Two clubs in opposite conferences of MLS will do battle today in a league match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Sporting Kansas City. The first-division clash scheduled for 8 p.m. ET will be held at BC Place in Vancouver and can be live streamed here.
Facing issues with his back line, head coach Peter Vermes was forced to duct tape a competitive defense against the Philadelphia Union last Friday. Despite being hamstrung with injuries and suspensions, the Sporting Kansas City boss was able to escape PPL Park with a much-needed point. "When you make a lot of changes like we had to—we had Jake [Peterson] playing left back who actually did a darn good job," Vermes said (via MLS's official website). "There was a lot of change in the team. And unfortunately, sometimes you lose that continuity and consistency."
"But I don't think the team played bad," he added. "I don't think they lacked work ethic. I think we had a good, solid game."
Vermes faces a similar situation in Week 22. Similar results must follow if the club is to maintain its Supporters' Shield pace.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: The creative driving force in Vancouver's midfield remains Pedro Morales. The 29-year-old enters today with six assists and an average of 2.8 key passes per match.
Vancouver Whitecaps' Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ousted; Harvey, Leveron, O'Brien, Beitashour; Coker, Laba; Fernandez, Morales, Teibert; Manneh
Sporting Kansas City's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Gruenebaum; Ellis, Besler, Collin, Juliao; Feilhaber, Olum, Zusi; Saad, Dwyer, Sapong
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
Standings
|
Rnk |
Team |
MP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|||
|
1 |
Sporting Kansas City |
22 |
11 |
6 |
5 |
32 |
20 |
12 |
39 |
|||
|
2 |
DC United |
21 |
11 |
4 |
6 |
32 |
21 |
11 |
37 |
|||
|
3 |
Toronto FC |
21 |
9 |
5 |
7 |
32 |
30 |
2 |
32 |
|||
|
4 |
New York Red Bulls |
22 |
6 |
10 |
6 |
35 |
33 |
2 |
28 |
|||
|
5 |
Philadelphia Union |
23 |
6 |
9 |
8 |
36 |
37 |
-1 |
27 |
|||
|
6 |
Columbus Crew |
23 |
6 |
9 |
8 |
28 |
31 |
-3 |
27 |
|||
|
7 |
New England Revolution |
22 |
8 |
2 |
12 |
29 |
35 |
-6 |
26 |
|||
|
8 |
Chicago Fire |
21 |
3 |
13 |
5 |
28 |
34 |
-6 |
22 |
|||
|
9 |
Houston Dynamo |
21 |
6 |
4 |
11 |
23 |
40 |
-17 |
22 |
|||
|
10 |
Impact Montreal |
22 |
3 |
5 |
14 |
22 |
41 |
-19 |
14 |
|
Rnk |
Team |
MP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|||
|
1 |
Real Salt Lake |
23 |
10 |
9 |
4 |
36 |
27 |
9 |
39 |
|||
|
2 |
Seattle Sounders |
20 |
12 |
2 |
6 |
35 |
28 |
7 |
38 |
|||
|
3 |
FC Dallas |
23 |
10 |
6 |
7 |
38 |
32 |
6 |
36 |
|||
|
4 |
LA Galaxy |
20 |
9 |
7 |
4 |
34 |
19 |
15 |
34 |
|||
|
5 |
Portland Timbers |
23 |
7 |
9 |
7 |
38 |
38 |
0 |
30 |
|||
|
6 |
Colorado Rapids |
23 |
8 |
6 |
9 |
32 |
31 |
1 |
30 |
|||
|
7 |
Vancouver Whitecaps |
21 |
6 |
11 |
4 |
31 |
29 |
2 |
29 |
|||
|
8 |
San Jose Earthquakes |
20 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
25 |
22 |
3 |
24 |
|||
|
9 |
Chivas USA |
22 |
6 |
5 |
11 |
21 |
36 |
-15 |
23 |
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