The Seattle Sounders are visiting Cascadia rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday in their second of three meetings this season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air in English on 93.3 KJR FM and in Spanish on El Rey 1360AM.Â
2023 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 9-7-5 (32 points, 2nd West), Whitecaps: 6-6-7 (25 points, 9th West)
FORM GUIDE (most recent first, MLS matches only): Seattle: WDLDD, Vancouver: LWDDW
PREVIOUS MEETING: Seattle visited Vancouver on May 20 and fell 2-0 behind a 44th-minute goal from Pedro Vite and a 58th-minute own goal by Stefan Frei.
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: The Sounders continue to be without forward Jordan Morris and midfielder Cristian Roldan, who are each with the United States at the Concacaf Gold Cup. The U.S. won Group A and will face Canada on Sunday in the quarterfinals at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Seattle could potentially see the return of defender Alex Roldan, whose El Salvador side did not make it out of the Gold Cup group stage. The Whitecaps will be without Julian Gressel (United States), Ali Ahmed (Canada) and Javain Brown (Jamaica), all of whom qualified for the Gold Cup knockout rounds.
RAGEN RETURNS: Seattle will be buoyed by the return of center back Jackson Ragen, who missed last weekend’s win over the Houston Dynamo because of yellow-card accumulation. The second-year Michigan product has started 19 of 21 MLS matches this season for Head Coach Brian Schmetzer.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE: Frei and the Sounders recorded their MLS-leading 11th clean sheet of the season last week. Seattle has conceded just 18 times through 21 matches, and its 0.86 GAA is on pace to set a single-season club record. Only Nashville SC (16) has allowed fewer goals in the league this year.
CHÚ-GGING ALONG: Following another assist last weekend, Sounders wingers Léo Chú extended his team lead to eight on the year. The Brazilian is having a breakout season and is tied for fifth in MLS in assists.
(EXPECTED) GOALS GALORE: The Whitecaps and Sounders are fourth and fifth, respectively, in MLS in xG this season. Vancouver forward Brian White is second in the league in xG at 9.41, behind only Golden Boot leader Hany Mukhtar.
FAMILIAR BATTLE: Saturday’s match will feature a clash in central midfield between two former Boca Juniors teammates, as Seattle’s Nicolás Lodeiro squares off against Vancouver’s Andrés Cubas. The latter is a Paraguayan international who joined the Whitecaps in 2022 and has been quietly been one of the best defensive midfielders in MLS since his arrival, while no one in MLS has more assists than Lodeiro since the Uruguayan entered the league in 2016.
GREAT SCOT: With Gressel, a midfielder turned wingback turned creative No. 8, away with the U.S. national team, more of the attacking impetus will fall to Ryan Gauld. The 27-year-old Scottish Designated Player has five goals and three assists in his last six matches across all competitions.
