A pair of Pacific Northwest rivals will face off for the first time in the 2022 Major League Soccer season as the Seattle Sounders host the Vancouver Whitecaps at Lumen Field on Tuesday.
It will be the second instalment of the Cascadia Cup this year, as both sides are within striking distance of the playoffs, with the Caps and Rave Green currently trailing the Houston Dynamo for that final position by one and two points, respectively.
Match preview
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After 12 matches in league play, we have yet to see the best from the Seattle Sounders, who are off to their worst start to a regular season since 2018, collecting a mere 16 points thus far.
Their triumph at the CONCACAF Champions League forced manager Brian Schmetzer to have to juggle his lineup and change formations, though they seem to be improving with each game.
The MLS campaign is the only competition left for them to compete in this year, and with games in hand on every team in the league, plus another four matches at home this month, it is a big opportunity for the Rave Green to regain control of the Western Conference.
Seattle have already conceded 16 goals this year, nearly half of their total from the 2021 regular season (33), although only five of those tallies have come at Lumen Field.
Even though they have not always played as well as expected to this point of the domestic campaign, the return of numerous vital figures has made a big difference.
Raul Ruidiaz has scored the winner in their last two victories after missing their first four games of the regular season, which has dramatically changed the Sounders' fortunes.
Among the many things that make them a challenging side to face is their ability to make intelligent tactical shifts, while releasing their wide players into space, often creating numerical advantages.
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It has rarely looked pretty, but Vanni Sartini will not care as his Whitecaps have dug themselves out of the Western Conference basement, winning three of their last four MLS affairs.
Vancouver have never qualified for the postseason in consecutive campaigns since 2014 and 2015, though their current run of points has them contending for another playoff spot this year after being well off that pace through the early going.
Their last three winning goals have come from the penalty spot, two of which were in the dying moments of a match, including at the beginning of this month when they defeated Real Salt Lake (2-1).
Sartini can be happy with his team's results lately, but he has not been pleased with how much his players have struggled to win duels in the middle of the field, as those struggles have put their defence under enormous pressure on several occasions.
That pressure has often been too much for their backline to handle, with the Caps conceding 24 goals this year, allowing multiple strikes in all but one of their road encounters.
They have fared well against some of the top sides in the league, defeating Dallas and RSL (2-1) while also drawing New York City FC (0-0).
That being said, Vancouver do not have an excellent track record in Seattle, without a victory in their last six visits to the Emerald City, with their last triumph coming in 2016 (2-1).
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Team News
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Jordan Morris and Ruidiaz are tied for the lead in goals for Seattle, having each tallied three times in this domestic campaign, while Fredy Montero has found the back of the net on nine occasions in the Cascadia Cup for both the Sounders and his former club the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Alex Roldan picked up his third assist of the season in their previous encounter, moving him into a tie with Nicolas Lodeiro for the team lead as the two of them replaced Kelyn Rowe and Jackson Ragen in the starting 11 versus Charlotte FC.
Joao Paulo remains out of the lineup due to an ACL tear, while Cristian Roldan has two goals and two assists so far in 2022.
Caps leading goalscorer Lucas Cavallini scored his 17th international goal for Canada last week, helping them win 4-0 over Curacao at the CONCACAF Nations League.
With that strike, he is now tied with his Vancouver teammate Tosaint Ricketts for fifth in all-time goals for the national team as he looks to earn a spot on the World Cup squad in November.
Ranko Veselinovic and Ryan Gauld both scored in their previous victory versus Claret and Cobalt, while Gauld was the hero the last time his team faced Seattle, firing home a first-half equaliser to help his side earn a playoff berth, drawing The Rave Green 1-1 at BC Place Stadium.
Their big signing Andres Cubas could make his debut for Vancouver on Tuesday after transferring from Nimes in Ligue 2, while several Caps players are still injured, including Cristian Dajome (right hamstring strain), Thomas Hasal (left hand) and captain Russell Teibert (right eye).
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; A. Roldan, Andrade, Arreaga, Tolo; Rowe, Rusnak; C. Roldan, Montero, Morris; Ruidiaz
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Cropper; Godoy, Veselinovic, Nerwinski, Blackmon; Raposo, Berhalter, Owusu; Gauld; White, Caicedo
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
The Whitecaps have not won consecutive regular-season road games since 2018 and have failed to create much away from home despite winning their previous match as the visitors, 1-0 over Sporting Kansas City.
On the other side, Seattle are starting to find more of a rhythm and even though they have been a little inconsistent of late, their attacking quality should be able to carry them through in this one if need be.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
