Seattle Sounders Vs Vancouver Whitecaps: 3 things to watch for – Must-win Cascadia clash
By Harvey Cruz
On Sunday night, the Seattle Sounders face the Vancouver Whitecaps in a must-win affair for both teams. Here are three things to watch for.
The reigning champions are feeling a bit desperate as they take on their Cascadia rivals, the Vancouver Whitecaps, on Sunday night. The Seattle Sounders only have one point from their opening two games and are staring down elimination should they fail to beat Vancouver.
Meanwhile, the Whitecaps have only fared worse and will look to right the wrongs following their disastrous 4-3 collapse against the San Jose Earthquakes. Due to FC Dallas’ withdrawal of the tournament from positive COVID-19 tests, this will be Vancouver’s second game. Despite their game in hand, a loss would almost certainly knock them out of the running.
With so much on the line, including regular-season points, here are three things to watch for.
3. Seattle Sounders hoping to avoid elimination
One of the perceived advantages of playing a World Cup-style tournament would be the continuity between the teams. Very few are as familiar with one another as the Seattle Sounders. However, despite this apparent advantage, the Sounders have only scored one goal. That came against the Chicago Fire, a 2-1 loss in which they controlled possession but did not threaten.
So far, guys such as Raul Ruidiaz and Nicolas Lodeiro have yet to make a serious stamp in this tournament. Jordan Morris has been in and out of the lineup, while lapses in concentration have been prevalent and will be a major concern for Brian Schmetzer in what is now a must-win match.
Whether it was due to playing in the scorching-hot morning time or a simple case of not taking their chances, Seattle will need to be much more clinical against the Whitecaps if they are to stick around.