Guess the Starting XI and Final Score (MLS Match #32 -Sporting Kansas City)

Welcome to another season of our Vancouver Whitecaps contest “Guess the Starting XI and Final Score”. As is tradition, thanks to former regular Spencer for starting this several years ago. It has grown into a great contest and I am appreciative of him for the original idea. Like last season, we will break the contest up into the three ‘seasons’: first half, second half, and non-MLS. We will continue to have fun monthly ‘bonus’ prediction categories, with some being based on whatever it topical at the time. Last season we had things like “Robbo post-match quotes”, “yellow cards”, “first goal scorer”, and several others. However, to start the season, we will keep March simple. With that out of the way, let’s remind you all how the scoring is done.

Contest Details

• Contest article will be posted 2-3 days prior to game day.
• We will keep track of first half, 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, each half of the season will be based on 17 matches, with your worst two match predictions being dropped. This will allow everyone a few misses or bad guesses throughout the season.
• Predictions will be ‘valid’ if posted HERE 1.5 hours prior to kickoff (or half an hour prior to the lineup being officially announced).

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!

After each match, I will tally the scores and update the standings, which will be posted with the following match’s prediction article. I will post three sets of standings. First, the results from the previous match. Second, the monthly standings. Third, the first/second half standings (with your worst two match predictions removed).

Match Review (LA Galaxy)

It was a quiet prediction match, with only 14 predictions coming in. For those that missed, fear not as it was not exactly a record-busting scoring week. Who here predicted Russell Teibert would snap his long scoreless streak and pop in the first one for the Whitecaps? I will tell you who. NO ONE. No one was bold (stupid?) enough to predict a Teibert first goal. In other unexpected outcomes, who predicted a Whitecaps victory against TFC? No o.....wait...rtomsheck did! That gave them the match high with 14 points. Behind them was a three-way tie for second between AdamP17, Jph003, and tecate with 11 points. Each rode a match high 10/11 lineup predictions (and the one bonus point) to second. Everyone would have done better if they had gone with the stereotypical 2-1 scoreline. Maybe we will learn one of these days!

In the September/October standings, chuckbiscuits pulled ahead by one (82 to 81) thanks to scoring one more point than their rival GreyHouseEffect. CascadiaCrunchFC remained in 3rd, with AdamP17 leapfrogging Isabelt for 4th. In the Second Half standings, chuckbiscuits reamins in the lead by three over GreyHouseEffect. CascadiaCrunchFC and The Squirrel are even at 166 for 3rd, and Isabelt is next at 161. Luckily for dfree646, edmondk, and hbamaral each had a ‘freebie’ left, so they did not lose too much ground this match, after not making a prediction.

We have three matches left in the season, and it is still tight. Make the unlikely winner prediction and you may make five points up on the field. As I announced last match, we are adjusting things here, so the match preview (scouting report) will be in our new article. I will hyperlink that article to here once it is posted.

As has been the case for all of September and October, our bonus scoring category is first goal. Correctly predict the first goal and receive a bonus three points for your September/October standings -doesn’t translate to Second Half Standings. If you are predicting no scorer, you need to actually put ‘no scorer’, or something similar, instead of simply predicting a X-0 scoreline.

Scouting Report
Pre-Match

Known Out (Updated as information becomes known)

Injury: Aaron Maund

Suspension: None

International Duty: Alphonso Davies, Doneil Henry, Russell Teibert, Kendall Waston, Aly Ghazal, & Yordy Reyna.