The Seattle Sounders are visiting the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday in a crucial Western Conference rivalry match. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:08 p.m. PT at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on FOX 13+ and Prime Video.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR FM and El Rey 1360AM.
2022 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 12-15-3 (39 points, 9th West), Whitecaps: 10-14-7 (37 points, 11th West)
FORM GUIDE (all competitions, most recent first): Seattle: WWLLD, Vancouver: WLLLD
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders thrashed their Cascadia rivals 4-0 at Lumen Field on June 14. Nicolás Lodeiro opened the scoring on a fifth-minute penalty before Raúl Ruidíaz put the match out of reach with a brace, scoring in the 28th and 54th minutes. Alex Roldan iced the game in the 89th minute with his first goal of the year.
SOUNDERS GAINING STEAM: The Sounders have found some of their early-season momentum that carried them to the Concacaf Champions League title. The central midfield partnership of Danny Leyva and Josh Atencio has worked wonders, as Seattle has rattled off back-to-back wins and outscored its opponents 5-1 over the last 180 minutes.
THREE IN A ROW?: To the previous point, a win this weekend would be the third straight for the Sounders, something they’ve yet to do all year in league play. Seattle has achieved a three-game winning streak in each of its first 13 MLS seasons.
SEATTLE’S STREAK: The Sounders are unbeaten against the Whitecaps in their last 15 meetings (10-0-5), including the postseason, dating back to 2017. This run is the second-longest by one team against another in MLS history, behind only the New England Revolution’s 16-match unbeaten streak against the New York Red Bulls from 2005-10.
BIG-GAME RAÚL: Ruidíaz is coming off a brace last weekend and will play against one of his favorite teams in MLS this weekend. The Peruvian forward has eight goals in eight matches against Vancouver, and only Chris Wondolowski (14) and Maxi Urruti (nine) have scored more against the ‘Caps.
HUGE RESULT: The Whitecaps are coming off a 3-0 home win over the LA Galaxy on Wednesday, a favorable result for the Sounders as they chase the Galaxy for a playoff spot. Vancouver’s three-goal performance was just the second time all year that the club recorded three goals in a game.
CAVALLINI SUSPENDED: Vancouver will be without star forward Lucas Cavallini on Saturday, as he will serve the fourth of his four-match suspension for violent conduct against Nashville SC on Aug. 27. The Canadian international has eight goals and two assists in just under 1,500 minutes this season.
LOWLY GOAL DIFFERENTIAL: The Whitecaps enter this weekend with a -18 goal differential, tied for the worst in the Western Conference with the already eliminated San Jose Earthquakes. Only the current Wooden Spoon-leaders D.C. United (-30) have a worse mark this season.
