The Vancouver Whitecaps are undefeated since the new turf has been installed at BC Place. Okay fine, they have only played one match on the new surface. Nevertheless, their weekend victory over visiting Real Salt Lake was crucial. After failing to impress versus the Sounders, the Whitecaps desperately needed to put in a complete performance.
A stunning Goal of the Year contender produced by Gershon Koffie gave Vancouver the lead but Javier Morales scored his own jaw dropping goal shortly before the break. Cristian Techera would eventually capitalize on a momentary lapse of concentration by Nick Rimando to give Vancouver the victory. Picking up the home victory was nice but more importantly, the Vancouver Whitecaps dominated most of the match and actually deserved the 3 points. This has rarely been the case this season.
Now, Vancouver faces its biggest challenge of the season; a 5 match road trip, which begins in Montreal on Wednesday night. This road trip is occurring thanks to the Women’s World Cup and it could be the defining period of the 2015 season for Vancouver. After amassing a 3-2-1 road record, the Whitecaps are finally getting into a healthy habit of grinding out results away from home. Games against the Red Bulls, New England and the Galaxy won’t be easy, so a victory in Montreal would set the road trip off on a positive note.
The Impact struggled in the opening months of their MLS campaign due to their magical run in the Champions League. Understandably, the Impact focused on CCL and their MLS record suffered. Since the conclusion of the 2015 CCL, the Impact have gone 2-2-0, including impressive home victories over RSL and FC Dallas. However, there are holes in their roster due to suspensions, international absences and untimely injures. The most notable is the injury that Kenny Cooper picked up during the Canadian Championship match in Toronto.
Montreal has home advantage but Vancouver has momentum. With the likes of Piatti and Pedro Morales on the pitch, you won’t want to miss this one.
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