Western Conference leaders Seattle Sounders are aiming to remain on top with another three points at Lumen Field, where they will welcome playoff-chasing Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday.
The Whitecaps are currently sitting in eighth place and are one point behind the playoff positions, but they do have a game in hand on sixth-placed Los Angeles Galaxy and fifth-placed Real Salt Lake, who are both just two points above Vancouver.
Match preview
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Brian Schmetzer's side have won their last three consecutive MLS matches and have scored eight goals in those games, with their most recent outing a relatively easy day at the office for the Sounders.
Cristian Roldan, Jimmy Medranda and Joao Paulo had the three points sealed before half time against Colorado Rapids, and another clean sheet for the side means that they are still by far the most resilient defence in the Western Conference, only conceding 22 goals in 27 matches.
The build-up play for Medranda's goal in particular would have pleased Schmetzer as he saw his side play their way out from their own 18-yard-box to the attacking third in a well-worked team goal.
Seattle are on course for their first Western Conference title since 2014, when they also went on to win the overall national championship which they will be aiming for again this year.
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Prior to Vanni Sartini's arrival in Vancouver, the Whitecaps were drawing too many games under former manager Marc Dos Santos, but the Canadian outfit have managed to turn some of those draws into three points with Sartini at the helm.
Just as Seattle are entering Sunday's fixture with a 3-0 win under their belt, Vancouver also ran out as 3-0 winners in their last outing, thanks to a hat-trick from striker Brian White.
That was the second time since Sartini has been in charge that the Whitecaps have scored three or more goals in a game, whereas throughout the rest of the season, Vancouver had never managed more than two goals in a match.
Sartini's side need to continue their winning form to break into the top seven as the season nears the closing stages, but their away form does not look favourable for them, only winning once away from the BC Place Stadium during this campaign.
With four of their last seven games coming away from home, that stat is surely in need of changing for the better, but the playoff race is likely to run until the final day with the points gap between the playoff contenders so close.
These two teams played out an entertaining 2-2 draw last time they met at the end of June, but a lot has changed since then especially with a new manager in charge of the Whitecaps.
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Team News
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Seattle Sounders' league position is testament to the strength and depth of their squad, considering the amount of players currently absent through injury, including Jordan Morris, Jordy Delem, Nicolas Benezet, Nicolas Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz.
Ruidiaz was forced off just after half time against San Jose Earthquakes, having already netted two goals, but the top goalscorer's absence in the Sounders last outing did not seem to affect the team's scoring ability which will please Schmetzer.
Will Bruin came into the starting 11 against Colorado and he is expected to have earned another start this weekend having provided the assist for Roldan's opening goal.
Four players are in Vancouver's physio room - Caio Alexandre, Cristian Gutierrez, Erik Godoy and Ranko Veselinovic - who will all continue to be sidelined with injury.
White was the hero for Vancouver last time out after he netted a hat-trick, but goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau has earned the Player of the Match award in the previous two games, saving a late penalty to earn his side three points against Dallas.
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; Medranda, Tolo, Arreaga, Gomez, Alex Roldan; Atencio, Paulo, Cristian Roldan; Montero, Bruin
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Nerwinski, Rose, Jungwirth; Dajome, Owusu, Teibert, Gaspar; Gauld; Caicedo, White
We say: Seattle Sounders 1-1 Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver will understand that Sunday's challenge is going to be a tough test, but if they are serious about reaching the playoffs, coming away with at least a point this weekend would be seen as a positive result.
Seattle are in good winning form; however, the Whitecaps are unbeaten in their last eight away league matches, suggesting that they have what it takes to get something from the game.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Seattle Sounders win with a probability of 67.54%. A draw had a probability of 20.3% and a win for Vancouver Whitecaps had a probability of 12.18%.
The most likely scoreline for a Seattle Sounders win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.75%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (13.54%) and 2-1 (9.37%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.52%), while for a Vancouver Whitecaps win it was 0-1 (4.83%). The actual scoreline of 4-1 was predicted with a 3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Seattle Sounders would win this match.
