VANCOUVER, BC – 17 down, 17 to go.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC have officially hit the midway point of the 2017 MLS regular season after a 3-2 win over New York City FC Wednesday night at BC Place. That puts the ‘Caps on 24 points with a 7W-7L-3D record and sixth place in the Western Conference – just above the red line.
As you can see, though, Vancouver has games in hand over every other team in the conference.
So if you adjust the standings based on points per game, they are actually fourth behind FC Dallas, Sporting Kansas City, and Houston Dynamo, which – considering the number of injuries they’ve had this season – isn’t too shabby. Friendly reminder: Whitecaps FC would host a playoff match with a top-four finish, something they’ve only done once before in Major League Soccer.
According to Sports Club Stats’ weighted method, which predicts the scores of the remaining games taking into account home field advantage and team records, Whitecaps FC have a 68.6 per cent chance of qualifying for the playoffs at this point in the season.
But don’t be fooled: it’s going to be a wild ride down the stretch.
You know teams like Seattle Sounders FC and LA Galaxy aren’t going to go down lightly. And the ‘Caps have a tough schedule coming up in the summer months, with four of their next five matches on the road vs. LA, FC Dallas, Colorado Rapids, and New England Revolution. But then, from mid-August to late September, they will play six of seven at home, which will be a real opportunity to make a move up the standings and gain some momentum heading into the run-in.
Where do you see the ‘Caps ending up?
Following a break for the group stage of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Whitecaps FC return to action on Wednesday, July 19 at LA Galaxy (7:30 p.m. PT on TSN) before hosting Cascadia rival Portland Timbers on Sunday, July 23 at BC Place (3:30 p.m. PT – tickets still available).
