ousted©; 33.Steven Beitashour, 4.Kendall Waston, 44.Pa-Modou Kah, 2.Jordan Harvey; 28.Gershon Koffie, 20.Deybi Flores; 13.Cristian Techera, 7.Mauro Rosales, 23.Kekuta Manneh; 11.Darren Mattocks
Substitutes
70.Paolo Tornaghi, 9.Nicolás Mezquida, 15.MatÃas Laba, 18.Diego RodrÃguez, 19.Erik Hurtado, 29.Octavio Rivero, 38.Kianz Froese
NOTES:
WFC head coach Carl Robinson makes three changes to his side that defeated New England Revolution 2-1 last Saturday. Centre back Kendall Waston and midfielder Gershon Koffie return to the XI following their one-match suspension for caution accumulation replacing Tim Parker and MatÃas Laba. Striker Darren Mattocks also receives the start upfront as Octavio Rivero makes way.
In 21 matches this year, including the Amway Canadian Championship, Robinson has used 21 different starting XIs – team depth, roster rotation, travel, injuries, international duty, and suspensions.
Robinson’s XI has an average age of 27 years, one month, and 17 days with a good mix of youth and experience. Flores and Manneh are the youngest at 19 and 20 years old, respectively. Five players are 24 or younger, and four players are over 30 years old.
Nine different birth countries (Argentina, Costa Rica, Denmark, The Gambia (twice), Ghana, Honduras, Jamaica, United States (twice), and Uruguay are represented in the starters.
Keeper David Ousted making his 67th consecutive MLS start including playoffs, captains the Vancouver side versus Colorado. The 30-year-old native of Greve, Denmark, is second only to New York Red Bulls keeper Luis Robles (97) in consecutive MLS matches. This season, Ousted is first in MLS in wins (10), tied for second in shutouts (7), and fourth in goals-against average (0.94).
Right back Steven Beitashour makes his 129th start in MLS regular season action. The 28-year-old native of San Jose, California, has started 12 previous matches against Colorado.
Centre back Kendall Waston is making his 29th start, including MLS Cup Playoffs and ACC, for Whitecaps FC. Outside of his suspensions for yellow card accumulation on October 18 at San Jose and on June 27 at New England, as well as the first leg of the ACC against FC Edmonton, the 27-year-old defender has played the full 90 in every match since his first start for WFC on August 30 against Portland. The towering Costa Rican leads the league in clearances with 133 (97 of them are headed clearances, which is also the most in MLS), tied second in aerials won (73), eighth in duels won (107), and tied for 12th in interceptions (55).
The 34-year-old native of Banjul, The Gambia, Pa-Modou Kah will be making his 56th start in MLS. Kah has started all but three MLS regular season matches this season for WFC, which is tied for the third most on the club.
Left back Jordan Harvey makes his 100th MLS regular season start for WFC, second only to Koffie (103). The native of Mission Viejo, California made his WFC debut on July 9, 2011 at Colorado. Tonight is the 31-year-old’s 187th MLS regular season start and his 14th start against the club that drafted him in the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft (57th overall).
Midfielder Gershon Koffie makes his 103rd MLS regular season start today. The 23-year-old native of Koforidua, Ghana, who is a permanent resident of Canada, joined the club in September 2010 and has made 138 first team appearances for WFC.
Midfielder Deybi Flores makes his third MLS start, second consecutive, and sixth appearance. The 19-year-old native of San Antonio Colon, Honduras, recently returned from representing his country at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Winger Cristian Techera, makes his sixth MLS start, fourth consecutive, and 10th appearance on the year. The 23-year-old native of Quebracho, Uruguay, has made the scoresheet in his last two matches with an assist at New York Red Bulls and a goal at New England Revolution.
Mauro Rosales makes his 12th appearance of the season, and 10th start. This will be his fourth start, second consecutive, at the attacking midfielder position - New England last week, Montreal on June 3, and Colorado on May 23. Rosales has recorded one goal and five assists in 10 previous matches against Colorado.
Winger Kekuta Manneh makes his 13th MLS regular season start of the season, equalling last year’s totals and the most in his career. The 20-year-old native of Bakau, The Gambia, has scored in two of his last three matches, at NYRB last Saturday and at LA on June 6. Manneh has one goal in sixth previous matches against the Rapids. The midfielder is fifth in the league in completed dribbles (32).
Striker Darren Mattocks is making his ninth start on the year, including both ACC matches, and second start as the lone striker in Robinson’s 4-2-3-1 formation in MLS regular season action. The 24-year-old native of Portmore, Jamaica, who is making his 50th MLS regular season start, will join his national team in advance of the Gold Cup on Sunday.
ADDITIONAL MATCH NOTES:
After 18 matches in 2015, Whitecaps FC have earned 32 points with a 10-6-2 record, which is six points more than last season where they were 6-4-8 after the same number of matches. Last season, WFC earned their 10th win of the season on October 4.
During the first four seasons in MLS, WFC were 10-36-22 on the road. This season, WFC have the best road record in the league at 6-3-1. WFC's all-time MLS regular season record is 52-57-45 with 187 GF and 198 GA
Be a part of the best sporting atmosphere in Vancouver! Whitecaps FC Season Tickets are now on sale. In addition to Season Tickets, Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including Half-Season Packs, 5-Packs, a Youth Soccer Half-Season Ticket, and single match tickets. For more information, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
