Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Colorado Rapids | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Colorado Rapids
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 18
BC Place — Vancouver
July 1 - 7 pm ET
WATCH: TSN 1/4, ESPN+

The winless streak is no more for the Colorado Rapids, who dramatically defeated Minnesota United, 3-2, for their first victory since April 14 — an agonizing stretch of nine winless games.

They head to BC Place to take on an angry Vancouver Whitecaps FC side that had a six-match unbeaten streak snapped Saturday night in a 4-0 drubbing by the Philadelphia Union.

Vancouver has gotten a result in seven of their last eight league meetings with the Rapids (4W-1L-3D), scoring multiple goals in all of but two of those games, per Opta.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

After back-to-back wins preceded by four straight draws, Vancouver (6-6-5) suffered their second most lopsided loss of the season, falling to the Union, 4-0. The Whitecaps finished the match with nine men after Jose Aja and Yordy Reyna received red cards inside the final 20 minutes.

The ‘Caps were outshot 25-2 and failed to put an attempt on frame on a night to forget in Chester.

“Football is a strange game,” Robinson said. “Two weeks ago, we were on Cloud Nine and people thought we were at a certain level, which I knew we weren’t and this week people are disappointed, the players are disappointed and we’re not at that level either. We’re somewhere in between. It’s important you refocus and get back to work.”

Suspended: D - Jose Aja, M - Yordy Reyna
Suspended after next caution: D - Jose Aja, D - Kendall Waston
International duty: D - Kendall Waston
Injury Report: OUT: GK - Stefan Marinovic (left knee sprain); PROBABLE: D - Marcel de Jong (left hamstring strain)

Projected Starting XI
(4-4-2, right to left)
GK: Brian Rowe — Jake Nerwinski, Aly Ghazal, Doneil Henry, Brek Shea — Cristian Techera, Jordon Mutch, Felipe, Alphonso Davies — Kei Kamara, Anthony Blondell

Notes: In his last four games, Alphonso Davies has five goals+assists, four of which came in a 5-2 win against Orlando. He had five goals+assists in his first 47 appearances. … The Whitecaps have suffered just one home loss this season (3W-3D) and are sixth in MLS in both goals per home game (2.0) and xG per home game (2.3).

Colorado Rapids

Trailing by a goal after 65 minutes, it looked like the Rapids (3-9-3) would suffer a similar fate as the last two months when they dropped eight games in a row. But Joe Mason leveled in the 74th minute and Miguel Ibarra was sent off for his part in a post-goal scrum. Tommy Smith then netted the dramatic winner in the seventh minute of stoppage time to lift Colorado to a 3-2 win over the Loons Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

First-year coach Anthony Hudson has lauded his team’s approach despite the doldrums and the Rapids were finally rewarded for their work. Now they’ll try to avenge a 2-1 defeat at Vancouver on June 1.

“We showed a huge amount of character to keep going and force the issue and force the result in the end,” Hudson said. “I think we’re showing some strong signs in these games, we’re taking leads and we’re coming back. We’re responding very well. The signs are good for us and I think we need to build on the character from what we showed on Saturday.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: D - Danny Wilson
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Kortne Ford (left MCL sprain); QUESTIONABLE: Axel Sjoberg (concussion), D - Marlon Hairston (undisclosed injury)

Projected Starting XI
(3-5-2, right to left)
GK: Tim Howard — Deklan Wynne, Danny Wilson, Tommy Smith — Marlon Hairston, Johan Blomberg, Jack Price, Sam Nicholson, Edgar Castillo — Dominique Badji, Jack McBean

Notes: Last weekend, Jack Price became just the seventh Rapids player since 2010 to create 6+ chances in a MLS match and the first to do so since Shkëlzen Gashi in 2015. … The Rapids snapped a nine-game winless run with their 3-2 win last weekend. They have scored as many goals in their last two games (1W-1D) as they had in their prior eight (8L).

All-Time Series

Overall: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 7 wins, 26 goals … Colorado Rapids 9 wins, 28 goals … 4 draws
At Vancouver: Whitecaps FC 6 wins, 20 goals … Rapids 2 wins, 13 goals … 3 draws
Last meeting at Vancouver: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, Colorado Rapids 1 (Sept. 23, 2017)