VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC v. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

“The ball should be moved early, preferably on first contact. To run with it is often only to waste valuable attacking time.”

– Ferenc Puskas, 85 caps/84 goals for Hungary, 659 appearances/670 goals for Honved and Real Madrid

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Sounders FC find themselves on a dual-mission when they visit the True North come Sunday. Firstly, to stave off our rivals that threaten to eliminate us from MLS Cup qualification. Secondly, to save face in Cascadia Cup, where we have failed to earn a point this season. You can build a bonfire if ye like, but you might want to turn it down 15-20%.

What: MLS league and Cascadia Cup match, Vancouver Whitecaps FC v. Seattle Sounders FC.

Where: BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia.

When: 12.30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Sunday 1 November 2026 CE.

At Stake: Points in the league for the purposes of MLS Cup qualification and pride. Since Cascadia Cup was established in 2004, only one team has earned zero points in the competition. That team was the 2020 Vancouver Whitecaps (Sounders FC won that season, on goal difference as we were tied with Portland on 13 points). Sounders FC have earned zero points from three matches in the Cascadia Cup this season. This is the last opportunity for us to earn a point this season. If we fail to earn a point in Cascadia Cup, it would be two heartbreaking historic firsts in five days, after Houston defeated us for the first time ever in a league match at Royal Brougham Park. Should we manage to save face in Vancouver, preferably with a victory, we also would help ourselves and make it more likely that we qualify for MLS Cup. The MLS Cup qualifying table for the western reads like this after Saturday’s results:

6 LAFC 2 matches remaining         47 points

7 LA Galaxy 1 match remaining 44 points

8 Colorado 1 match remaining 43 points

9 Sounders 2 matches remaining         43 points

———————————————————————————————————————————————

10 Salt Lake 1 match remaining 42 points

11 Portland     2 matches remaining         40 points

12 San Diego 1 match remaining 38 points - eliminated

13 Minnesota 2 matches remaining         38 points

14 Austin 1 match remaining 34 points - eliminated

15 Kansas City 1 match remaining 23 points - eliminated

Relevant matches for this Sunday:

LAFC v. MIN || POR v. HOU

Where to Watch: Apple TV.

Where to Listen: KJR 950 AM and El Rey 1360 AM.

This may be the shortest intro I’ve written all season. After Saturday’s league results, Sounders are teetering on the brink. With our Boys in Green currently occupying the 9th and last MLS Cup qualifying berth, Salt Lake is only one point adrift, with arch-rivals Portland three points behind.

Recent defeats against Houston and at Dallas, combined with draw results against Montreal and at San Diego, have a left our Sounders a very difficult mission indeed. We’re somehow, some way, going to need four points from Vancouver away and LAFC at home to secure a berth in MLS Cup.

This is unfortunate, because our only result against LAFC this season was getting shut-out on the road 1:0, and we haven’t beaten Vancouver in the league since 2 October 2024. Our all-time record in the league against LAFC is 4-4-11, for four wins in 19 attempts. Make of these numbers what you will.

So that’s the end of it then. We’re either going to qualify, or we aren’t. Buckle up. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

For those making the trip to the True North, look after each other, make sure your scarves are tied correctly, behave yourselves in town, and be loud on the terraces. For those of us remaining in The Evergreen, it’s pubs and dwellings for stories and tellings, houses and flats for pints and cats, and boats and ships for pie and chips.

It’s Sounders football, under the afternoon sun at BC Place. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

It’s pretty in B.C. Everyone is welcoming and kind. When I visited, years ago, for Sounders away, I didna want to leave. All that said, we’ve gotta have the points yeh?

The Good News

Overall, we have a decent record against Vancouver in the league all-time (17-11-12), so at least in this way, history favours us. Even on the road, at BC Place we’re still 8-6-6 all-time.

Rothrock has been cleared from injury list and is available for selection. This is a very good thing. Although he probably won’t play much, if at all on Sunday afternoon, he might be a possibility for the final match of the season. Don’t make me say Decision Day, I hate that term. It’s 100% marketing, all foam and no beer.

With our backs firmly against the wall now, our Boys in Green will be even more highly motivated than their norm. We’ve pulled out miraculous results when needed in the past, and we could sure use some of that magic right about now.

