In pictures: Vancouver Whitecaps 0-0 LA Galaxy – Shorthanded Galaxy battle for a draw at Vancouver

March 26, 2018 / Louis East / Leave a comment

The Vancouver Whitecaps headed into Saturday’s home game with LA Galaxy as overwhelming favourites, given the Galaxy’s long list of absences. The visitors had just 17 players in their matchday squad – including three goalkeepers – but put in a solid display to earn a 0-0 draw at BC Place.

Vancouver will be disappointed with their lack of attacking quality over the course of the 90 minutes. But they still picked up a first clean sheet of the season and stretched their unbeaten home run to a club MLS record 11 matches.

In a game of few clear-cut chances, the best fell to Yordy Reyna in the first-half. The Whitecaps attacker got in behind the Galaxy defence but David Bingham made himself big and made a crucial block to keep the shot out.

The draw sees the Whitecaps sit joint-top of the Western Conference with Sporting Kansas City. However, Vancouver are just one of six MLS teams to have played four games through the first four weeks of the 2018 season. So their rivals have games in hand at this early stage.

LA Galaxy sit 7th in the West with four points from three games. They have a huge game to prepare for next weekend, with the first LA Derby coming up as LAFC come to town. New signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be available for his debut too.

Check out exclusive photos from Saturday’s game below, courtesy of MLSGB photographers Simon Fearn, John May and Hazel May.

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In pictures: Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 Montreal Impact – New faces on show as ‘Caps edge out Canadian rivals

March 6, 2018 / Louis East / Leave a comment

The Vancouver Whitecaps got their 2018 MLS campaign off to the perfect start, beating Montreal Impact 2-1 thanks to goals from new signing Kei Kamara and teenage sensation Alphonso Davies.

Both sides had plenty of new faces on show following busy offseason work on restructuring their teams for the 2018 season. The game was scoreless at the half, with neither side able to stamp their authority down.

But the hosts took the initiative in the second-half, scoring twice in eight minutes to go 2-0 up. First, Alphonso Davies crossed for Kamara to head in brilliantly. Then, Davies himself got a goal, slotting in Cristian Techera’s low cross, despite Evan Bush seemingly doing enough to keep it out. It was Davies’ first MLS goal and the 17-year-old winger earned MLSGB’s Attacking Player of the Week accolade for his fine performance.

Montreal didn’t give up and managed to claw a goal back through Matteo Mancosu in the 81st minute, after a brilliant cross by Daniel Lovitz. But the ‘Caps were able to hold on to a valuable opening win in front of a record crowd at BC Place for a season opener.

Check out exclusive photos from Sunday’s game below, courtesy of Simon Fearn and Hazel May.

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Gallery: Exclusive images as depleted Portland Timbers down Vancouver Whitecaps

July 24, 2017July 30, 2017 / Louis East / Leave a comment

Portland Timbers travelled to Cascadia rivals Vancouver Whitecaps with 12 first-team players missing. They needed something special to take anything from the game. And they got just that, as they picked up a surprise 2-1 win at BC Place.

Portland’s Jeremy Ebobisse marked his first MLS start with a goal and an assist in a eye-catching display. It took him just 14 minutes to get the Timbers off the mark as he converted a Dairon Asprilla cross.

Vancouver rallied though and got their reward on the stroke of halftime. Andrew Jacobson tapped in at the back post following a flick-on by Tim Parker. The home side went into the break in high spirits and would have expected to go on and win the game. But Portland had other plans.

The Timbers came out fast in the second half and went 2-1 up in the 49th minute as Sebastian Blanco fired in past David Ousted. Despite the rapid start to the second half, there would be no more goals as Vancouver struggled to get past Jake Gleeson in the Portland goal.

The result ended a six-game winless run for the Timbers. While Vancouver saw their two-game win streak ended to their Cascadia rivals. Portland are now three points clear of the Whitecaps in the Western Conference but have played three games more.

Check out exclusive photos from Sunday’s game below, courtesy of MLSGB photographers Chris Kachanoski, John May and Hazel May.

