VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC are back at home on Sunday to take on Cascadia rival Portland Timbers. The stakes could not be higher as both clubs sit in playoff positions heading into the second half of the season. Add the Cascadia Cup to the mix, and fans should be in for a cracker of a match at BC Place. Limited tickets are still available: http://ow.ly/kAKr30dPbFb.
KICKOFF: 3:30 p.m. PT | TV: TSN 1/3/4/5 | RADIO: TSN 1040 radio
Here’s everything you need to know about the match.
Neck and neck: Vancouver and Portland are currently fourth and fifth in the Western Conference, respectively, with 27 points apiece. The ‘Caps, however, have three games in hand. A win on Sunday would go a long way in starting to distance themselves from the pack.
Streaking in the summer? After a thrilling 3-2 win over New York City FC before the Gold Cup break and Wednesday’s gutsy 1-0 win at LA Galaxy, the ‘Caps are now gunning for a third straight victory.
Ready for Reyna? Yordy Reyna has now come off the bench in three straight matches – and he’s shown glimpses of his attacking flair in each of them. Is the Peruvian attacking midfielder ready to make his first MLS start? We’re about to find out.
Dangerous Diego: Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri has been a thorn in Vancouver’s side since joining Portland in 2013. The Argentine has four goals and eight assists in 14 appearances against his Cascadia foe. Valeri will be expected to produce again with many teammates away on Gold Cup duty.
Kings of Cascadia: The ‘Caps currently trail Portland and Seattle by one point in this year’s Cascadia Cup standings, but Vancouver has also played one fewer game. Whitecaps FC are the most successful club in Cascadia Cup history with six titles. They’re also the defending champs after defeating Portland 4-1 in last year’s regular season finale to secure the trophy and eliminate the Timbers from playoff contention.
Gold Cup duty: Both teams will be without some key pieces on Sunday due to Gold Cup duty. The ‘Caps will be without towering defender Kendall Waston, while David Guzman, Darren Mattocks, Darlington Nagbe, and Alvas Powell are unavailable for Portland. It is still unclear whether Canadians Sam Adekugbe, Alphonso Davies, Marcel de Jong, and Russell Teibert will be available come Sunday, as Canada fell 2-1 to Jamaica in the quarterfinals on Thursday night.
Bad Boys: In addition to the Gold Cup omissions, the Timbers will be without forwards Fanendo Adi and Victor Arboleda, who were both shown red cards in their 4-1 defeat to Real Salt Lake.
