The Vancouver Whitecaps will look to rebound from their worst defeat of the season as they face the Chicago Fire for the second time this season. Their first meeting in Chicago ended in a goalless draw in which both teams failed to generate few scoring chances. Both clubs sit at the bottom of their respective conferences and also hold the bottom two spots in MLS.
After giving up for four goals in their last game against the Galaxy at home, for their worst defeat by goal margin, the Whitecaps look to redeem themselves against a team that has an equal amount of wins this season. This will be an important game for the club to get three points, not just for their improbable playoff push but to help supporters forget last week’s result. They face a team that played a mid-week match at home and must travel to the west coast now to face the Whitecaps.
Goalkeeper Joe Cannon will have the same leaky backline that gave up six goals in the last two games with Rochat and Boxall in the middle while Harvey and Leathers play the full back positions. The midfield and forward positions will see some shuffling with Jarju on international duty and Chiumiento picking up an injury. In the midfield, Vagenas comes back to partner with Koffie as Salinas and Khalfan will play the wings. Up front, Hassli will be joined by Camilo, who will come from his midfield spot to take a striker’s position.
In the first matchup with Chicago, the Whitecaps became frustrated with the slow defensive play of the Fire and were unable to generate very few quality chances. They allowed Chicago to set the pace of the game which ended up in a goalless draw. This time the Caps must become aggressive in their attack from the beginning and try to take advantage of a potential tired team. The attack must not stop if they pick up the first goal as they have allowed teams to get back in the game and their backline is lacking in recent matches.
The playoffs seem to be a distant dream at this point of the season with only fifteen points so far this season. However, there is a chance that the Whitecaps can turn around their season into a decent first campaign and something to build on for next season. This game against the Fire, a team with similar issues this season, could be their best chance to start on the road to respectability.
(image courtesy of Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
