The Seattle Sounders will travel north of the border for their first Cascadia clash of the season when they take on the Vancouver Whitecaps on Friday, April 14. Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know about the match:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT at BC Place in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
WHERE TO WATCH: The game will be televised on Q13 FOX.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will air on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM and in Spanish on El Rey 1360AM.
2017 RECORDS: Sounders: 1-1-3 (6 points), Whitecaps: 1-3-1 (4 points).
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders are 7-6-4 all time in MLS play against the Whitecaps, including a 4-2-3 road mark.
RECENT MEETINGS: Seattle went 2-1-0 against Vancouver last season, falling 2-1 at home in March before a 1-0 home win in September and a 2-1 road win in October.
FAMILIAR FACE: The Sounders will face former forward Fredy Montero on Friday after the 29-year-old Colombian signed with Vancouver on loan from Chinese club Tianjin Teda in the offseason. Montero spent 2009-12 in Seattle, amassing 47 goals and 34 assists in 119 MLS regular-season matches. The Sounders loaned Montero to Millonarios in his native Colombia in 2013 before loaning him to Portugal’s Sporting CP in 2014. Sporting then bought Montero outright and he played there until 2016 when he was transferred to Tianjin.
SNOW WOES: Vancouver lost 3-0 last week to Real Salt Lake in a snowstorm in Utah, which required RSL to use an orange ball for the first time in their history. RSL Designated Player Albert Rusnak lit up the Whitecaps to the tune of a goal and two assists.
CCL HEARTBREAK: Vancouver lost to Liga MX side Tigres UANL in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League last week, falling 2-0 at home in the second leg and 4-1 on aggregate. The Whitecaps were just the seventh MLS side to reach the CCL semis.
"There’s nothing to be ashamed of in that locker room," said Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson. "This two-year journey, we’ve never been in this territory before. We’ve gone toe-to-toe and we’ve just come up a little bit short. So we have to be honest about it, and I will, and we will. But we’ll use that as motivation for next time."
SHEA SIDELINED: Midfielder Brek Shea, who the Whitecaps acquired from Orlando City SC in the offseason scored three minutes into the second leg against Tigres, but exited just seven minutes later. Shea has been diagnosed with a left knee sprain and there is currently no timetable for his return.
SOUNDERS SUCCESS IN B.C.: The Sounders have won three consecutive matches at BC Place and four of their last five. They oddly have a better record against the Whitecaps in Vancouver (4-2-3) than they do at CenturyLink Field (3-4-1).
TORRES HAMSTRING: Sounders center back Roman Torres started the last match against San Jose, but was forced out after just 15 minutes after being diagnosed with a hamstring strain. There is no available timetable yet for a possible return, although the injury does not appear to be serious.
