The Seattle Sounders are hosting the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday in their second meeting of the season. Here is everything you need to know.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT at CenturyLink Field.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on JOEtv and Prime Video.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM.
2020 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 7-3-3 (24 points, 1st West), Whitecaps: 5-9-0 (15 points, 10th West)
FORM GUIDE (most recent first): Seattle: WLWWL, Vancouver: LLWWL
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders are 12-7-6 all time against the Whitecaps in MLS play, including a 6-4-1 mark at home.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Seattle defeated Vancouver 3-0 in the final match of the group stage at the MLS is Back tournament in July to secure its spot in the knockout rounds. Nicolás Lodeiro, Jordan Morris and Raúl Ruidíaz all found the back of the net.
RUIDÍAZ RETURNS: Ruidíaz is back from his one-match suspension that he served during the Sounders’ 3-1 win at the LA Galaxy last weekend. The Peruvian is third in MLS with eight goals this season.
MORRIS MANIA: Despite the difficult circumstances both off and on the field in 2020, Morris continues to have the best season of his career. He has seven goals and six assists in just under 1,000 minutes, and his 13 goal contributions is tied for first in MLS. He has proven to be the biggest matchup nightmare in the league.
BLOOMING BRAZILIAN: Morris, Lodeiro and Ruidíaz are all league MVP candidates (so much so that they will probably end up splitting votes between them) and all have the numbers to back it up. But João Paulo is the key to unlocking all three. The Brazilian Designated Player has been an absolute force in the center of the park in his first season in Seattle. His steady play and control eases Lodeiro’s burden and allows him to play higher up the pitch. The result has led to staggering offensive production that has Seattle second in MLS in goals scored with 29 through just 13 matches.
BRAD IS BACK: Brad Smith made his first appearance since signing a permanent deal with the Sounders in last week’s win over the Galaxy. He made a 20-minute cameo in the second half and seemed to pick up right where he left off. With Joevin Jones still recovering from a right ankle sprain, Smith could very well feature in Saturday’s match.
FAMILIAR FACE: Former Sounders goalkeeper and 2019 MLS Cup winner Bryan Meredith has started the last two matches for the Whitecaps. Inter Miami selected Meredith in the Expansion Draft before shipping him to Vancouver a few weeks later. Maxime Crépeau and Thomas Hasal are both out injured for the ‘Caps, so Meredith will likely nod on Saturday in his former home stadium.
DEFENSIVE WOES: Meredith and the Whitecaps’ goalkeepers have not had much help from their defense this season. Vancouver has conceded 31 times in 14 matches, the second-most in MLS, including being outscored 7-0 in its last two fixtures.
LUCAS LOOMS: The Sounders will get their first look at Whitecaps forward Lucas Cavallini, who signed as a Designated Player in the offseason but did not travel to Orlando for the MLS is Back tournament. A Canadian international, Cavallini joined Vancouver for a club-record transfer fee from Puebla in Liga MX. He has two goals in 10 appearances in his debut MLS campaign.
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