In a matchup between one of the hottest teams in Major League Soccer (MLS) and one of the top teams in the Western Conference, Austin FC will travel to BC Place Stadium on Saturday to battle the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The Caps are third in the Western Conference following a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls, putting them two points above Austin, who have won four of their last five games, defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 last weekend.
Match preview
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After a relatively successful month of April, with Vancouver losing just one of their four MLS encounters, they briefly return home this weekend before embarking on a three-game domestic road trip.
Surprisingly, their home form has been among the weaker aspects of their performances so far in 2024, with the Caps dropping points in three of their five league contests at BC Place.
While all five of their domestic triumphs this year have occurred when drawing first blood, the Whitecaps have also let five points slip away when leading at the interval, including last Saturday at Red Bull Arena.
With 17 points after nine matchdays, Vanni Sartini's men have equalled their best-ever start to a domestic campaign set back in 2012, earning six more points at this stage of the campaign when compared to 2023.
Vancouver are the only team in the league that have found the back of the net in every one of their matches played in MLS this season, and they are tied for the third-most goals scored in the Western Conference (18).
They have a 100% record versus their Saturday opponents at BC Place Stadium, netting multiple times in all three of those home fixtures.
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Seemingly out of the blue, Austin have transformed from a side that looked to be heading down a familiar losing path at the beginning of 2024 to one who have been scraping wins together with some surprisingly sharp defending.
The Verde and Black went winless in their first five matches of the 2024 regular season but have only lost one of their last five encounters since then, while conceding just once in their previous three games.
That has taken some of the heat off their manager, Josh Wolff, though things could be even better, as his side have squandered four points when leading in the second half this year.
So far in 2024, the Verde and Black have only scored in one of their away fixtures, defeating the Houston Dynamo 1-0, while they have not won an MLS encounter outside of Texas since July 2023 (4-1 win over Minnesota United).
Only three of their 14 goals scored over this domestic campaign have come in the opening half, two of which occurred last weekend against the Galaxy.
Austin have only won one domestic encounter versus the Whitecaps (3-0 at home in 2022), and that was the same year they triumphed for the first and only time to date on Canadian soil, defeating CF Montreal 1-0 at Saputo Stadium.
Team News
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Luis Martins was an unused substitute for the Whitecaps last week, having previously suffered a hamstring strain, while Andres Cubas sat out due to yellow card accumulation and is eligible to return on Saturday.
Despite being questionable with a back injury, Fafa Picault played the final 11 minutes of their match with the Red Bulls plus stoppage time, replacing Mathias Laborda, while Giuseppe Bovalina was not registered having only been signed from Adelaide United in the A-League last Tuesday.
Brian White became the all-time leading goalscorer in Whitecaps history across all competitions during the MLS era, netting goal number 44 last week against his former club, and Ryan Raposo has five goal contributions in nine league appearances this season.
Leo Vaisanen was not on the team sheet for Austin versus the Galaxy because of a plantar fascia injury, while Owen Wolff was back in the fold despite an ankle issue, playing over a half hour in the second half.
Last Friday, the club signed left-back Zan Kolmanic to a contract extension through the 2025 campaign with an option for 2026.
Diego Rubio netted his team-leading third of the campaign, which held up as the winner against Los Angeles, with Jader Obrian adding an insurance marker, his second of the year.
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Takaoka; Laborda, Veselinovic, Blackmon; Raposo, Vite, Cubas, Adekugbe; Gauld, White, Picault
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Gallagher, Cascante, Hines-Ike, Kolmanic; Ring, Pereira; Obrian, Driussi, Rigoni; Rubio
We say: Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 Austin FC
Having Cubas back should add some stability to the midfield and enable the Caps to neutralize Austin in transition, as his ability to recuperate balls is among the best in the league, and we believe that will enable the Caps' potent attack to have an edge.
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