The Seattle Sounders are taking on the Vancouver Whitecaps in their second and final regular-season match. Here's everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on JOEtv and YouTube TV.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR AM and in Spanish on El Rey 1360 AM.
2018 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders 12-9-5 (41 points, 6th West), Whitecaps 11-9-7 (40 points, 7th West)
FORM GUIDE (most recent first): Seattle: WWWWW, Vancouver: WWDWD
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders are 8-7-5 all time in MLS play against the Whitecaps, including a 4-3-4 record on the road.
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders defeated the Whitecaps 2-0 at CenturyLink Field back on July 21, behind a brace from Nicolás Lodeiro. The Uruguayan opened the scoring in the 5th minute with a composed finish from a penalty kick. Seattle’s No. 10 doubled the advantage in the 31st minute when his swerving shot from distance confounded Whitecaps goalkeeper Stefan Marinović, sending him sprawling in the wrong direction.
WWWWWWWWINNING STREAK: The Sounders enter their Western Conference tilt with the Whitecaps on an eight-match winning streak, which is an MLS single-season record in the post-shootout era, after defeating Sporting Kansas City 3-1 at CenturyLink Field on Saturday, September 1st.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: Saturday’s clash could reconfigure the race for the playoff spots in the Western Conference. Seattle currently sits in sixth place, three points back of both the Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake, though Seattle has games in hand on both teams. Vancouver, meanwhile, sits one point behind Seattle for the final playoff spot, though the Sounders have a game in hand over their Cascadia rival.
CASCADIA CUP: A win for Seattle on Saturday over the Whitecaps would see the Sounders lift the Cascadia Cup for the first time since 2015.
METRONOMIC POSSESSION VS. BLITZING IN TRANSITION: The Cascadia tilt between Sounders and Whitecaps is a clash of two diametrically opposed soccer philosophies. While the Sounders like to dominate possession, methodically building attacks from the back before unbalancing their opponents, the Whitecaps rely on lightning-quick counterattacks to generate offense.
FULLBACKS HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL: Saturday’s match will provide a stern test for the Sounders’ outside backs, Kelvin Leerdam and Brad Smith. Vancouver has the best young player in the league, 17-year-old Alphonso Davies, who recently completed a record transfer to Bayern Munich. His pace and creativity in transition could prove tricky for Seattle’s wide defenders.
Lodeiro dispatches his penalty kick in Seattle's 2-0 win over Vancouver back on July 21 | Charis Wilson
AERIAL DUELS: The Whitecaps are known as a team that loves to pump cross after cross into the box, providing target forward Kei Kamara plenty of service. He’ll have some difficulty converting those chances when he faces off against Sounders FC center backs Chad Marshall and Kim Kee-hee, both of whom have been dominant in the air this season.
