The rivalry between the Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps dates to 1974, when both were expansion franchises in the long-defunct North American Soccer League.
Saturday night in Vancouver, the Cascadia Cup rivals will meet for the 150th time in all competitions, in a Major League Soccer showdown at BC Place.
The Whitecaps (6-6-7, 25 points), who currently occupy the ninth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, had a four-match unbeaten streak snapped last weekend with a 3-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City.
“The good thing in soccer (is) that there’s always a next game,” Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini said. “And the next game is a home game, a very important game against our rival … so, it’s going to be a nice week in order to bounce back immediately.”
In contrast, the Sounders (9-7-5, 32 points), who are tied for second in the West, snapped a five-match winless drought with a 1-0 victory against 10-man Houston on July 1. Albert Rusnak scored the lone goal in the 67th minute.
The Sounders should get a boost from the return of defender Alex Roldan after a stint with El Salvador’s national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. His brother, midfielder Cristian, and forward Jordan Morris remain away with the U.S. team.
“I think the games that they’ve played were actually very good games,” Alex Roldan said of the Sounders’ play in his absence. “They had solid performances. I think the only thing we were lacking was just the ball in the back of the net. Defensively, we’re continuing to get shutouts, so that’s obviously a very big positive in my eyes just because if we can keep a clean sheet then we’re giving our offense a chance.”
The teams met May 20 in Vancouver, with the Whitecaps winning 2-0 as Pedro Vite tallied in the 44th minute and diving Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei was charged with an own goal in the 58th when a shot ricocheted off the goalpost and off his back. Frei leads MLS with 11 shutouts, two shy of his career high.
The Whitecaps have won two straight over the Sounders for the first time since 2014. They have never won three straight in their MLS era.
–Field Level Media
