Sporting KC Vs Vancouver Whitecaps: 3 things to watch for – Knockout soccer is here

VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 29: Russell Teibert #31 of the Vancouver Whitecaps challenges Alan Pulido #9 of Sporting Kansas City during MLS soccer action at BC Place on February 29, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 29: Russell Teibert #31 of the Vancouver Whitecaps challenges Alan Pulido #9 of Sporting Kansas City during MLS soccer action at BC Place on February 29, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
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VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 29: Jakob Nerwinski #28 of the Vancouver Whitecaps celebrates after scoring a goal against the Sporting Kansas City during MLS soccer action at BC Place on February 29, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 29: Jakob Nerwinski #28 of the Vancouver Whitecaps celebrates after scoring a goal against the Sporting Kansas City during MLS soccer action at BC Place on February 29, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

2. Can Whitecaps learn from past mistakes?

In very different circumstances, the Vancouver Whitecaps dropped all three points in their home opener after Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda stole the show for Sporting KC.

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A dominant performance from SKC got them off to a terrific start to the season. The Whitecaps, though, were left disappointed after entering the season with optimism following some exciting offseason acquisitions to amend what was a disastrous 2019 season under first-time head coach, Marc dos Santos.

Sporting have certainly cooled off from their hot start, but the two recent wins show that they are the higher quality team of the pair. Without a good blueprint of how to beat the 2020 version of SKC other than hope they miss their chances, the Whitecaps will need to stay compact defensively and attack quickly.

Although this match won’t count towards the regular-season standings, Dos Santos would like to add this win to his resume and take another step closer to giving the Whitecaps organization their first piece of MLS silverware.