Guess the Starting XI and Final Score (MLS Match #19 – Chicago Fire)

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).

NO UPDATE TABLES AS I AM CURRENTLY AWAY

Match Preview (Chicago Fire)

Welcome to the second half of the Vancouver Whitecaps 2018 Major League Soccer season. Unfortunately, I am starting this second half off out of the country and thus not able to bring you the weekly table updates. I will return in a few weeks though with the numbers!

With the month of July also comes a new “bonus” contest. This month, we are going with when the Whitecaps will score their first goal of the match. If you correctly predict the 15-minute interval, you will receive a bonus three (3) points for your July (not Second Half) point total. The options are 0-15, 16-30, 31-45+, 46-60, 61-75, 76-90+.

Hopefully Costa Rica are still going strong in the World Cup. If not, it means that Captain Kendall Waston is back with the club. That will mean some additional stability at the center back position. However, there could still be instability at the full back positions. Carl Robinson has been heavily rotating Nerwinski and Franklin on the right and de Jong and Levis (although less so) on the left. Stefan Marinovic should have returned to the net, which is great news as Brian Rowe was a capable backup but did not exactly elicit confidence from me.

The Vancouver Whitecaps will be at home against a Fire squad that has been unsettled all season. In fact, since their drubbing of the Whitecaps last season, they have been underwhelming. Hopefully they have not found a spark over the World Cup break and the Whitecaps can pull out a much needed victory at home.

That is all from me for this one. Good luck with your predictions!