The Whitecaps will look to beat the odds on Saturday when they take on two time reigning MLS champions LA Galaxy at BC Place. The Caps have recently been enduring some of the worst form they have ever experienced in two years. Martin Rennie has to get his side back in shape soon or playoffs will slowly become more and more unlikely and his time as manager might be nearing its end.
Since the Whitecaps joined the MLS back in 2011 they have encountered the LA Galaxy 6 times including both regular season and playoff matches. In those 6 games the Caps have never beat the Galaxy, with the best result being a 2-2 draw near the end of the 2012 season. Definitely one of the most disappointing stats from all those meetings is the amount of goals Vancouver has conceded against LA, letting in 14 and only managing to score 3.
The last time these two sides met was back in the 2012 MLS Playoffs when the Galaxy won via a narrow 2-1 victory in which the Whitecaps actually scored the opening goal.
The Caps are coming off an extremely disappointing 2-0 loss away to Real Salt Lake. A game that was frustrating to watch for both the fans and the coaching staff as many questioned the play of the Whitecaps and the decisions made by Martin Rennie. The LA Galaxy on the other hand also suffered a loss in their most recent match to the hands of the Houston Dynamo as they fell out 1-0 at the Home Depot Center.
Keys To The Match
– Get more attackers in the opposition's box to win a header and create more actual scoring chances. The Caps could not for the death of them get on the end of a cross as the ball just soared over their heads and out of play countless times.
– Find the best starting lineup, which should include Camilo, Mattocks and Gershon Koffie. Martin Rennie must also avoid waiting too long to make crucial substitutions like Kekuta Manneh and maybe also Tommy Heinemann.
– Play as a team and work harder. Against RSL, the Whitecaps just looked like 11 individuals playing rather than a team, and this was part of the reason why Vancouver played so poorly.
Projected Starting Eleven
In goal we will likely see Joe Cannon again, and the back line will probably consist of Lee, O'Brien, Leverón and Rochat from left to right. In the center of the park we will see Koffie, Reo-Coker and either Davidson or Teibert. Out wide left will hopefully be Camilo and wide right we will unfortunately probably have Kobayashi who is not even a winger by trafe. Lastly, I suspect to see Darren Mattocks to get the start up top in place for Corey Hertzog who did not have a great performance last weekend against RSL.
Final Prediction
Whitecaps 0 – Galaxy 3
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
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