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MLS Preview and Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers

July 21, 2017 / Lewis Addley / Leave a comment

Major League Soccer: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers

BC Place – Sunday, July 23 – 18:30 ET (23:30 GMT)

Match Odds: Vancouver Whitecaps 10/11 – Draw 5/2 – Portland Timbers 14/5

Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers: Preview

A huge game in the Western Conference takes place on Sunday as Vancouver Whitecaps take on Portland Timbers. The Cascadia Cup rivals are level on 27 points going into this game.

Vancouver come into this one after winning their second game on the bounce. That 1-0 away win at LA Galaxy on Wednesday has put them in a really strong position after the Gold Cup break. This is a game Vancouver will be expecting to win but know Portland will provide a tough test.

Carl Robinson’s side have played two games less than Portland and could actually be top of the West if they had six extra points on the board. A win here could see them move up to third, depending on the Houston result at DC on Saturday.

The Portland squad is full of injuries and morale will be lower than usual as a result. They have failed to win in six games now, losing three and drawing three.

Key frontman Fanendo Adi and Victor Arboleda were both sent off in their shock 4-1 loss at home to RSL on Wednesday. With the roster already stretched, this certainly has not helped things.

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Portland won at home to their Cascadia rivals 2-1 back in April. But the last meeting between the two at BC Place ended with Portland being thumped 4-1. There could easily be a repeat of that scoreline given Portland’s form and their absentees.

Vancouver trail Seattle and Portland by a point in the 2017 Cascadia Cup standings. So a win on Sunday would leave them on course to win the series for the fourth time in five years.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers: Team News

Vancouver Whitecaps will be without four players on international duty and two through injury. Kendall Waston is at the Gold Cup, while Alphonso Davies, Marcel de Jong, Russell Teibert have been with the Canada squad and might not be ready to start on Sunday. Both Brett Levis and David Edgar continue to recovery from long-term injuries.

Portland Timbers are without four on international duty and possibly as many as seven through injury. David Guzman, Darren Mattocks, Alvas Powell and Darlington Nagbe are at the Gold Cup. Gbenga Arokoyo, Liam Ridgewell and Amobi Okugo are all expected to be out. While Diego Chara, Vytas, Jack Barmby and Chance Myers all look doubtful. Fanendo Adi and Victor Arboleda are suspended. The Portland roster is very stretched here with some many key players out of action.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers: Key Points

Vancouver Whitecaps’ last five: D/D/L/W/W

Portland Timbers’ last five: L/D/D/D/L

Key Stat: Portland Timbers have lost their last seven away games.

Key Player: Diego Valeri – If Portland are going to come away with a positive result here they are going to be reliant on their talisman to provide the goods. He has netted ten goals as well as picking up five assists this season. The Timbers’ chances appear slim but Valeri can provide magic at any moment.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers: Prediction

Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 Portland Timbers – Anything but a Vancouver win will be a huge disappointment for the Canadian side. They have form on their side and fewer problems with their squad. Portland still have the ability to cause Vancouver trouble here, but even a draw looks a step too far.

Gallery: Exclusive photos from Vancouver’s 3-2 win over NYCFC on Wednesday

July 6, 2017July 30, 2017 / Louis East / 1 Comment

Vancouver Whitecaps go into the MLS Gold Cup break in high spirits after pulling off a dramatic late win over New York City FC on Wednesday night.

Both sides gave up leads in an entertaining game that could have really gone either way. But the hosts prevailed, with Reyna’s introduction proving crucial in the end.

The Whitecaps wasted no time in taking the lead as they scored after just three minutes, with Fredy Montero slotting in before Maxine Chanot equalised for NYCFC half an hour later. The visitors then took the lead before halftime after David Villa cooly converted from the spot.

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Vancouver fans would have been forgiven for fearing the worst at the interval. But their players responded well during the second half. Jordan Harvey volleyed them level with a perfectly taking shot at the back post on 54 minutes, before Yordy Reyna entered the game ten minutes later.

