KEY PLAYERS
Attacking
After a couple of great performances where he was Vancouver’s most dangerous player, Camilo Sanvezzo came down to earth against New York. He still had chances to show how much of a weapon he was against Montreal and Portland. The collaboration with Miller and Teibert in the last two games has seen the Brazilian look like a constant threat to score.
After being called out by his coach Mauro Rosales is looking to return to his regular form and be a threat and the main playmaker for the Sounders. The right sided midfielder has burned the Whitecaps in the previous matches with a goal and two assists in four starts against Vancouver. With a lack of scoring depth on the roster currently the Caps should expect the Argentine to slide inside from time to time.
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Defence
With the trade of Rochat, Jordan Harvey becomes the full time starter at left back where he brings more athleticism and pace to the position. Against Seattle he will need to use those attributes to limit the space Rosales gets, which will slow down his ability to whip crosses into the box. Any mistakes by Harvey and the questions of the trade will be sounded immediately by the media and supporters.
No one really expected academy player and MLS rookie DeAndre Yedlin would have started every match but one for the Sounders. The homegrown player has held his own in the defensive third and been a threat going forward which will force the Caps to be wary of getting caught up on the left side of the pitch.
WHO’S ON FORM
There is little doubt that the Whitecaps have missed Kenny Miller while he recovered from his hamstring injury. They have won every game he has started and the Scot has scored three times in four appearances with two of them being game winners. Of players with a minimum 300 minutes of playing time, Miller ranks 2nd in MLS for goals per 90 minutes.
After bringing veteran keeper Hahnemann in from Europe, Michael Gspurning hasn’t given Sigi Schmid a reason to start him. In his last eight starts the Austrian keeper has picked up eight cleansheets which have placed him at third in the MLS. Since the beginning of the season he has only allowed more than one goal in four games which has kept Sounders in most matches.
PROJECTED LINEUP
Vancouver Whitecaps (4-3-3) R to L- Brad Knighton; Lee Young-Pyo, Andy O’Brien, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Jun Marques Davidson, Nigel Reo-Coker, Daigo Kobayashi; Russell Teibert, Kenny Miller, Camilo
Seattle Sounders (4-4-2) Michael Gspurning; DeAndre Yedlin, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Djimi Traore, Leo Gonzalez; Mauro Rosales, Andy Rose, Servando Carrasco, Alex Caskey; Lamar Neagle, Obafemi Martins
2013 RECORD
Vancouver Whitecaps:
4W-4D-4L-16P
7th in Western Conference
Last Match: 2-1 Win at New York Red Bulls
Seattle Sounders:
5W-3D-4L-18P
6th in Eastern Conference
Last Match: 2-0 Win at Chivas USA
OVERVIEW
After going through a week that included major disappointment and surprise elation, Vancouver Whitecaps renew their I-5 rivalry with Seattle Sounders. Their first road win of the season against New York took some of the sting out of the loss to Montreal in the Voyageurs Cup but what would really help would be a win against a Cascadian opponent.
The Caps will return to a more conventional lineup after piecing together a starting eleven this past weekend due to needed rest, injury and suspension. Getting his third straight start in goal Brad Knighton is slowly establishing himself as a number one keeper. In front of him he will have Andy O’Brien and Johnny Leveron continuing their partnership with Lee Young-Pyo returning to the starting eleven and Jordan Harvey assuming the role as the regular left back.
At holding midfield Jun Marques Davidson should start and will welcome back both Nigel Reo-Coker (suspension) and Daigo Kobayashi (injury) to the other two spots. Up top the chemistry of Kenny Miller, Camilo and Russell Teibert seems to be clicking over the last two matches and they have looked dangerous attacking the final third.
It was a slow start for the Sounders this season as they only picked up one point in their first four games which included dropping the opener at home to Montreal. However since then Seattle have shown the form that had them as preseason Western Conference favourites losing only once in their last eight.
Surprisingly as a normally dangerous attacking team, Seattle seems to be winning defensively and they are currently the 3rd best club in MLS in goals against. In the seven of the eight in which they have picked points they have allowed 4 tallies and have had 5 cleansheets.
Despite being on this streak, this may be the most vulnerable the Sounders have been against the Caps due to the high proportion of players missing due injury, international duty or suspension. The Sounders will be missing four players from starting spots in addition to two players who would have been able to replace those starters.
Nowhere on the pitch are missing players more prevalent than at midfield positions where only Mauro Rosales would be considered a first choice. Because of this situation, the Sounders may drop one of their strikers into a deeper position in order to help out and they may play a 4-5-1 instead of their traditional 4-4-2.
The Whitecaps will need to take advantage of this deficiency of their opponents and establish their tempo by controlling the midfield. On paper Sigi Schmid doesn’t have any players that can match with the likes of Nigel Reo-Coker and Daigo Kobayashi.
Other than the central midfield the left side of the pitch for the Caps is the most intriguing of the matchups in the game where Harvey takes over at left back for the traded Rochat. Expect the Caps to cheat a little and slide an extra player into the vicinity of Rosales to negate his crossing and playmaking ability.
Whatever players are missing, the Whitecaps will have to bring their top game in order to beat Seattle in front of 50,000+ supporters. After beating New York with a depleted roster the Caps should have a solid understanding of how hungry depth players can be when it comes proving themselves on the pitch.
The Sounders have built a solid depth with their runs in the U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champion League so the visitors cannot take them lightly and think three points are a given. However a victory could set them up on a solid run for the month of June and will continue to help heal the wounds from last week.
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