The Whitecaps return home to Empire Field from their three game road trip (2 draws and a loss) and for the first time since Tom Soehn took over for the fired Teitur Thordarson. While their last game in Seattle showed some signs of the team turning their play around, it still didn’t yield a victory and three points. This game is another opportunity for the Caps to secure their second win of the season as Philadelphia travels across the continent this weekend.
The line-up will be very similar to last week in Seattle with Hassli and Chiumiento starting at forward while Camilo and Salinas remain at the wing positions. There is a chance that Terry Dunfield may be ready to start after coming back from the Gold Cup but most likely it will be Brovsky and Koffie starting in the central midfield. The backline should remain unchanged as Rochat, Akloul, DeMerit and Leathers start in front of Joe Cannon who makes his fourth straight start.
The Union have one of the strongest defenses in the league as they have allowed the second fewest goals against in the league. However, as strong as their defensive play has been this year, their ability to score has been just as weak. If you remove their 6-2 win against Toronto FC earlier this year, in twelve games Philadelphia has only scored ten goals.
With the Union being so strong in the middle of the back line, the Caps will need Shea Salinas to make his runs on the right side. In the past few games the midfielder has shown his pace but will need to make the runs count with a finished product. Another key for the Caps is Hassli as he has now scored six goals in ten games with a .75 rate per 90 minute game. The DP will need to stay disciplined, as he only lasted 57 minutes after receiving two yellows against Philadelphia, if the Caps hope for a similar effort like last week versus the Sounders. The Caps hope another diiferent factor from the first game is Jay DeMerit who was unavailable for the first meeting, being on international duty with the U.S., which forced the club to start Boxall and Janicki in the middle.
The Whitecaps must get the first goal against Philadelphia because if they don’t and Philadelphia scores first, the Union will play defensive and frustrate the Caps. Opening the scoring will force the Union to attack more which will create more chances for Vancouver to score again. The Whitecaps are now at the bottom of the MLS table so if they are still entertaining the idea of making the playoffs they must start converting their home draws into home victories.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
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