Reyna’s entrance proved a masterstroke. Playing at BC Place for the first time since joining Vancouver, Reyna changed the game with his pace and energy. And scored the all-important winner three minutes from time, heading in past Eirik Johansen in the New York City goal.

Check out exclusive photos from Wednesday’s game below, courtesy of MLSGB photographers John May and Hazel May.

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MLS Preview and Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps vs San Jose Earthquakes

August 10, 2016 / Lewis Addley / Leave a comment

Competition: Major League Soccer – Vancouver Whitecaps vs. San Jose Earthquakes

Venue: BC Place – Friday, August 12 – 23:00 ET (04:00 BST)

Match Odds: Vancouver 19/20 – Draw 23/10 – San Jose 11/4

Match Preview

Vancouver Whitecaps welcome San Jose Earthquakes to BC Place on Friday night in the opening game of an action packed weekend of Major League Soccer.

This is a game that could give one of these sides the upper hand in the race for a top six finish in the Western Conference. Vancouver are in a rut of form coming into this tie, they haven’t won in their last four outings.

Carl Robinson will be expecting his side to bring their three-game regular season goal-drought to an end here. This is an important tie for Whitecaps, as they are just two points ahead of San Jose coming into it.

Vancouver are 7th, they trail the top six by just two points and will be hoping they can close that gap and push for a playoff spot. There are plenty of games to go but they need to get on a run of form to ensure they are not struggling in the latter stages of the regular season.

San Jose Earthquakes are unbeaten in their last four games but they come into this one having drawn three on the bounce.

The Quakes haven’t won a game on the road all season and that winless run stretches into the tail end of the 2015 campaign, a run of 13 winless games.

If they lose this tie and results go against them, San Jose could find themselves five points behind the top six.

This would be a huge game for them to finally pickup a win on their travels, but the stats make for tough reading for San Jose fans. They haven’t seen their side win at BC Place in their last six attempts.

Team News

Vancouver Whitecaps have five injury concerns heading into this one as Christian Dean, Kekuta Manneh and Jordan Harvey are all out, while Deybi Flores and Marco Bustos are both doubtful.

San Jose Earthquakes also have five injury concerns as Marc Pelosi, Mark Sherrod, Clarence Goodson, Bryan Meredith and Kofi Sarkodie are all expected to miss out.

Key Points

Vancouver Whitecaps’ form: W/D/D/L/L

San Jose Earthquakes’ form: L/W/D/D/D

Key Stat: Drought – Vancouver have failed to score in their last three Major League Soccer outings.

Key Player: Pedro Morales – The Vancouver Whitecaps playmaker will be itching to dictate the play here and guide his side to a win. He has six goals so far this season but he hasn’t netted in his last nine games, what a time it would be to break that duck.

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Score Prediction

Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 San Jose Earthquakes – We can expect a cagey tie here given the form of both of these sides. Vancouver will be desperately looking to take advantage of San Jose’s dreadful away run but the Quakes will know they can frustrate their opponents and will not want their unbeaten run to come to an end here.

MLS Preview and Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Houston Dynamo

March 25, 2016 / Zack Walford / 2 Comments

Competition: Major League Soccer Fixture: Vancouver Whitecaps Vs. Houston Dynamo

Venue: BC Place – Saturday, March 26 – 23:00 ET (03:00 GMT)

Match Odds: Vancouver Whitecaps 3/4 – Draw 13/5 – Houston Dynamo 15/4

Match Preview

Vancouver Whitecaps welcome Houston Dynamo to BC Place on Saturday night looking to get their second win of the season against their Western Conference rivals. The Dynamo will be looking to get a third victory in four matches after a fine start to the campaign.

The Whitecaps sit in unfamiliar territory in ninth place after three weeks. They will rue missed chances from their opening games, particularly in the loss to Montreal on opening weekend, and need to pick back up now.

Of the three fixtures played, Seattle Sounders would of looked, on paper at least, as the toughest opening game but they overcame Sigi Schmid’s men by a 2-1 scoreline last week.

