VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC are back home and host Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City at BC Place at 4 p.m. (Tickets still available.)
KICKOFF: 4 p.m. PT │ TV: TSN1/4 │ RADIO: TSN 1040
Here’s a look at Vancouver’s starting lineup.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.David Ousted; 25.Sheanon Williams, 4.Kendall Waston ©, 26.Tim Parker, 2.Jordan Harvey; 15.Matías Laba; 13.Cristian Techera, 8.Andrew Jacobson, 16.Tony Tchani, 7.Christian Bolaños; 12.Fredy Montero
Substitutes
70.Paolo Tornaghi, 11.Nicolás Mezquida, 17.Marcel de Jong, 20.Brek Shea, 31.Russell Teibert, 67.Alphonso Davies, 77.Mauro Rosales
NOTES:
• Whitecaps FC return to BC Place for their first home match (35 days between home games) after four straight road matches that saw them play in four different time zones and travel 18,108 km (11250 miles)
o Five of the next six matches, including four in MLS play, will be at BC Place, which includes the semifinal of the Canadian Championship against Montreal Impact
• Manager Carl Robinson starts the same XI for the fifth consecutive match – a first in the club’s MLS era
o Prior to April 29 at Montreal, Robinson had used 11 different starting XIs in their first 11 matches of 2017, including CONCACAF Champions League play
o Third straight match with the same seven substitutes; five of the ’Caps 13 goals scored in league play are from substitutes, which equals last year’s total goals by substitutes
• 22 players have started at least one match and an additional four players have also seen first team minutes including both MLS and CCL matches
• Five ’Caps (Ousted, Waston, Parker, Harvey, Laba) have started 10 of the first 11 MLS RS matches and all four CCL matches
• Seven starters have started more than 100 MLS regular season matches (Ousted 124, Williams 179, Harvey 238, Laba 119, Jacobson 164, Tchani 149, Montero 117)
• Seven different birth countries {Argentina, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica (x2), Denmark, United States (x4), Uruguay} are represented in the starters
• 10th game (eight in MLS and two in CCL) Robinson has used the back four of Williams, Waston, Parker, Harvey. WFC are 4-3-0 in MLS play with tonight’s back four
• Eight of the 11 starters are returning players from 2016: Montero, Tchani, and Williams are first year ’Caps players
• Starting XI has an average age of 29 years and one week
• Midfielder Matías Laba is on caution accumulation warming, needs to play five consecutive matches without receiving a card or supplemental discipline to receive the Good Behavior Incentive
PLAYER NOTES:
#1 DAVID OUSTED – AGE: 32 – GREVE, DENMARK
• 134th all-time start for Whitecaps FC, second only to Jordan Harvey, since the club joined MLS in 2011
• Started every match this year outside of March 18 v Toronto due to a red card suspension, which was just the second MLS match Ousted has missed since his MLS debut on August 3, 2013 at Providence Park
• Tonight is Ousted’s 7th match against SKC – 1-4-1 record with a 1.67 goals against and has recorded one shutout
#25 SHEANON WILLIAMS – AGE: 27 – BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
• Started nine of 11 MLS RS matches and both CCL semifinal matches with WFC
• Second on WFC with 52 duels won and 25 tackles, behind only Laba
• Third on the team in crosses with 20
• Making his 179th start and 186th appearance in MLS RS
• Making his 11th appearance, 10th start, against SKC, recorded a game-winning assist against SKC back on October 18, 2014 in Philadelphia
#4 KENDALL WASTON – AGE: 29 – LIMÓN, COSTA RICA
• Worn the captain’s armband and played the full 90 of every match, outside of the MLS opener against Philadelphia on March 5
• Tied for third in MLS with 67 clearances and first with 44 headed clearances
• Tied for Fourth in the league with 11 blocks
• Making his 7th start against SKC – fifth in MLS, also started both CCL matches last year
#26 TIM PARKER – AGE: 24 – HICKSVILLE, NEW YORK
• Youngest player in Robinson’s starting XI
• Played the full 90 of every match to start the season outside of San Jose away on March 11
• 14th in MLS in interceptions with 25, tied for 16th in clearances with 48, and tied for eighth in headed clearances with 29
• Second on the team in touches with 486, passes with 361, and passing accuracy at 80.61%
• Making his 7th start against SKC – fifth in MLS, also started both CCL matches last year
