The Vancouver Whitecaps will end a lengthy seven-game MLS road trip on Wednesday when they travel to Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City for a date with the Colorado Rapids.
Both teams have lost their last two domestic encounters, as the Burgundy Boys were narrowly beaten 3-2 by the Portland Timbers over the weekend, while Vancouver suffered a 2-1 defeat at Real Salt Lake.
Match preview
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It is audition time for Chris Little, who has a chance to earn a job as the permanent Rapids boss next season with his team already mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and tied with Toronto for the worst record in Major League Soccer (4-10-15).
Not much has gone right for this team since they finished the 2021 regular season with the best record in the Western Conference, going from a 17-win side that year to one with six fewer victories in 2022, while the best they can do in 2023 would be nine should they win each of their remaining five fixtures.
Little began his tenure positively, winning his first match in charge against the New England Revolution (2-1), only the second for them domestically at home all year, but the Edinburgh-born coach has seen his team follow that up by conceding five goals in their last two games, with both matches ending in defeat.
While the results have rarely been there for this club in 2023, all three of their encounters under Little have been there for the taking, each being decided by a single goal, and that came after this team had lost their previous four matches in all competitions by a combined score of 13-1, which eventually led to the sacking of Robin Fraser.
In addition to that, the Rapids have found the back of the net in three successive MLS fixtures, and although five goals over that stretch is not a massive amount, it is still one more than this team had managed in their previous 12 domestic encounters combined.
Even if they were to win each of their remaining games, it would still go down as the worst 34-game campaign for this team since claiming 31 points in 2018, while they would need at least seven points between now and the end of the regular season to avoid having their fewest-ever total for points in 34 matches.
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After claiming at least a point in their opening four matches on their current road swing, the Caps have cooled off, losing consecutive games for the first time since July.
Saturday marked the fifth time this year that the Whitecaps had a second-half advantage and failed to come away with anything, with three of those defeats occurring away from home.
Despite their recent woes, Vanni Sartini still has this team in a solid position to return to the postseason for a second time in three years, currently three points above the playoff line in the Western Conference, but with two games in hand on Sporting Kansas City.
Vancouver have not won a road game versus the Rapids since 2019 (3-2) while claiming victory in only one of their previous six matches played against the Burgundy Boys in this competition.
Their four road victories domestically in 2023 are as many as this team had managed in their previous two regular seasons combined, and if they can win this match and their final away game in Seattle versus the Sounders, it would equal their most wins as the visitors in this competition since 2018 (six).
The Whitecaps have dropped points on 11 occasions this season against teams currently behind them in the MLS overall table, including a 0-0 result at home versus the Rapids earlier this year.
Team News
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Rafael Navarro could be questionable for the Rapids because of an issue in his lower body, William Yarbrough is recovering from knee surgery, Jack Price has an issue with his Achilles, Aboubacar Keita also has a problem with his lower body, Alex Gersbach is recovering from adductor tendon surgery and Max has been removed from all team activities after allegedly being involved in illegal sports gambling.
Andrew Gutman scored his first goal with the Burgundy Boys over the weekend, while Diego Rubio notched the 37th of his career with this club, putting him in a tie with John Spencer for the third-most in team history, with Cole Bassett assisting on that play as he now has three goal contributions in his last two matches.
Danny Wilson recorded his 123rd career start as a member of the Rapids on Saturday, drawing even with Kyle Beckerman for the seventh-most in team history, Keegan Rosenberry played 45 minutes against Portland as he moved beyond 19,000 regular season minutes played, while Ralph Priso featured for 58 minutes in that encounter, as he has now played over 1,000 minutes in this competition.
After missing the previous Caps encounter against the Houston Dynamo with right patella tendinitis, Sam Adekugbe came off the bench at Real Salt Lake in place of Ryan Raposo, Thomas Hasal remains sidelined with patellar tendinopathy and Luis Martins is still dealing with a left calf strain.
Brian White tied his career high for MLS goals in a single season, nodding home his 12th of the campaign in the defeat versus RSL, as he and Ryan Gauld have connected for the most goals in league play among active teammates since 2021 (14), with the Scotsman only three goals away from becoming the first ever player for this club to register 25 goals and 25 assists in MLS play.
Junior Hoilett is still seeking his first start since signing from Reading in England, with the Canadian international coming on for Pedro Vite just beyond the hour mark this past weekend.
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Ilic; Abubakar, Maxso, Wilson, Gutman; Leyva, Priso; Lewis, Bassett, Ronan; Rubio
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Takaoka; Laborda, Veselinovic, Blackmon; Cubas; Laryea, Berhalter, Schopf, Hoilett; White, Gauld
We say: Colorado Rapids 0-1 Vancouver Whitecaps
Playing at such high altitudes will be a challenge for the Whitecaps, but even with their recent slump, they look a lot more comfortable in possession when compared to the Rapids, and we expect their individual quality will find a way to overcome the conditions against a team that seem to be already playing for next year.
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