We’ve got to sort our fundamentals. Players have to commit to not attacking the same spaces whilst in possession. We have to make smarter runs, check our runs, and make oblique runs to stay onside. We need to play faster and in combinations. Faster and better player movement and ball movement. And somehow, amidst all the rest of this, not get caught with our pants down on the counter-attack. That means the 6 can attack and the 8 can attack, but NEVER AT THE SAME TIME. The left-back can attack and the right-back can attack, but NEVER AT THE SAME TIME. If we can do these things, with discipline, and proper execution we might be in with a shout. Remember what got ye here, lads. Believe in yourselves. Make space for each other. Work together at everything you do and you can hold your head high at full-time no matter what the result.

The Bad News

Brian White (18 goals, 2 assists) and Thomas Mueller (9 goals, 8 assists) have 27 of of their club’s 67 league goals. Sounders have only 41 league goals from their entire squad. Make of these numbers what you will, but I can tell ye straight it’s not good-like.

Although we statistically dominated against Houston midweek, those numbers do not accurately describe how ineffective we were in attack. Our spacing was atrocious. We were holding the ball in the final third with no way through. Always attacking after our opponent had 10 men organised at the back. Ye cannae hit a football through another human being. It’s just not physically possible. I don’t think this is on our players, so whatever the tactics were for Wednesday, let’s not do that again.

Vancouver doesn’t really lose at home this season (12-3-7) although we got the better of them in Champions Cup at their ground 0:3 on 12 March. This doesn’t do much to mitigate the loss of Yeimar Gomez Andrade to injury, or the fact we’ve been having trouble scoring goals lately as we’ve been shut-out twice in the last four matches.

We’re unlikely to see Rothrock in the team, as having just got off injury list he will likely play limited minutes as a substitute to test his return to fitness. Rothrock’s all-in style of football is exactly the type of energy we need just now.

An away match against a superior opponent who is also a rival is not an ideal position to be in given the current scenario. Both teams are suffering a bit from spotty form, but Vancouver has the 2nd best defence in the league to our 5th, and has scored more goals (tied for 2nd in the league with 67) than any teams except for Cincinnati and Miami (75 goals).

Sounders FC are at a crossroads. Something has to change. Change must happen regardless of wether we qualify for MLS Cup or even should we manage to somehow win it. Players, the Manager, support staff, ownership, something has to change. We have lost our way, and it needs fixing. Soon.

The Side I Would Select

The seeming dilemma here is do we crack on as we have been with our most experienced hands, or do we attempt to make changes in the hopes we can regain our form? Here is the team I would select:

GK     Thomas

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Lopez

RB     Alex

LDM    Kingston

RDM   Cristian

LF     Arriola

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Clark

CF     Joveljic

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

I would be surprised if there were any changes from midweek, except maybe Morris being on the left instead of Gomez, because we statistically dominated Houston in every facet of the game, save for goals scored.

GK     Thomas

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Alex

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM   Dotson

RDM   Cristian

LF     Morris

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Ferreira

CF     Joveljic

Intangibles

The Referee for Saturday night’s match will be Alexis Da Silva.

VAN record with Da Silva as Ref: 0-4-1

SEA record with Da Silva as Ref: 1-2-1

VAN aggregate squad estimated transfer value: €61M

SEA aggregate squad estimated transfer value: €52M

VAN 2026 transfer fees paid: €6.1M

SEA 2026 transfer fees paid: €5.2M

Vancouver’s Manager, Jesper Sorensen, was previously Manager at Brondby, Denmark U-21s, Fredericia, and Silkeborg. Sorenson holds a UEFA Pro coaching license.

General notes on personnel

Vancouver transfers IN:

Djordjevic - reserves

Gherasimencov - reserves

Larraz (Colorado Rapids) free

Caicedo (Barcelona SC) €1.1M

Jackson (Jagiellonia Bialystok) loan

Sabaly (Metz) €1M

Poku (RWDM Brussels) €120,000

Cvetkovic (OFK Beograd) €1.5M

Ramirez (Fortaleza CEIF) loan

Fotsing (Vancouver FC) €300,000

Diaby (Grenoble Foot 38) €1.3M

Modesto (Udinese) €800,000

Selemani - reserves

Vancouver transfers OUT:

