When the Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps faceoff at BC Place Saturday afternoon, the two teams will be playing for more than just playoff positioning. This match will also determine who takes home the Cascadia Cup.
If the Sounders win or draw, the Cascadia Cup will be making its way down I-5 to Seattle for the first time since 2011. If the Whitecaps win, it will stay in Vancouver for the third straight year.
For a team that could never beat the Sounders or Portland Timbers, Vancouver has become a much better squad the last two years. Not that they weren’t good before, but for whatever reason, they were not able to beat their two Cascadia Rivals.
So far in 2015, the Whitecaps have been having their best year as an MLS franchise. They currently sit in first place of the Western Conference standings with a record of 15-10-3 (win-loss-tie) on 48 points. They also lead the Supporters’ Shield standings as well. They have a one point lead over FC Dallas, but Dallas has a game in hand over the Whitecaps.
The Sounders have had a roller coaster season. Way back in June, if you can remember that far back, the Sounders were the team to beat. They had their ups and downs like most teams, but they were constantly winning the matches that they played. Then the summer hit. From June 20th until August 22nd, the Sounders went 2-9-0 and went from the top of the standings to almost the complete bottom in just two months. The Sounders have got back on course, but if they want to beat the Whitecaps, they will need to play their best game of the season.
The last time these two teams played in MLS, the Whitecaps thrashed the Sounders 3-0 at CenturyLink Field. They completely outplayed the Sounders all night and were clearly the better team. The two clubs faced off again just four days later in CONCACAF Champions League play and the Sounders were fortunate to leave BC Place with a 1-1 draw.
As always, the key to this match will be the play of the midfield for both clubs as well as the back four of the Sounders. The last few times out, the Sounders midfield has been torn apart and they need to find a way to fix it. The return of Osvaldo Alonso may be just what the doctor ordered for the Sounders.
He returned back on August 30th against the Timbers and played the final 20 minutes of that match. Prior to him entering the match, the Timbers dominated the entire match and Fanendo Adi was able to complete several passes with his midfield. After Alonso entered the match, Adi completed just three more passes. He now has played a full 90 minutes and should be good to go in this match against Vancouver.
The last time Seattle played in Vancouver during MLS play, was way back on May 16th. Chad Barrett scored his first brace in five years to lead the Sounders to their first victory in Vancouver in a long, long time. The Sounders midfield completely dominated that match and will be looking to do the same again.
The biggest question in the match will be how the Sounders back four will play. They just lost new signing Román Torres for the season after he suffered and ACL injury on September 12th against the San Jose Earthquakes. Does Head Coach Sigi Schmid move Captain Brad Evans back to center back where he played 17 games so far? Does he put Zach Scott next to Chad Marshall even though he has been playing with a broken foot for the last few weeks? Time will only tell.
Lastly, will the Sounders be able to stop scoring machine that is known as Pa Modou Kah? The center back scored a brace against the Sounders back on August 1st. He had a one goal in his MLS career prior to that night.
The Sounders and Whitecaps will face off next week in CCL play, so it will be interesting to see what lineup is thrown out for both clubs. It’s safe to say you will see both sides’ best players in this one.