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First thoughts
With the MLS Cup Playoffs now here, the Vancouver Whitecaps are the last Canadian club still standing. After pulling off a dramatic 1-0 victory against San Jose in their final game of the regular season to clinch a spot in the MLS postseason, the Whitecaps don’t have much time to rest and celebrate their achievement.
See also: Confident Whitecaps relishing playoffs underdog role against Dallas
Carl Robinson’s squad will now kick of their pursuit of the 2014 MLS Cup on Wednesday night in a knockout round match against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium in Texas. The winner of the midweek fixture will earn the right to face off over two legs against the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference Semifinal.
Keep Thinking
Whether or not the Whitecaps are able to defeat FC Dallas on Wednesday, it has already been a successful first season of the Carl Robinson era in Vancouver. With not many prognosticators predicting that the Whitecaps would make the postseason this year, the Caps used an exceptionally strong finish to the campaign to finish fifth in Western Conference and earn the club’s highest ever point total of the Major League Soccer era.
The Whitecaps head into Wednesday’s knockout match in fine form, with the squad unbeaten in five matches and on a run in which the club has been especially stingy in terms of conceding goals. With David Ousted in fine form in net, Kendall Waston in inspirational form on the back line and midfielders Matias Laba and Pedro Morales having been one of the top midfield duos in the league, the majority of Vancouver’s key players will face off against Dallas in peak form.
Robinson will have almost an entirely healthy squad to select from, with starting right back Steven Beitashour being the main exception due to a hamstring injury. Ethen Sampson and Sam Adekugbe are the prime candidates to fill the void at full back.
While Dallas finished one spot above Vancouver in the final Western Conference standings and thus earned home field advantage for Wednesday’s match, the Texas side will enter the knockout game in a more cool run of form compared to the Whitecaps, with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses in October.
In terms of Vancouver’s chances of defeating Dallas in the playoff match, the Texans offer both hope and a sense of foreboding. On the one hand, there will likely be opportunities for the Whitecaps to score given the fact that Dallas conceded more goals than all but one other Western Conference side that qualified for the postseason. On the other side of that equation, Óscar Pareja’s squad was a goalscoring machine, finishing fourth in the league in goals scored. Vancouver will need to be at the top of their defensive form against a very balanced, dynamic and diverse Dallas attack that features Blas Perez, Fabian Castillo, Mauro Diaz, Michel, Tesho Akindele, Andrés Escobar and David Texeira.
Final Thoughts
These are two evenly matched sides that played three matches in a regular season series in which neither side really got the better of the other. Both teams won once at home while the third match ended in a draw. Overall, Vancouver has never won at Toyota Stadium and that home field advantage does make Dallas the favourites in this game.
However, the Whitecaps are the form team and they have looked like something akin to a team of destiny in recent weeks. While the match will undoubtedly be close, expect the Whitecaps to pull out a close win that will set up a delicious Cascadia matchup in the next round against the Sounders.
Prediction
Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 FC Dallas
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