#2 JORDAN HARVEY – AGE: 33 – MISSION VIEJO, CALIFORNIA
• Oldest player in Robinson’s starting XI
• Played the full 90 of every match to start the season outside of an added time substitute against LA on April 1 and the RSL away match on April 8
• 169th start, 182nd appearances in all competitions for WFC, which is 18th all-time in the club (17: Oliver Heald with 186, 16: Paul Dailly 187)
• Making his 13th start against SKC
#15 MATÍAS LABA – AGE: 25 – VILLA RAFFO, ARGENTINA
• 103rd start for WFC in MLS regular season play, just the fourth player to make 100 starts for WFC in MLS RS (Jordan Harvey 151, David Ousted 124, Gershon Koffie 116)
• Played the full 90 of every match to start the season outside of San Jose away on March 11 and the final 12 minutes of RSL away of April 8
• Tied for fifth in MLS in tackles with 37
• Leads WFC in touches (512), passes (382), passing accuracy (80.63%) and duels won (55)
• Making his eighth start against SKC, including one in CCL play last year where he set-up Techera with the ‘Caps third and final goal in the 3-0 win at BC Place on August 23
#13 CRISTIAN TECHERA – AGE: 24 – PAYSANDÚ, URUGUAY
• Tied for the team lead in crosses with 31 and second in chances created with 13
• Makes his 13th appearance and 11th start this year in all competitions
• Started eight of the last nine matches and was a second half sub at RSL
• In MLS play, fifth appearance, fourth start, against SKC, recording one assist last year in the lone MLS meeting at BC Place on April 27 off a corner kick that found Bolaños
• Scored twice against SKC in the 3-0 win at BC Place on August 23 in CCL action
• Turns 25 years old on May 31
#8 ANDREW JACOBSON – AGE: 31 – PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA
• Ninth start of 2017 – seven in MLS, plus two in CCL
• Making his 11th appearance and 10th start against SKC, scoring once on June 22, 2013 in a 2-2 draw at FC Dallas
#16 TONY TCHANI – AGE: 28 – DOUALA, CAMEROON
• Sixth start and eighth appearance for WFC
• Making his 12th appearance and 10th start against SKC, recording an assist and goal in his last two matches – assist on July 3, 2016 with Crew SC losing 3-2 at SKC and goal on August 22, 2015 in a Crew SC 3-2 home win (same game de Jong scored his lone goal for SKC)
#7 CHRISTIAN BOLAÑOS – AGE: 33 – SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA
• Eighth start and 11th appearance of 2017
• Leads the team in chances created with 17 (had six last match) and tied for second in crosses with 31
• Scored his first goal in MLS against SKC, a left-footed volley into the top left corner off a corner kick from Techera
#12 FREDY MONTERO – AGE: 29 – BARRANQUILLA, COLOMBIA
• Started 10 of the last 11 matches for WFC and has seen minutes in all WFC matches outside of the first CCL match at New York
• Scored four goals and one assist in last seven MLS matches
• Scored on four of his five big chance opportunities this season
• Making his eighth start against SKC
• Named the WFC April Player of the Month
Injury List:
• Christian Dean: out – left foot (fifth metatarsal) stress reaction suffered in training on April 25
• David Edgar: out – suffered a PCL and MCL tear, as well as a meniscus tear, in his right knee on December 15, surgery on January 4. Out for the 2017 season
• Erik Hurtado: out – suffered a left foot fracture at the end of the first half against LA Galaxy o April 1
• Bernie Ibini: out – suffered a right hamstring strain during the second half of the Elimination Final against Perth Glory on April 29
• Brett Levis: out – suffered an ACL tear in his right knee during the second half of the 2016 season finale against Portland on October 23, surgery on November 8
• Yordy Reyna: out – suffered left foot (fifth metatarsal) fracture in the second half of the preseason match at Portland on February 15, surgery on February 21
Disciplinary Report
Caution accumulation warning:
• Vancouver’s Matías Laba is on caution accumulation warming, needs to play five consecutive matches without receiving a card or supplemental discipline to receive the Good Behavior Incentive
• Vancouver’s Fredy Montero and Sporting Kansas City’s Ilie Sanchez, Seth Sinovic, and Graham Zusi are two yellow cards away from being suspended for caution accumulation.
*Note that two cautions in the same match, resulting in a red card and automatic one game suspension, only count as one yellow card towards the caution accumulation total
Suspended
none