Anchor (Seattle Sounders FC) free

Chateau (Galway United) free

O’Neill - released

Rios (Guadalajara) end of loan

Nelson (Austin FC) €1M

Ahmed (Norwich City) €2M

Pupe (Sint-Truidense) loan

Bovalina (Orebro) loan

Pierre (FC Tulsa) loan

Pupe (Sint-Truidense VV) €700,000

Schonlau (Holstein Kiel) free

Berhalter (Middlesbrough) €1.75M

Pierre (Halifax Wanderers) loan

MacKenzie (Halifax Wanderers) loan

Ngando - mutual contract termination

Comparison against common opponents

VAN 1:0 RSL

RSL 0:3 VAN

RSL 2:1 SEA

SEA 2:0 RSL

(against RSL: VAN 2-0-0 +4, SEA 1-0-1 +1) decisive edge VAN

POR 1:4 VAN

VAN 3:2 POR

SEA 1:5 POR

POR 2:1 SEA

(against POR: VAN 2-0-0 +4, SEA 0-0-2 -5) decisive edge VAN

VAN 6:0 MIN

MIN 0:0 VAN

MIN 0:0 SEA

SEA 3:1 MIN

(against MIN: VAN 1-1-0 +6, SEA 1-1-0 +2) edge VAN

VAN 0:1 SJ

SJ 1:1 VAN

SJ 0:1 SEA

SEA 3:2 SJ

(against SJ: VAN 0-1-1 -1, SEA 2-0-0 +2) decisive edge SEA

VAN 3:0 SKC

SKC 0:3 VAN

SKC 1:1 SEA

SEA 2:1 SKC

(against SKC: VAN 2-0-0 +6, SEA 1-1-0 +1) decisive edge VAN

VAN 3:1 COL

COL 1:0 VAN

SEA 2:0 COL

COL 3:3 SEA

(against COL: VAN 1-0-1 +1, SEA 1-1-0 +2) marginal edge SEA

LAG 1:1 VAN

VAN 3:0 LAG

SEA 0:2 LAG

LAG 1:1 SEA

(against LAG: VAN 1-1-0 +3, SEA 0-1-1 -2) decisive edge VAN

DAL 2:3 VAN

VAN 5:0 DAL

SEA 2:1 DAL

DAL 1:0 SEA

(against DAL: VAN 2-0-0 +6, SEA 1-0-1 0) decisive edge VAN

HOU 1:0 VAN

VAN 0:1 HOU

HOU 0:1 SEA

SEA 0:1 HOU

(against HOU: VAN 0-0-2 -2, SEA 1-0-1 0) decisive edge SEA

SD 2:4 VAN

VAN 4:1 SD

SEA 1:1 SD

SD 2:2 SEA

(against SD: VAN 2-0-0 +5, SEA 0-2-0 0) decisive edge VAN

CIN 4:3 VAN

CIN 1:1 SEA

(against CIN: VAN 0-0-1 -1, SEA 0-1-0 0) marginal edge SEA

VAN 1:1 LAFC
LAFC 1:1 VAN

LAFC 1:0 SEA

(against LAFC: VAN 0-2-0 0, SEA 0-0-1 -1) edge VAN

VAN 1:3 STL

STL 0:0 VAN

STL 0:1 SEA

SEA 4:1 STL

(against STL: VAN 0-1-1 -2, SEA 2-0-0 +4) decisive edge SEA

VAN 1:2 ATX

ATX 1:2 VAN

ATX 3:1 SEA

SEA 1:2 ATX

(against ATX: VAN 1-0-1 0, SEA 0-0-2 -3) decisive edge VAN

CHI 3:1 VAN

SEA 2:2 CHI

(against CHI: VAN 0-0-1 -2, SEA 0-1-0 0) marginal edge SEA

VAN 1:1 MTL CANC

MTL 2:1 VAN CANC
SEA 1:1 MTL

(against MTL: VAN 0-1-1 -1, SEA 0-1-0 0) marginal edge SEA

TIG 1:1 VAN LC

TIG 2:0 SEA CCC
SEA 3:1 TIG CCC

(against TIG: VAN 0-1-0 0, SEA 1-0-1 0) marginal edge SEA

Know Thine Enemy

Whitecaps as they lined up in their 4:1 victory over San Diego on 28 October at BC Place.

GOALKEEPER

Yohei Takaoka, 30

Japan

Notable Clubs: Yokohama FC (41/0), Sagan Tosu (40/0), Yokohama F. Marinos (71/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (131/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Developed by Yokohama FC. Won a J-League title with Yokohama F. Marinos. Named to J-League Best XI 2022. Won 3x Canadian Championships with Vancouver.