Pedro Morales netted two penalties in that victory, taking his tally to three for the season – with all goals coming from the spot.

Vancouver now have back-to-back home games and they must make them count as they try to climb the table or questions will start to be asked of their credentials.

Houston Dynamo are the league’s top scorers with eleven goals so far – the most of any MLS team after three games in history. Will Bruin is a man in form at the moment with three goals to his name and is the league’s joint top scorer.

They will consider themselves unfortunate that they lost against the New York Red Bulls 4-3 last Saturday, having been 3-1 up, but they must now show their resilience by bouncing back here.

Owen Coyle will be satisfied with the start the Dynamo have made to their campaign and they could still have many more surprises up their sleeve as the season unfolds.

Team News

Vancouver Whitecaps have a few players on international duty with Marco Carducci, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker, Christian Dean, Blas Perez, Christian Bolanos and Marco Bustos all away with their national teams. A calf strain keeps Russell Teibert out of the clash.

Houston Dynamo will likely be without captain Giles Barnes, who is struggling with a hamstring injury. Cristian Maidana has a concussion ruling him out, while Tyler Deric is also out with an abdominal injury. Oscar Boniek Garcia is away on international duty as is Erick Torres.

Key Points

Vancouver Whitecaps’ form: L/L/W

Houston Dynamo’s form: W/W/L

Key Stat: Houston Dynamo have never won at BC place.

Key Player: Pedro Morales – The Vancouver captain has three goals already this season. He is a leader on the pitch and is so vital to this Whitecaps side that need to start putting wins on the board. The Chilean has plenty about his game and will want to keep up the impressive form for the Whitecaps against their Western Conference rivals.

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Score Prediction

Vancouver Whitecaps 1-1 Houston Dynamo – Both teams are more than capable of scoring goals, there is no doubt about it. A draw would likely be a fair result because of the international break, causing disruptions for the hosts as they have several internationals in their side. It would be seen as a good point if Dynamo get anything from it and they will expect to in what could be a tight affair.

MLS Preview and Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps vs FC Dallas

October 7, 2015 / Lewis Addley / Leave a comment

Competition: Major League Soccer – Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas

Venue: BC Place – Wednesday, October 7 – 22:00 ET (03:00 BST)

Match Odds: Vancouver Whitecaps 19/20 – Draw 5/2 – FC Dallas 11/4

Match Preview

A huge midweek clash in the Western Conference takes place on Wednesday evening as third placed Vancouver Whitecaps host second placed FC Dallas.

Whitecaps trail Dallas by a single point and they have played a game more than their opposition heading into this one.

The earlier meeting between these two ended with Whitecaps winning 1-0 at BC Place. After this tie they will face each other once more so there is a lot still to play for.

The home side come into this one off the back of their 1-1 draw away against San Jose Earthquakes. A win in this one will all but seal their place in the playoffs but they still cannot afford to be complacent and will want to finish the regular season with as many points as possible.

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FC Dallas come into this one off the back of the 4-1 win over Houston Dynamo where they sealed their place in the playoffs.

Both of these sides will be doing everything possible to win their remaining games in an attempt to finish at the top of the Western Conference.

Dallas trail leaders LA Galaxy by one point but they have two games in hand so this is a huge tie for them. If Dallas are to win just one of the two fixtures against Whitecaps they will still go ahead of Galaxy by two points, so there is a lot to play for.

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Team News

Vancouver have two injury concerns as Ben McKendry remains out, while Nicolas Mezquida is a doubt. Sam Adekugbe, Kianz Froese, Marco Bastos, Caleb Clark and Kendall Waston are all on international duty. Pa Madou Kah, Gershon Kofi, Steven Beitashow and Cristian Techea are all one away from suspension.

FC Dallas have just the one injury concern with Bakary Soumare a doubt. Fabian Castillo is on international duty and will be a big miss in this key fixture.

