Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. New York Red Bulls | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. New York Red Bulls
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 25
BC Place — Vancouver
August 18 - 7 pm ET
WATCH: TSN 1/5, ESPN+

The New York Red Bulls could move atop the Supporters’ Shield standings when they head to BC Place to face a Vancouver Whitecaps FC squad that is smarting after a Canadian Championship final defeat at Toronto Wednesday.

The Red Bulls are coming off a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire and are one point behind Atlanta United following their fifth win in their last six games, while the Whitecaps can move above the playoff line with a win.

New York have won their last two matches against the Whitecaps, keeping clean sheets in both victories. They had never beaten Vancouver prior to those wins (3L-3D), allowing 1.8 goals per game.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Vancouver (9-9-6) crashed and burned out of the Canadian Championship following a 5-2 loss in the second leg of the final at Toronto FC Wednesday night.

The hosts scored the first four goals of the game — three by Jozy Altidore and one by Sebastian Giovinco — to take a commanding lead. Kei Kamara and Brek Shea gave Vancouver a late lifeline, but Tosaint Ricketts’ goal 10 minutes from full time dashed those hopes.

“Going into the tie, we knew it was going to be difficult,” Vancouver head coach Carl Robinson said. “Forget about the results in league play sometimes — on the day, we knew if their big players turned up it was going to be difficult.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: M - Jordon Mutch (right foot injury), D - Jose Aja (left quad injury); QUESTIONABLE: M - Alphonso Davies (hip flexor injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-4-2, right to left)
GK: Stefan Marinovic — Jake Nerwinski, Kendall Waston, Doneil Henry, Marcel de Jong — Cristian Techera, Felipe, Russell Teibert, Alphonso Davies — Kei Kamara, Yordy Reyna

Notes: Alphonso Davies is completing 5.1 dribbles per 90 this season. Only two other players are averaging at least 4.0 per 90 (min. 20 dribbles attempted). … The Whitecaps are undefeated in their last three MLS matches (2W-1D). They’ve scored eight goals in those three games, one fewer than they had in their previous six games (2W-4L).

New York Red Bulls

New York (15-6-2) travel to Vancouver for the first of five games over the course of 15 days after defeating the Chicago Fire, 1-0, last Saturday at Toyota Park.

Bradley Wright-Phillips scored the lone goal and became the first player in league history to score 15 goals or more in five consecutive seasons. Now the Red Bulls turn the page and begin a critical stretch that starts with the Whitecaps and continues at NYCFC Wednesday night.

"There’s just little room for error, especially against good teams on the road,” Red Bulls manager Chris Armas said. "Vancouver has shown that if you’re not ready to play, it’s a long way to go to get your butt kicked."

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: M - Florian Valot (torn left ACL), D - Kyle Duncan (torn right ACL), M - Vincent Bezecourt (MCL spran), D - Tommy Redding (shoulder surgery)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Luis Robles — Michael Murillo, Tim Parker, Aaron Long, Kemar Lawrence — Tyler Adams, Sean Davis — Marc Rzatkowski, Kaku, Danny Royer — Bradley Wright-Phillips

Notes: Red Bulls’ opponents are completing 70.8 percent of their passes this season. Since 2010, only four teams have held opponents to a passing accuracy below 71 percent - two of which are the Red Bulls in 2016 and 2017. … The Red Bulls rank in the top three this season in both road wins (six) and goals against average (1.2).

All-Time Series

Overall: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3 wins, 11 goals … New York Red Bulls 2 wins, 10 goals … 3 draws
At Vancouver: Whitecaps FC 1 win, 6 goals … Red Bulls 1 win, 4 goals … 2 draws
Last meeting at Vancouver: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0, New York Red Bulls 1 (Sept. 3, 2016)