Welcome back for another season of our contest "Guess the Starting XI and Final Score". As always, thanks to former regular Spencer for starting this several years ago. Like last season, we will keep the non-MLS and MLS standings separate. We will also do a first half, second half, and overall standings. Finally, I will have various monthly contests where we add in an ‘extra’ thing to predict, like goal scorers, cards, suspensions, etc. With the basics out of the way, let’s get to the scoring.

MLS Scoring Details

· Contest article will be posted 2-3 days prior to game day

· We will keep track of overall, first/second half, and monthly winners so that late joiners will have something to play for

· I will have a separate ‘contest’ for Voyageurs and Champions League.

· As the MLS season is 34 matches, the overall standings will be based on each participant’s top 30 match guesses. This will allow everyone a few misses or bad guesses throughout the season.

· Predictions will be 'valid' if posted prior to the lineup being officially announced (1 hour before kickoff)

How Scoring is Determined

· You receive 1 point for every player you correctly guess to be in the Starting XI. Receive 1 bonus point for correctly predicting 10 starters. Receive 3 bonus points for correctly predicting 11 starters.

· You get 5 points for correctly guessing Win/Lose/Draw.

· You receive 1 point for correctly guessing each team’s final score. Receive 1 bonus point for correctly guessing both teams final score (for a total of 3).

· That means, if you correctly predict the Starting XI, Final Score, and Winner, you can earn 22 points!

At the end of each week, I will tally the scores and update the standings, to be posted with the next week's match thread.

I am posting TWO different sets of standings. The first is the first half standings. The second is the April standings.

FIRST HALF STANDINGS (MATCHES 1 TO 17)

APRIL STANDINGS

Match in Review (Portland Timbers) and Preview (Montreal Impact)

While we did not have as many predictions are previous matches (probably my fault as I was away and not 'advertising'), it was another solid week of predictions all around. Many people predicted 10/11 starters, with the one hiccup being all 3 defensive midfielders starting. Who saw that coming? Answer, NO ONE! We knew it would be a tough match too, so many people predicted a Timbers victory. What is even more impressive is that 8 (!!) participants correctly predicted the 2-1 final score. Congrats.

When we shift to the April standings, we see Arjon with a large lead over AtlantisB. Unless Arjon doesn't submit a prediction this week, it looks like AtlantisB will be the only one with an opportunity to catch them, as WestCoastCule, currently sitting in 3rd, is 12 points behind.

For May, I am going to test out a scorer prediction idea. It won't count towards the overall standings, but I will keep track for the month. If it works nicely, we will implement it next season. I also would like your feedback on it at the end.

Now, on to Montreal. The Vancouver Whitecaps travel to Montreal to face the Impact. It will be a tough match, as it always is. The Caps do not have the most success on the right coast while Montreal is fairly good at home. They have Piatti back, so that helps.

Last match, Davies started on the bench. It will be interesting to see if he gets the start this week. If Davies starts, does Bolanos shift inside? Maybe Techera sits and we see Mezquida get a start? Who starts in the defensive midfield? Do we see another three defensive midfield again since it is a road match? Does Teibert get an opportunity to show his abilities? At first glance, the lineup predictions look simple, but maybe they are not. Same with the scoreline. Should be a fun one on Saturday. Remember, it is a Noon start, so don't let your predicts wait too long!

KNOWN OUT (Will be updated as information becomes available)

Injury: David Edgar, Brett Levis, Yordy Reyna, Brek Shea, Erik Hurtado

Suspension: