It is nearing do-or-die time for the Vancouver Whitecaps, who find themselves nine points behind the Western Conference playoff line when they welcome the Los Angeles Galaxy to BC Place Stadium on Wednesday in the second MLS encounter between these sides this season.
Vancouver have lost their last three fixtures, falling 3-1 to the Colorado Rapids this past weekend, while LA remain below the playoff line, trailing Real Salt Lake for seventh by three points.
Match preview
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There is still some hope in Vancouver to return to the postseason, but with only four matches left to play, those odds are slim, as the Caps have four teams to catch and will have to win at least three of those matches.
Three wins out of four, though, is unlikely to be enough to climb into a postseason position as they have fewer victories than the four teams above them, and they have the worst goal differential of any MLS side this season (minus 21).
Vanni Sartini got the start that he wanted from his players on Saturday with Vancouver taking the lead after nine minutes, but the Caps could not maintain that early momentum as the high altitude in Commerce City seemed to get the best of them as that match wore on.
That was the seventh time in 2022 that this team had failed to win after scoring the opening goal, and all of those points dropped are looming large right now.
In 2021, home field proved to be a massive advantage for the Whitecaps, but so far this year the results at BC Place have been mixed, as Vancouver have won three of their last five domestic encounters played there, conceding three goals in both of those defeats.
A moment of madness from their top goalscorer and a lack of discipline has seen this group struggle to find quality in the final third, having been outscored 8-1 in their previous three matches combined.
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The Galaxy have not hurt their postseason chances much in recent outings, although they have not helped them either, going unbeaten in six consecutive fixtures, drawing four of their previous five games.
Greg Vanney's men had to come from behind late to avoid defeat a lot, equalising with fewer than five minutes remaining in each of their last three encounters, earning three penalties along the way.
They have scored five times this season beyond the 90th minute, while notching numerous more in the final few minutes before stoppage time.
Los Angeles have tallied eight times from the penalty spot this year, but it is a penalty miss in their opening fixture this month which could make the difference between them making or missing the playoffs, as a Panenka penalty from Chicharito cost them two points versus Sporting Kansas City when John Pulskamp easily saved his effort.
Nearing the end of his second season in charge, Vanney is still experimenting with numerous systems, while trying to find the right formula to make this team successful as LA do not appear to have a clear identity.
LA have found the back of the net in seven straight MLS affairs, though they have rarely looked comfortable defensively since the early portion of the year, conceding in eight consecutive regular-season clashes.
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Team News
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Brian White had the only goal for the Caps against Colorado last weekend, his fourth of the campaign, moving him ahead of Tosaint Ricketts for third on the team, while Cody Cropper did not fare well in goal, conceding on three of the five shots that he faced in relief of Thomas Hasal.
Ryan Gauld, who missed the previous match with a yellow card suspension, had a goal the last time they faced LA, with Ricketts tallying the other in a 5-2 defeat, as Cropper and Cristian Dajome both had an assist.
Leading goalscorer Lucas Cavallini will miss two more games because of his violent red card in a 3-0 loss to Nashville SC, Sebastian Berhalter did not feature in Colorado because of a right knee injury, while Deiber Caicedo remains out following his right knee meniscus surgery.
Riqui Puig became only the second Galaxy player to contribute a goal in each of his first four MLS starts, as he scored the equaliser over the weekend in the ninth minute of injury time to give his side a point.
They have scored multiple goals in three of their last four road games, with Chicharito notching three, while Puig and Douglas Costa tallied in a 2-2 draw in Toronto at the end of August.
Jonathan Perez is dealing with a problem in his knee, Jorge Villafana has a left knee injury, while Vanney will be missing two regulars to his backline as Raheem Edwards and Sega Coulibaly will both be suspended after each receiving a caution versus the Boys in Gold.
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Hasal; Blackmon, Veselinovic, Brown; Cubas, Teibert, Raposo, Schopf, Gressel; Gauld; White
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Gasper, Williams, Zavaleta, Araujo; Kljestan, Costa, Delgado; Puiq; Chicharito, Grandsir
We say: Vancouver Whitecaps 2-2 Los Angeles Galaxy
With Cavallini out, LA should have a decided advantage in the attack as they have many more match winners to call upon than the home side.
However, the Galaxy are missing some critical components to their backline, so we expect Vancouver to expose their defensive woes on Wednesday and come away with a point, which in the long run will do little good for either side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
