Match Preview: Whitecaps take on Sporting Kansas City in CCL Qualifying

The Vancouver Whitecaps haven’t been terribly successful in MLS Regular Season Play in 2016, but they certainly are in the drivers seat in CONCACAF Champions League Qualifying play.

The Whitecaps sit atop Group C with six points and a 2-0 record after posting victories over Sporting KC and Central FC earlier this season. In fact, the Whitecaps have yet to allow a goal, posting a 1-0 victory over Central, and following that up with a 3-0 thumping against SKC.

Central and Sporting are both at the bottom of the three-team table with a single point each. That means the Whitecaps can book a ticket to the Quarter-finals with a victory in either of their final two matches. Whitecapsfc.com did a nice write-up of the Whitecaps situation here.

The Whitecaps first opportunity will come Tuesday night, when they hit the road to battle Sporting Kansas City again.

Who: Vancouver Whitecaps at Sporting Kansas City

Where: Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City

When: Tuesday, September 13th. 5 pm PT

Where to watch: CONCACAF Facebook page

Riding High... Kind of.

The Whitecaps regained some confidence over the weekend, topping Columbus 3-1. Here’s why they shouldn’t get too excited. Number one, Columbus is having a downright putrid season. Number two, the Whitecaps looked bad for large stretches of the contest, and needed an own goal and some late match heroics to pull out the victory. This wasn’t exactly a pretty victory.

Nonetheless, the Whitecaps were able to snap a bad winless streak, and there had to be plenty of happy faces in the locker room following the match. Hopefully that translates into improved confidence, and the Whitecaps can carry those emotions over into Tuesday’s contest.

Haven’t We Seen This Story Before?

It seems like the Whitecaps are famous for letting what appears to be a sure thing slip away (See: AMWAY!!) Should they succeed and top SKC on Tuesday, it would be a great moment for the club, advancing to their first ever CCL quarter-finals berth. Should they let this opportunity slip through their fingers however, this could go down as one of the most crushingly disappointing seasons in Whitecaps history. Fingers crossed!

Prediction: 1-1 Draw. SKC is eliminated, and the Whitecaps put themselves in a good position moving forward.