The Vancouver Whitecaps host D.C. United on Saturday night with a chance to clinch an MLS Cup playoff berth, while D.C. tries to stay in the Eastern Conference race.
The Story
The Vancouver Whitecaps host D.C. United on Saturday night with a chance to clinch an MLS Cup playoff berth, while D.C. United tries to stay in the Eastern Conference race.
D.C. United enters the weekend 11th in the East at 6-8-11 with 29 points, four points below the playoff line. The New York Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati each have 33 points in eighth and ninth place, leaving United in contention with nine matches remaining.
Midfielder Brandon Servania said the focus is on “finishing out strong” by sustaining strong performances and fixing what the team “didn’t do well” earlier in the season.
United also faces a demanding trip west. The team left Thursday for what was described as a 2,300-plus-mile flight expected to take about 5.5 hours. Servania said the earlier arrival should help the group adjust.
Leading scorer Tai Baribo is also away on international duty, leaving D.C. to find goals elsewhere.
Vancouver is 15-6-4 with 49 points, five points ahead of Houston Dynamo, St. Louis City and FC Dallas in a tight Western Conference race. A Whitecaps win, combined with other results, would be enough to clinch a playoff place.
The Whitecaps have gone 9-4-1 at home and own MLS’s best goal differential at plus-33.
Vancouver is coming off a 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake last Saturday in Sandy, Utah. That result ended a stretch of 10 matches in 34 days, including two Canadian Championship games.
Head coach Jesper Sorensen said the Whitecaps had been through an “exhausting time with a lot of games” over the previous four weeks, and that some players logged more minutes than the staff would have preferred. He said the group still looked sharp and is ready to “move forward” with a lighter week.
Nashville SC is the only club that has already clinched an MLS Cup playoff spot. Saturday’s match could make Vancouver the second.
← More stories