Seattle Sounders vs. Vancouver Whitecaps | 2016 MLS Match Preview

SEATTLE SOUNDERS vs. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
CenturyLink Field | Seattle, Washington
Saturday, September 17 | Week #28 | MLS Game #284
4 pm ET (TSN1, RDS2 in Canada, MLS LIVE, JoeTV in US)

The Cascadia Cup rivalry between Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC is renewed for a second time this season when the clubs face off in a match that has massive playoff implications for both teams Saturday afternoon at CenturyLink Field. Both teams come into the match sitting below the red line, outside of the top six playoff positions in the West. Sounders FC return home in ninth place, following their 1-1 draw at the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend. Whitecaps FC are in seventh place, four points behind sixth-place Portland, putting an end to their eight-game winless run in league play in a 3-1 win at Columbus Crew SC last weekend.

• Nicolas Lodeiro scored his third goal in the last five matches, but Sounders FC completed their three-game road swing with a loss and two draws, reaching a 1-1 result with the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at Avaya Stadium. Lodeiro has three goals and six assists in his seven MLS appearances since joining Sounders FC, playing a part in nine of Seattle’s 13 goals in that span.
• Whitecaps FC put an end to their eight-game winless streak, winning for the first time since July 13 with their 3-1 victory against Columbus Crew SC on Saturday evening. Erik Hurtado scored his first MLS goal for Whitecaps FC in nearly two years, since Sept. 13, 2014.
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Pedro Morales scored a goal in each half as Whitecaps FC took a 2-1 win March 19 at BC Place.
• The Whitecaps FC win in the first meeting was the first by the home team in four league matches in the series, since a Vancouver win at BC Place on July 5, 2014. The visiting team had won all four games in between – each winning twice on the other’s home ground.

REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Corey Rockwell; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal
MLS Career: 208 games; FC/gm: 23.3; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 39; pens: 59

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS: 
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: SEA: Osvaldo Alonso, Joevin Jones … VAN: Kendall Waston
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: SEA: Andreas Ivanschitz, Nicolas Lodeiro … VAN: Blas Perez, Fraser Aird, Andrew Jacobson
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME [MLS] (15 meetings): Sounders FC 5 wins, 21 goals … Whitecaps FC 6 wins, 22 goals … Ties 4
AT SEATTLE (7 meetings): Sounders FC 2 wins, 9 goals … Whitecaps FC 4 wins, 14 goals … Ties 1
FUTURE MATCH: 10/2: Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 5 p.m. PT (FS1)

• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Pedro Morales scored a goal in each half as Whitecaps FC took a 2-1 win March 19 at BC Place.
• The Whitecaps FC win in the first meeting was the first by the home team in four league matches in the series, since a Vancouver win at BC Place on July 5, 2014. The visiting team had won all four games in between – each winning twice on the other’s home ground.
• Coaches record: Brian Schmetzer vs. VAN: first game … Carl Robinson vs. SEA: P7 W4 L2 D1

LAST MEETING (MLS): 
3/19: SEA 1, VAN 2 (Ivanschitz 52 – Morales 10, 74)

• The opener came on 10 minutes when Christian Bolanos tumbled in the penalty area, and Pedro Morales converted from the spot to give the Whitecaps a first-half lead.
• Sounders FC were level just after after halftime when Andreas Ivanschitz lashed home a brilliant free kick straight out from the left-hand post.
• But the visitors snatched all three points, as referee Mark Geiger judged Chad Marshall to have fouled Blas Perez on a slide tackle just inside the box with some 16 minutes left, and Morales again converted from the spot for the winner.
• SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC (4-2-3-1): Stefan Frei - Tyrone Mears, Zach Scott, Chad Marshall, Joevin Jones - Cristian Roldan, Osvaldo Alonso - Jordan Morris (Oalex Anderson 71), Andreas Ivanschitz (Aaron Kovar 88), Clint Dempsey - Nelson Haedo Valdez
• VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC (4-4-2): David Ousted - Fraser Aird, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker, Jordan Harvey - Christian Bolanos, Pedro Morales (Masato Kudo 84), Matias Laba, Kekuta Manneh (Cristian Techera 83) - Blas Perez, Octavio Rivero (Andrew Jacobson 78).