SEATTLE, WA – On Saturday night, Seattle Sounders FC spoiled Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s bid for a Cascadia Cup threepeat with a 3-0 win at BC Place.
Now, the ‘Caps are out for a little “revenge.”
The Cascadia rivals renew acquaintances on Wednesday in CONCACAF Champions League action with the top spot in Group F up for grabs (7 p.m. PT on Sportsnet One/Sportsnet World and TSN 1410).
A win from either side would see them win the group and advance to the quarter-finals. A draw, meanwhile, would eliminate Seattle and require Whitecaps FC to get at least a point from their final group stage match vs. CD Olimpia to advance.
“It won’t change our mentality, it won’t change our dynamic,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. “We’ll go and we’ll try to win the game.”
<strong><b>PRE-MATCH<br>
INTERVIEWS:</b></strong> |
<a href="//www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2015/09/21/carl-robinson-sep-21?autoplay=true" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://vancouver-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/interview_robinson_w.png" style="width: 140px; height: 60px; "></a><a href="//www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2015/09/21/robert-earnshaw-sep-21?autoplay=true" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://vancouver-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/2015_interview_earnshaw_w.png" style="width: 140px; height: 60px; "></a><a href="//www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2015/09/21/tim-parker-sep-21?autoplay=true" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://vancouver-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/2015_interview_parker_w.png" style="width: 140px; height: 60px;"></a> |
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
Last CCL match: 'Caps beat Olimpia to claim first CCL victory
After a pair of matches, the ‘Caps remain unbeaten (1W-0L-1D) in their first-ever CONCACAF Champions League campaign.
Last week, they defeated CD Olimpia 1-0 to move into a tie for the top spot in the group – Homegrown midfielder Kianz Froese provided the scoring.
In league play, Whitecaps FC remain tied for the top spot in MLS – despite their loss to Seattle over the weekend. And the ‘Caps return to MLS action this Saturday against New York City FC, so Robinson said to expect “a number of changes” on Wednesday.
Robinson did, however, acknowledge the importance of sprinkling a few veterans into the squad as he did in last week’s victory over Olimpia.
“I know [Robert Earnshaw] is itching to go and [Kendall Waston and Matias Laba] helped significantly last week for us against Olimpia,” Robinson said. “So there might be a couple more faces on Wednesday in a game that we want to win.”
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
Last MLS match: 'Caps fall 3-0 to Seattle at BC Place
Seattle has a win, loss, and draw so far in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League.
This will be their final match of the group stage – and anything less than three points will end their hopes of moving on to the quarter-finals.
“Things are on the line again so we’ll see how this one shakes out,” Sounders FC winger Lamar Neagle said this week. “After beating them like that at their place they’re going to want to come back obviously and get some revenge, so it should be a crazy game.”
In MLS play, the Sounders sit fourth in the Western Conference with 45 points.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
So we meet again.
This will be the fifth, yes fifth, meeting between Vancouver and Seattle this season in all competitions – their first CCL meeting ended in a 1-1 draw. Seattle has the edge this season with a 2W-1L-1D record.
Interestingly, the home team has yet to win a game.
“It’s bizarre,” Robinson said. “The only good thing is that maybe we’ve got two games away against them next year.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
The ‘Caps conclude the group stage on October 22 at CD Olimpia.
Following the group stage, the eight remaining teams will be seeded based on their group results, which will determine their opponent in the quarter-finals (also known as the “championship stage.”) The championship stage consists of a two-leg home-and-away series starting in early 2016.
Watch the video below to learn more about the CCL.
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