Riding a five-match unbeaten run across all competitions, the Vancouver Whitecaps begin a three-game MLS homestand on Wednesday when they host Sporting Kansas City at BC Place Stadium.
A 4-1 victory over St Louis City on Saturday lifted the Caps into sixth in the Western Conference, while KC are 12th following a 2-1 triumph versus the San Jose Earthquakes.
Match preview
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In a season full of ups and downs in Vancouver, the Canadian side have begun to build a little momentum, currently on their longest domestic unbeaten run of the year (four matches).
Their win over St Louis gave them 21 points away from home, three more than they had in the previous campaign, while they enter this encounter on a two-match MLS winning run at BC Place Stadium.
If they triumph on Wednesday, the Caps will match their longest winning run at home since the 2022 regular season, when they won their final three encounters in Vancouver.
Thanks to their recent strong form, Vanni Sartini's men are just one win away from catching the Colorado Rapids for fourth in the West and home-field advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
Since this month began, Vancouver have shown much more commitment on the back end, conceding a goal or fewer in their last four matches across all competitions.
They have points in four of their previous five MLS meetings with Sporting KC, playing to a 1-1 draw in their previous home game against them last year.
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A campaign that seemed all but lost weeks ago has temporarily been revived in Kansas City, with this side winning three consecutive matches across all competitions.
With three victories in their previous four league fixtures, Peter Vermes has seen his side climb out of the Western Conference basement, winning just their second away match of the season last weekend.
However, with only 10 regular season matches remaining, they have little room for error in their playoff quest, currently seven points below that line in the Western Conference.
Overall, the 2024 Major League Soccer campaign has been a disappointing one for them, losing 13 matches, just one fewer than they had in 2023.
For a side that have been so inconsistent throughout much of the season, they have shown plenty of attacking depth, with 15 different players getting their names on the scoresheet, the most of any MLS side this year.
SKC have not won three successive MLS fixtures in the same season since 2022, and they have not claimed consecutive triumphs away from home in this competition since 2021, two streaks which could end on Wednesday.
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Team News
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On Saturday in St Louis, the Caps were without Tristan Blackmon because of a sore groin, while Sam Adekugbe was back on the field for the first time since sustaining a calf strain.
Ali Ahmed should be available after being on international duty with the Canadian national team at the Copa America, where his side finished fourth.
Brian White had a brace in their previous match and has netted seven times in his last four MLS encounters, with the other strikes coming from Ryan Raposo and Fafa Picault.
Sporting KC will be missing Felipe Hernandez indefinitely as he is being investigated for alleged illegal gambling, while Logan Ndenbe continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered last year.
Zorhan Bassong can return to the SKC lineup after missing their match against the Quakes because of yellow card accumulation.
Erik Thommy notched the winner on Saturday, early into the second half, while Alan Pulido scored his 32nd career regular-season goal with this team, putting him all alone in ninth all-time in club history.
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Takaoka; Laborda, Veselinovic, Utvik; Raposo, Berhalter, Cubas, Adekugbe; Gauld, White, Picault
Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:
Melia; Shelton, Rosero, Castellanos, Bassong; Rodriguez, Radoja, Afrifa; Russell, Pulido, Thommy
We say: Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 Sporting Kansas City
The Caps appear to be heating up at the right time, and with some of their energy players returning, we expect them to utilise their speed in transition on Wednesday and keep their unbeaten run intact.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
