VANCOUVER, B.C. – Whenever the Vancouver Whitecaps face the Seattle Sounders, the stakes are always raised. This Saturday’s clash between the two Cascadian rivals has even more on the line than usual, with major implications at play for both sides.
It will be a red-hot atmosphere at a sold out BC Place on Saturday (7 pm ET; TSN in Canada, MLS LIVE in US). Vancouver are going for Supporters’ Shield glory, Seattle are fighting for their playoff lives, and one team will be crowned 2015 Cascadia Cup Champions after the match.
“It'll mean everything to this club if we can get first,” goalkeeper David Ousted said. “Seattle coming here, it's a tough opponent, it's a Cascadia Cup game, it's going to be difficult. But this is the spot we want to be in, the possibility to still win everything. We're proud of where we are, but still work to be done.”
Vancouver head into the match in excellent form, unbeaten at home in their last seven matches in all competitions, with five straight victories. Confidence may be sky high in ‘Caps camp right now, but despite their current lofty standing and ambitions, head coach Carl Robinson still feels his side are far from favorites for end-of-season glory.
"We're in a good position at the moment,” Robinson said. “We've still got a lot of work to do. We know we're an underdog. We've been an underdog all season. We'll take that, but we'll play with enjoyment. We've got energy, we've got exuberance, but we've done nothing.
“We haven't won anything. We're not LA Galaxy who have won the MLS Cup five times. We've done nothing. I'm being honest. I'm being realistic. We are the underdog, but we take one game at a time and who knows what happens, because sometimes the underdogs do win."
One man who knows all about this fierce Cascadian rivalry is Whitecaps midfielder Mauro Rosales, who has experienced it from both sides during his time in MLS.
After missing the first two MLS matches between the sides this season through injury, the Argentine is excited not only to face his former team, but also to improve the chance of glory with his current side.
"It's a great game for us to keep going forward in our ambitions that we have,” Rosales said. “I think everybody know which kinds of games we are playing. This part of the season, with six games left, everybody's looking for points, everybody's needing points.
“Our ambitions are high. We wanted to become leaders and still being in the first position, we have to win these kind of games. Important games like this give you a plus, a plus in confidence, a plus in being a better team. It's a big test for us.”
The Whitecaps already have the Canadian Championship under their belt and they can add a third straight Cascadia Cup with a win against Seattle. But that’s just the start of the team’s aspirations, as they eye up the biggest prizes of the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup.
"There's a great will in this team to try and win,” Ousted said. “This team is maturing. The mental aspect of it is the good approach we have to every game. That needs to continue in the next six games if we want to get to where we want to go."
