The Vancouver Whitecaps can win their first away game of the MLS campaign on Wednesday when they head to Toyota Stadium in Frisco for a date with Dallas.
Four points currently separate these two sides in the Western Conference table following a 1-0 victory by the Toros over Austin FC last Saturday, while the Caps were handed a 3-1 defeat versus the Portland Timbers.
Match preview
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Over the past couple of games, we are beginning to see the real identity of this Toros' team under Nico Estevez, showing a resolute defensive shape and posting consecutive domestic clean sheets.
That stingy backline has enabled them to move up to fourth in the Western Conference, four points behind the leaders, the Seattle Sounders.
It is a good thing they have a backline so well organised because their attack has been nearly invisible in the early stages of their games, with nine of their 13 goals this season coming in the second half, and the previous three occurring beyond the 75th minute.
Estevez's focus since becoming the manager at the beginning of 2022 has always been on quality rather than quantity, with his side firing four efforts or fewer on target in all but two of their domestic encounters this season.
While they continue to rely heavily on their number 10 striker to put the ball in the back of the net, this team's success still rests on its ability to smother their opponents with pressure and take them out of any sort of rhythm.
Following an opening day loss to Minnesota United, they have turned things around at home, unbeaten in their last four matches played at Toyota Stadium, two shy of their longest point streak in Frisco from a year ago.
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A shaky opening 20 minutes for Vancouver against their Cascadia rivals proved costly as they had an eight-match unbeaten run in this competition fall by the wayside at Providence Park.
While they have picked up a few points when conceding first, this is not a great team when chasing a match, without a victory in their last nine league fixtures in which they were trailing in the second half.
So far in 2023, the Caps have earned three points in five road contests despite scoring first on two occasions, though they collected a clean sheet in their previous MLS away fixture at Austin FC (0-0), the first time they did not concede in a league game as the visitors since blanking Dallas 2-0 last June.
The Caps are unbeaten in their last six regular-season encounters against Texas-based teams and have not lost at Toyota Stadium since 2016.
The direct, transitional approach employed by Vanni Sartini has Vancouver third in MLS for expected goals, according to FBref, right up there with some of the top teams in the league, like the Seattle Sounders, FC Cincinnati and Los Angeles FC.
Although they have not always been able to close out their games, squandering six points when leading at the half this season, the Whitecaps have put themselves in a much more favourable position when it comes to the playoff picture, currently holding down a wildcard position with 14 points, their highest total to this stage of a league campaign since 2018 (14).
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Team News
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Jesus Jimenez could miss this match for the Toros because of a broken hand, Paul Arriola was on the bench to begin their previous encounter with a precautionary adductor before entering as a substitute, Nkosi Tafari has a calf strain and Tarik Scott is out for the season after undergoing ACL and LCL surgery near the end of February.
Maarten Paes has back-to-back clean sheets, having only faced one shot from the Verde and Black last weekend, while Jesus Ferreira scored a minute before injury time, his fifth career goal against Austin.
The last time they battled the Caps, both strikes came from the Toros, including a fifth-minute header by Sebastien Ibeagha, while an own-goal 19 minutes later from Arriola levelled a match which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Brian White, who is tied with Simon Becher for the team lead in goals this season for the Whitecaps (four), was sidelined from their weekend fixture at Portland because of a left quad contusion, Max Anchor sat out with a left shoulder sprain, while Sergio Cordova was back on the field for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury on March 18 in a 1-1 draw versus the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Ryan Gauld ranks third in MLS regarding key passes (26), while Yohei Takaoka is tied for fourth in the league with four clean sheets.
In their previous visit to Toyota Stadium in 2022, the Caps got goals from Deiber Caicedo and former striker Lucas Cavallini with ex-keeper Cody Cropper collecting a shutout in a 2-0 victory.
Dallas possible starting lineup:
Paes; Twumasi, Ibeagha, Tafari, Farfan; Lletget, Quignon, Pomykal; Obrian, Ferreira, Arriola
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Takaoka; Brown, Veselinovic, Blackmon, Martins; Gressel, Cubas, Ahmed; Gauld; Cordova, Becher
We say: Dallas 0-1 Vancouver Whitecaps
If there is an MLS venue that the Whitecaps are comfortable playing in, outside of BC Place, Toyota Stadium seems to be it, and we believe their outstanding goalkeeping could steal them a road game on Wednesday.
How to watch
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Joel Lefevre