DEFENCE

Tate Johnson, 21

United States

Notable Clubs: Tampa Bay Rowdies (7/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (59/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3M

Notes: Developed by Indiana Fire Academy and Tampa Bay United. Played his university football for North Carolina (17/1). Won a Canadian Championship with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Tristan Blackmon, 30

United States (2/0)

Notable Clubs: Los Angeles FC (64/2), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (138/6)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Played his university football for Pacific (70/16). Won an MLS league championship with LAFC. Won 4x Canadian Championships with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Named to MLS Best XI 2025. Named MLS Defender of the Year 2025.

Mathias Laborda, 27

Uruguay

Notable Clubs: Nacional (83/6), Vancouver Whitecaps (108/12)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Full name: Mathias Nicolas Laborda Malsenido. Developed by Nacional. Won 2x Uruguayan Primera Division and a Supercopa Uruguaya with Nacional. Won 3x Canadian Championships with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Edier Ocampo, 23

Colombia (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Atletico Nacional (44/3), Fortaleza CEIF (17/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (64/4)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Full name: Edier Ocampo Vidal. Developed by Sur Oriente and Atletico Nacional. Won a Colombian Cup and Colombian Super Cup with Atletico Nacional. Has played for Colombia at youth levels (25/0). Won 2x Canadian Championship with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

MIDFIELD

Oliver Larraz, 25

United States

Notable Clubs: Colorado Rapids (72/1), San Diego Loyal (12/1), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (27/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Developed by Colorado Rapids and MSV Duisburg.

Rayan Elloumi, 19

Tunisia (4/0)

Notable Clubs: Vancouver Whitecaps FC (32/4), 

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.2M

Notes: Developed by Edmonton Juventus SC, Edmonton BTB SC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Aleksa Cvetkovic, 21

Serbia

Notable Clubs: Graficar (2/0), OFK Belgrade (72/7), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (7/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3M

Notes: Developed by Radnicki, Red Star Belgrade, and Graficar. Has played for Serbia (6/1) at youth levels. Won a U-17 Serbian League title with Red Star Belgrade.

FORWARD

Yadaly Diaby, 26

Guinea (13/1)

Notable Clubs: Clermont Foot (18/2), Austria Lustenau (53/9), Grenoble Foot (49/11), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (10/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.2M

Notes: Developed by Jeunesse Foot Sud and Andrezieux Boutheon.

Brian White, 30

United States (8/1)

Notable Clubs: New York RB (47/15), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (166/80)

Estimated Transfer Value: €5M

Notes: Developed by PDA. Played his university football for Duke (73/23). Won MLS League Championship in 2018 with New York RB. Won 4x Canadian Championships with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Ryan Gauld, 30

Scotland (6/0)

Notable Clubs: Dundee United (42/7), Sporting Lisbon (2/0), Vitoria de Setubal (5/0), Aves (18/1), Farense (66/20), Hibernian (5/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (132/39)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.8M

Notes: Developed by Brechin City Boys Club and Dundee United. Won a Taca de Portugal with Aves. Won 4x Canadian Championship with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Won George Gross Memorial Trophy 2022.

Familiar Faces

None.

Squads

Vancouver from:

Takaoka, Zendejas, Boehmer, Laborda, Adekugbe, Veselinovic, Ocampo, Johnson, Gherasimencov, Blackmon, Djordjevic, Modesto, Priso, Larraz, Ramirez, Cvetkovic, Gauld, Sabaly, Muller, Caicedo, Poku, White, Selemani, Diaby.

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Anchor, Hawkins, Kim, Kossa-Rienzi, Lopez, Nouhou, Alex, Ragen, Sailor, Brunell, Kingston, Clark, Cristian, Dotson, Rusnak, Arriola, Ferreira, Gomez, Joveljic, Morris, Musovski, Rothrock.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

OUT: Badwal (hamstring), Cabrera (foot), Cubas (ankle), Halbouni (knee), Sabbi (ankle).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Sounders FC -

OUT: Gomez Andrade (hamstring), De la Vega (quadriceps), Petkovic (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: Musovski (head).

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Vancouver: Elloumi is suspended for being booked twice in his last match. Blackmon, Johnson, and Ocampo out next match if booked.

Sounders FC: No players suspended. Dotson and Kingston out next match if booked.

Note: I am utterly perplexed by the MLS Disciplinary department, and not for the first time. Young Peter Kingston was booked against Houston, and was on the warning list the night before the match. Being on that list means you are out next match if booked. Kingston was booked on Wednesday night in the 65th minute, yet he is not suspended. Why?

Fun Fact

The lowest number of points Sounders FC have earned in the history of Cascadia Cup was three points in the 2022 edition of the tournament.