Key Points

Vancouver Whitecaps’ last five: L/W/L/L/D

FC Dallas’ last five: W/W/L/L/W

Key Stat: The teams are separated by just one point going into this one and will face each other once more after this game. This could be a six-pointer for either of these sides and it will be a real battle this late on in the regular season.

Key Player: Pedro Morales – The Whitecaps playmaker has netted six goals this season and could be key to unlocking the Dallas defence.

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Score Prediction

Vancouver Whitecaps 1-1 FC Dallas – The sides to cancel each other out in a result that suits Dallas more than Whitecaps.

PHOTOS: Exclusive images from Vancouver and Seattle’s CONCACAF Champions League clash

August 6, 2015September 1, 2015 / Louis East / Leave a comment

Just days after the Vancouver Whitecaps piled more misery on the Seattle Sounders with that 3-0 MLS win at CenturyLink Field, the two sides met again in their first CONCACAF Champions League game of the year at BC Place.

The game between the Cascadia rivals ended 1-1 on Wednesday night in what will be seen as a better result for the Sounders than the Whitecaps, especially when you consider Sigi Schmid’s team’s recent form.

Going on the road at earning a point in the Champions League is never a bad result and the Sounders will now hope to kick on in league play when they take to the field against LA Galaxy at StubHub Center on Sunday.

A Lamar Neagle goal tied the game in Vancouver after defender Tim Parker scored with a backheel flick just after 61 minutes as both sides fielded several reserve players.

The two teams will next meet in the Champions League on September 23 at CenturyLink Field in what will be the Sounders’ final group stage game.

Check out the photos below taken by our North American photographer, Denise McCooey:

MLS Preview and Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Real Salt Lake

May 29, 2015 / Lewis Addley / Leave a comment

Competition: Major League Soccer – Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Real Salt Lake

Venue: BC Place – Saturday, May 30th – 18:00 ET (23:00 BST)

Match Odds: Vancouver Whitecaps 5/6 – Draw 12/5 – Real Salt Lake 100/30

Match Preview

Vancouver Whitecaps entertain Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening as both sides come into the tie off the back of a loss.

The Whitecaps lost 1-0 away at Colorado Rapids last weekend but are still sitting third in the Western Conference. They are three points ahead of Salt Lake going into the game, the two met earlier in the season with Whitecaps coming out on top in a 1-0 win.

Carl Robinson’s side have already lost five regular season games and need to regain some consistency they showed early on in the season when they won their opening four.

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They have only won one in their last five and risk falling back down the Western Conference if they don’t pick up their performances.

Real Salt Lake lost 1-0 to LA Galaxy on Wednesday night and are sitting just one point outside the playoffs.

Jeff Cassar’s side have been inconsistent but things are on the up since their five game run without a win earlier in the season.

RSL have two home regular season games on the bounce after this one giving them a great chance of picking up some valuable points.

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Scoring is a little bit of a problem for Cassar’s side, with his frontline only registering four goals. He will be routing for João Plata to start scoring now he is back in the fold after his metatarsal injury.

Team News

Vancouver Whitecaps have six injury concerns going into this tie. Andre Lewis and Marco Bustos are still both ruled out, while Sam Adekugbe, Diego Rodriguez, Robert Earnshaw and Erik Hurtado are doubts. Pa Modou Kah and Gershon Koffie are both one booking away from a suspension as is Adekugbe, but he may not feature.

Real Salt Lake have two injury concerns. Chris Schuler looks set to miss out, while Sebastian Jaime is a doubt. Kyle Beckerman is one booking away from a suspension. Javier Morales could be in line for a start after coming off the bench in the midweek loss to Galaxy. Jamison Olave is suspended after picking up a red card on Wednesday.

Key Points

Vancouver Whitecaps’ last five: L/D/W/L/L

Real Salt Lake’s last five: D/W/L/W/L

Key Stat: Real Salt Lake have only won one in the last five meetings between the two sides.

Key Player: Pedro Morales – The playmaker has scored twice and created 35 chances for teammates this season.

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Score Prediction

Vancouver Whitecaps 1-1 Real Salt Lake – A tight affair between two sides who need to find consistency.