Vancouver welcomes Austin FC on Sept. 13 at BC Place, with the Whitecaps leading the MLS Western Conference but missing Thomas Müller and multiple regulars.
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Vancouver Whitecaps will host Austin FC on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time (6:30 p.m. Eastern) at BC Place, with the match positioned as another key Western Conference test for both sides.
The Whitecaps enter the game as leaders of the MLS Western Conference, accumulating 46 points from 23 matches on a record of 14 wins, four draws and five defeats.
Austin FC arrive in 14th place in the same conference with 26 points from 24 games, after recording six wins, eight draws and 10 losses.
Both teams are coming off results in their most recent outings, with Vancouver coming away from a 3-0 victory over LA Galaxy. The match featured goals from Brian White, Ryan Gauld and Bruno Caicedo.
Austin’s most recent result was a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids, with Facundo Torres scoring for Austin and Paxten Aaronson finding the net for Colorado.
Ahead of kickoff, Vancouver will be without several players, including Thomas Müller, who is listed as out due to a knock suffered in the previous match. The report characterizes Müller’s absence as only for this specific game.
In addition to Müller, Vancouver is also dealing with injuries to Ralph Priso-Mbongue (ankle), Ranko Veselinovic (knee) and Kwasi Poku (hamstring). The team is further missing Kenji Cabrera (foot) and Belal Halbouni (knee), with none of those players expected to be available for Sunday’s match.
The same update provides a timetable for returns, stating that Müller is expected back in early October and that the other affected players are likewise anticipated to return in early October.
On the Austin side, the injury list is shorter, with Myrto Uzuni ruled out due to a muscle injury and also expected to return in early October.
For Sunday’s expected lineups, Vancouver is projected to start Takaoka in goal, with Ocampo, Laborda, Blackmon and Johnson in front of him. The midfield is forecast as Larraz, Cubas and Cvetkovic, while Gauld, White and Sabbi are listed across the forward positions.
Austin’s projected starting XI features Stuver in goal, with Desler, Bell and Biro across the back line. Facundo Torres and F. Torres are listed among the midfield and attacking options, alongside Sanchez, Sabovic and E. Torres, with Rosales, Vazquez and Gallagher named in the attacking roles.
For viewers, the match is set to be available on Apple TV in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, according to the viewing information provided.
With the Whitecaps’ leading position in the West and Austin sitting deep in the standings, the lineup absences for Vancouver add an immediate layer of complexity, since the game will rely on replacements filling roles while the club maintains its push at the top.
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