SEATTLE CROSSFIRE SOUNDERS PREVIEW

July 13, 2007 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC women play their first game at Swangard Stadium in over a month when they host arch-rivals Seattle Crossfire Sounders on Saturday.

The important W-League Western Conference clash is the first part of the Whitecaps final doubleheader of the season, with the men making their long-awaited return to Swangard when they host Miami FC later on Saturday. The women have already played two home games away from Swangard this season, having defeated Fort Collins Force 4-0 at UBC Thunderbird Stadium on June 17 before drawing 2-2 with Mile High Edge at Chilliwack’s Exhibition Field last Sunday.

This will be the third and final regular-season meeting between both clubs, with Bob Birarda’s side having claimed a win and a defeat in their previous two meetings with the Sounders women. In the season-opener for both teams, a first-half goal by Sophie Schmidt gave the Whitecaps a 2-1 victory over Seattle on May 20. Six days later in Tukwila, Washington, Teddy Mitalas’ side responded with a 2-0 victory over Vancouver – thanks to two goals from Chalise Baysa.

Since then, both Pacific Northwest outfits have played the remaining four clubs in the Western Conference and are both in contention to reach the playoffs. The return of veteran striker Tiffeny Milbrett helped the Whitecaps to four wins and two draws in recent weeks, but Birarda’s side suffered a costly setback in San Diego on Wednesday night, as Vancouver lost 4-1 to the Sunwaves. The result took San Diego above the Whitecaps and into first place in the Western Conference at a crucial stage of the season. “We’re very disappointed to have lost in San Diego,” Birarda told whitecapsfc.com. “We were down 2-0 after fifteen minutes, and we had to make some adjustments because we couldn’t seem to get to anything. We sorted ourselves out, got back into the game, and then started to take control of it. We scored the goal to make it 2-1 late in the game, but as we pushed everything forward, we gave away two very late goals.”

Wednesday’s result was not only good for San Diego, but for Seattle as well. The Sounders are just two points back of second place Vancouver in the standings, with a game in hand on both the Whitecaps and the Sunwaves. Mitalas’ side have had a little over a week to prepare for the short trip up Interstate 5 to Vancouver, having completed a successful four-game home stand. Seattle made their Starfire Stadium home a fortress after claiming maximum points in each of their four matches, with the latest result coming last Friday when they defeated Mile High Edge 3-2. Seattle’s form is a real turnaround from the slow start they had this term. Before getting on a four-game win streak, the Sounders recorded just one victory in their first five league games, with that result coming against the Whitecaps.

With his side dropping important points in San Diego, Birarda knows the Whitecaps cannot afford another slip-up on Saturday. “If we win it, then we are in pretty good position for the playoffs and possibly in a situation to be hosts of the playoff game,” he said. “However, if we lose on Saturday, then we’re in big trouble.”

The Whitecaps challenge has been made greater, as Birarda's side will be without the services of goalkeeper Cori Alexander and striker Ella Masar for the final two games of the regular season. Both players have been called up to the US Under-21 squad for the upcoming Nordic Cup tournament in Finland.

Saturday’s game at Swangard Stadium kicks off at 4:00 p.m. and is the final doubleheader of the season, with the Whitecaps men hosting Miami FC at 7:00 p.m. Single game tickets start at just $16 and are available by calling Ticketmaster at 604.280.4400 or visiting whitecapsfc.com. For more information on Whitecaps ticket packages and group rates, please call 604.669.WAVE (9283) or visit our tickets page.

You can also watch Saturday’s game between the Whitecaps women and Seattle live on USLlive.com or on Shaw Cable. Check your local listings for time and availability.

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