VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (4W-1L-0D) are set to take on Columbus Crew (1W-2L-0D) at 7 p.m. PT at BC Place (TSN and TSN 1410 radio).
Here’s the full story on Vancouver’s starting lineup.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.David Ousted; 33.Steven Beitashour, 4.Kendall Waston, 18.Diego Rodríguez, 3.Sam Adekugbe; 15.Matías Laba, 31.Russell Teibert; 9.Nicolás Mezquida, 77.Pedro Morales, 11.Darren Mattocks; 29.Octavio Rivero
Substitutes
70.Paolo Tornaghi, 2.Jordan Harvey, 19.Erik Hurtado, 20.Deybi Flores, 23.Kekuta Manneh, 44.Pa-Modou Kah, 88.Robert Earnshaw
NOTES:
Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson makes two changes to his starting XI with centre back Diego Rodríguez in for Pa-Modou Kah and Darren Mattocks in for Kekuta Manneh on the left wing.
Robinson’s XI will include seven players 24 or under and an average age 25 years, one month, and 23 days. Nine different birth countries are represented in the starters: Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Jamaica, United States, and Uruguay (3).
Goalkeeper David Ousted will be making his 54th consecutive MLS start, including playoffs, with the club. In MLS action, Ousted is second only to New York Red Bulls keeper Luis Robles (84) in consecutive matches. Ousted is first in goalkeeper wins and tied for first in shutouts with three.
Right back Steven Beitashour makes his 120th MLS regular season appearance, including 119 starts.
Centre back Kendall Waston is making his 15th start in MLS regular season play. This season, the “Big Man” is tied for fourth in aerials won (20), fourth in clearances (42), and tied for second in headed clearances (30). Outside of his suspension for yellow card accumulation on October 18 at San Jose, Waston has played the full 90 in every match since his first start for WFC on August 30 against Portland.
Rodríguez makes his second start for Whitecaps FC and first at home. His first start was a 1-0 win over Orlando City SC. The 24-year-old Uruguayan started 20 of 21 appearances with Juventud the last two seasons of the Uruguayan Primera Division. Rodríguez was also teammates with captain Pedro Morales at Malaga CF of the Spanish La Liga during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
Left back Sam Adekugbe makes his career-high fifth consecutive and seventh professional start tonight. Last season, the 20-year-old Calgary, Alberta resident started one of his four appearances.
Central midfielder Matías Laba is making his 53rd MLS regular season start tonight, his 37th with Whitecaps FC. Laba is currently second in the league with 20 tackles in five matches.
Laba’s partner in the middle, Russell Teibert, will be making his 51st MLS regular season start tonight – all with Vancouver. The homegrown Canadian is fourth in MLS with an 88.33 per cent passing accuracy (among players who have played at least three games).
Midfielder Nicolás Mezquida will be making his eighth MLS regular season start and fourth in a row. Last week, Mezquida was named Budweiser Man of the Match after creating a game-high three chances and helping set up Octavio Rivero’s goal. Mezquida and Rivero played together with Uruguay at the U-17 level in 2009.
Attacking midfielder Pedro Morales will be making his 34th MLS regular season start for WFC. Morales has recorded game-winning assists in three straight matches. He’s one assist back of the league leader.
Winger/striker Darren Mattocks is making his first start of 2015 and 44th in MLS regular season action. The Jamaican international recently returned from national team duty where he scored in both victories – 2-1 over Venezuela and 3-0 over Cuba.
MLS Player of the Month for March Octavio Rivero continued his fine form with a goal last Saturday against LA Galaxy. The 23-year-old leads MLS in goals (4), is tied for the most game-winning goals (2) and shots on goal (9), and is tied for second in total shots (17)
Check out the Crew's starting lineup below.
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.
