The hottest team in Major League Soccer can extend their unbeaten run to 10 consecutive games as Dallas head to BC Place Stadium on Wednesday in search of their first victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps since 2018.
Vancouver are unbeaten in their previous three matches in all competitions, drawing the San Jose Earthquakes 3-3 on Saturday, while the Toros scored three times in the opening 20 minutes to overpower the Los Angeles Galaxy, 3-1.
Match preview
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While still at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, Vanni Sartini has seen his squad show signs of life for the first time all season, with four points in their previous two domestic affairs.
In an end-to-end second half this past weekend, the Whitecaps traded blows with the Quakes, falling behind twice in the final 20 minutes, but finding an answer each time and nearly winning it at the end as a last-second effort glanced off the woodwork.
That game illuminated the good and bad of their domestic form this year, as they took advantage of all the space provided to them in midfield, though they also allowed plenty of room to the Goonies in between the lines.
Sartini will want to see the same kind of organised pressure from his team which he saw in the final 45 minutes on Saturday, as they were lethal in transition, scoring three goals in a regular-season game for the first time since October 2021.
Their best defensive showings this season have been indoors at BC Place, where the Caps have collected four clean sheets in six matches played in all competitions.
Vancouver have the luxury of knowing that they have played the second-fewest games among Western Conference sides (10), so there is still time to make up ground.
It was around this point a year ago that their fortunes changed, as they only suffered three regular-season defeats beyond week 10 of the 2021 campaign.
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It has not taken Dallas long to adapt and thrive under their new manager Nico Estevez, who at the moment is pushing all the right buttons in the Lone Star State.
Coming into this season, the departure of Ricardo Pepi left many question marks about how this team might play in a false nine set-up, but they have all but answered their critics in the opening 11 matches, scoring the third-most goals in the Western Conference (19).
Selling Pepi could prove to be the smartest thing this club have done in quite some time, as they were able to use that money to purchase some key contributors this year, while Pepi is going through a miserable spell himself in Germany.
Their newcomers have transformed this franchise from a one-dimensional team in 2021 to one of the deepest offensive units, as eight different players have tallied for them this year.
In 2022, we have seen a Dallas side who are extremely easy on the eye, with much more fluidity in their ball movements while also showing a lot more responsibility on the back end, conceding the fewest goals in the league (eight).
Estevez was pleased with their performance on Saturday, as we saw a couple of things which have rarely been evident so far this year, with the Toros tallying in the opening half for the first time since April 9 and winning on the road for the first time all season.
That performance against a stingy Galaxy squad was also encouraging for a team who have struggled in the final third away from home, going goalless in three MLS road matches this season.
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Team News
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Lucas Cavallini was outstanding for the Caps in their draw versus the Quakes, scoring the opening goal, while having a number of other scoring opportunities, nearly winning the match in the dying moments as his effort beat JT Marcinkowski but not the post.
He is tied for the team lead in goals with Ryan Raposo, who scored his second of the year last weekend, while Erik Godoy notched his first of the campaign off a corner kick to give his side a point and Deiber Caicedo moved into the team lead for assists, collecting his second of the year.
Cody Cropper replaced Thomas Hasal in goal with the young Canadian suffering a hand injury in the victory over Toronto, while several players are still not 100% fit, including Caio Alexandre (left foot, fifth metatarsal surgery), Tristan Blackmon (right knee sprain), Cristian Gutierrez (left calf tightness) and Leonard Owusu (right foot contusion).
Newcomer Luis Martins was available to play for the first time since joining Vancouver in a trade with Sporting Kansas City, though he sat on the bench for the full 90 minutes against the Quakes.
The club is still sorting out the visa situation of midfielder Andres Cubas, who signed with them in late April for a reported $3m (£2.5m) from Nimes Olympique in Ligue 2.
Dallas forward Jesus Ferreira leads the league in goals this season (nine), notching a brace against the Galaxy, while Paul Arriola contributed his third of the year for his new team, Jader Obrian and Paxton Pomykal each picked up their first assists of the season and Marco Farfan notched his second helper, moving him one back of Brandon Servania for the team lead.
In their previous visit to BC Place, Franco Jara had an opportunity to earn his side a point only to have his penalty in the game's dying moments saved by former Caps goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau as The Toros fell 1-0.
Home-grown midfielder Thomas Roberts has not been included on the team sheet since returning to Dallas earlier this month when his loan move to SK Austria Klagenfurt was mutually terminated.
Jimmy Maurer has started the last two games between the sticks, conceding four goals in their defeat at the U.S. Open Cup to Sporting KC (4-2) and one versus LA in relief of Maarten Paes.
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Cropper; Brown, Godoy, Jungwirth, Martins; Teibert, Berhalter; Dajome; Caicedo, Cavallini, White
Dallas possible starting lineup:
Maurer; Farfan, Tafari, Hedges, Twumasi; Schon, Servania, Pomykal; Jara, Ferreira, Arriola
We say: Vancouver Whitecaps 1-3 Dallas
Despite a dynamic offensive outburst for the Caps last weekend, they are unlikely to see as much wide-open space against Dallas, who are a lot sharper when it comes to closing you down.
Vancouver have taken baby steps in the right direction in recent weeks, but they still have not shown an ability to limit the time and space of their opponents in the middle of the field, which the Toros should be able to take advantage of.
For additional data used by our team to analyse our suggested result please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
