Things just never seem to get all that easy for the Whitecaps. In addition <a href="http://www.whitecapsfc.com/node/3382">to facing</a> the New England Revolution Wednesday night (7 p.m. Pacific, TSN/Team 1410) on short rest, they'll be doing so with <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1469-Midweek-Game.-Injury-Crunch.-Are-the-Whitecaps-Set-Up-for-a-Fall">a still-massive list of injuries</a>. The team <a href="http://www.eightysixforever.com/2011/4/5/2093092/whitecaps-midweek-games-in-2010-what-do-we-learn">did reasonably well</a> in midweek games last season in Division II, and that certainly should carry some correlation to this year considering that coach Teitur Thordarson is still running things (and will likely keep his players pretty focused). However, this definitely doesn't look like a great situation for the team.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
It's worth pointing out that the list of walking wounded actually may not be quite as bad <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1457-Whitecaps-Kansas-City-Preview-Which-team-will-we-see">as it was</a> before the Kansas City game (which <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1459">ended reasonably well</a> for Vancouver considering their personnel limitations and how poorly they started), but it's still significant, particularly on defence. The Whitecaps are likely to be without centre backs Greg Janicki (hurt <a href="http://www.theprovince.com/sports/soccer/Janicki+takes+some+blame+after+trying+play+hurt/4550515/story.html">midway through Saturday's game</a>) and Jay DeMerit (still recovering from the groin injury he sustained with the American national team), and those might be the starters you'd want if everyone was healthy (DeMerit for sure, Janicki's in the conversation). However, that's an area where they do actually have some depth; the likely starters would seem to be the talented-if-raw Michael Boxall and the proven Alain Rochat (who may actually be better outside, but has shown himself quite capable in the middle), and that's a backline that doesn't look all that bad. (The Whitecaps' defence <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/soccer/Attack+minded+Whitecaps+look+tighten+defensively/4564710/story.html#Comments">hasn't been as impressive on the field</a> as it is on paper so far, though.) Kevin Harmse could also potentially slot in centrally if Thordarson wants to leave Rochat outside.
It's also notable that the striking options appear to have gone from an area of weakness to a potential strength in just a few days. Atiba Harris had perhaps his most impressive game in a Vancouver uniform Saturday, and new acquisition Camilo only picked up two goals, one assist and <a href="http://fulltimethesoccershow.blogspot.com/2011/04/whitecaps-fc-striker-camilo-named-mls.html">a MLS player of the week</a> selection for his crucial role in Saturday's comeback. The Whitecaps get designated player and opening-match hero Eric Hassli back from suspension, so almost overnight, they've changed the debate from "should they opt for a 4-5-1?" to "which two guys will start up front?" As Ben <a href="http://www.eightysixforever.com/2011/4/4/2089981/vancouvers-good-kind-of-striker-dilemma-who-do-we-play">pointed out</a>, that's a nice problem to have. (For the record, I'd opt for Camilo and Hassli, with Harris available off the bench. All three should get significant playing time as the season progresses, though, and they may eventually be joined by the likes of Long Tan and top draft pick Omar Salgado.)
The midfield is a little thinner, though, particularly on the wings. Terry Dunfield and Gershon Koffie should be available to start in the middle again, but Blake Wagner may have to drop back to a wingback slot if Rochat moves to central defence again, Russell Teibert is still away on international duty, and Davide Chuimiento doesn't seem completely recovered despite his critical role in Saturday's comeback, so he may be better-suited to appear as a substitute. Wes Knight could start again, but he was more solid than spectacular against Kansas City, and Nizar Khalfan <a href="http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/backofthenet/archive/2011/04/03/what-we-learned-04-04-11.aspx">has looked better coming off the bench</a>.Philippe Davies is available, but he <a href="http://www.eightysixforever.com/2011/3/30/2081726/has-anybody-seen-my-baby-midfielder-where-is-philippe-davies">hasn't seen any MLS action</a> for Vancouver yet, so it would seem unlikely that he's a starting option. That probably means Knight and Khalfan will take the field first for Vancouver, which isn't an awful pairing, but that's likely not the two you'd choose with a completely-available lineup.
As for the opposition, they're an interesting lot. New England's lineup isn't all that highly-regarded by many (they stumbled to a 1-1 draw at home against Portland last week, and Ben <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1469-Midweek-Game.-Injury-Crunch.-Are-the-Whitecaps-Set-Up-for-a-Fall">calls them</a> "not a great team," which is probably fair). However, they're off to a pretty successful start from a statistical point of view; they're <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings">second in the Eastern Conference</a> with a 1-0-2 record, and they've gone undefeated through their first three games <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter-preview/vancouver-look-continue-momentum-vs-revs">for only the third time in club history</a>. They do have some notable players too, including keeper Matt Reis (who may or may not be available Wednesday thanks to injury) and midfielder Shalrie Joseph. They're probably not the stiffest test Vancouver will face this year, but they aren't going to be an easy side to beat. It's also going to be interesting to see what the crowd's like for a Wednesday night fixture, how the Whitecaps perform under the lights and how the Revolution adapt to <a href="http://www.theprovince.com/sports/soccer/Whitecaps+victims+point+Empire+turf+Vancouver+says+about+fitness/4564933/story.html">the turf</a>. Regardless of if the game's good or not, though, it's still worth three points in the standings, so it's imperative for the Whitecaps to at least put up a good effort here. The matchup doesn't set up perfectly for Vancouver thanks to a short week of rest and roster limitations due to injuries and international duty , but it should lead to an interesting game.