VANCOUVER, BC–Vancouver Whitecaps FC are set to take on Portland Timbers at 7:30 p.m. PT (TSN1, TEAM 1410) at BC Place. Here's everything you need to know about Vancouver's lineup.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC – 4-2-3-1
1.David Ousted; 33.Steven Beitashour, 40.Andy O’Brien, 4.Kendall Waston, 2.Jordan Harvey; 15.Matias Laba, 31.Russell Teibert; 30.Mauro Rosales, 77.Pedro Morales, 23.Kekuta Manneh; 19.Erik Hurtado
Substitutes
70.Paolo Tornaghi, 3.Sam Adekugbe, 7.Sebastián Fernández, 8.Medhi Ballouchy, 11.Darren Mattocks, 27.Ethen Sampson, 29.Nicolás Mezquida
Head coach Carl Robinson makes four changes to his starting XI that played last week at LA Galaxy with Kendall Waston, Matias Laba, Mauro Rosales, and Erik Hurtado in for Johnny Leveron (suspended), Mehdi Ballouchy, Sebastian Fernandez, and Darren Mattocks.
Waston and Rosales will make their first starts and home debuts for Whitecaps FC tonight at BC Place. Last week at LA Galaxy, Waston made his ‘Caps debut in the 79th minute as a striker before moving to his more familiar centre back position following the straight red card to Leveron.
Rosales also made his Whitecaps FC debut last week against LA Galaxy, playing 45 minutes as a second half substitute. Tonight will be Rosales 90th start in MLS and his 109th appearance.
Hurtado, a native of Beaverton, Oregon, returns to the striker position tonight against Portland. His last start up top was back on July 12th against Chivas USA.
Midfielder Gershon Koffie will miss his third straight match with a foot injury.
Fellow central midfielder Laba returns to the starting XI after serving his one-match suspension due to yellow card accumulation. Laba will be making his 39th regular season appearance in MLS and 23rd as a member of Whitecaps FC.
Laba’s central midfield partner Russell Teibert will be making his third consecutive start for the first time since April when he started six straight matches. Teibert, who joined the club in August 2009 when he was 15, is the longest serving player on Whitecaps FC’s roster.
Tonight will be the third time, and first at home, that Laba and Teibert have started at central midfielder position together – previously the two started the June 28 at Colorado and August 16 at Chivas USA matches at CM. The two also played CM together most of the second half and all of extra time in the second leg of the ACC semifinal against Toronto FC on May 14 at BC Place.
Goalkeeper David Ousted will be making his 38th consecutive MLS start with the club, which is the most on the team. Ousted is the only ‘Caps player this year to start and play every minute of MLS regular season action.
Right back Steven Beitashour will be making his 20th start for the ‘Caps tonight and 106th in his MLS regular season career. He is 617 minutes away from 10,000 MLS regular season minutes played.
Centre back Andy O’Brien, who joined the club midway through the 2012 season, will be making his 17th MLS regular season start in 2014, which is one more than last year and his 40th with the club.
Left back Jordan Harvey, who holds the club MLS record by a defender in appearances, starts, minutes played and goals, will be making his 179th MLS regular season appearance tonight. Harvey is 211 minutes away 15,000 MLS regular season minutes played.
Attacking midfielder Pedro Morales, who leads the club with seven goals and nine assists, will be making his 20th MLS regular season start tonight. He need one more assist to break Teibert and Davide Chiumiento’s club record of nine assists in a single MLS regular season.
Kekuta Manneh will be making his 21st appearance this season, passing his total during his rookie campaign of 2013.
Additional info:
Harvey is on caution accumulation warning. He needs to play one more match before one yellow is expunged for good behaviour.
Rosales is also on caution accumulation warning. He needs to play two more matches before one yellow is expunged for good behaviour.
It’s not too late to participate in the best sporting experience in Vancouver. Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including prorated season tickets, 5-packs, student season tickets, and a youth soccer half-season ticket. Single-match tickets start at $22, subject to applicable fees. For more information on all Whitecaps FC ticket options, call 604.669.9283 ext. 2 or visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
