Sporting Kansas City-Whitecaps FC Preview
A convincing win over the league's top team and the expected return of their captain has the Vancouver Whitecaps confident they've put a slow start behind them.
With momentum not on its side, Sporting Kansas City hopes to call upon its past success against Vancouver when it enters BC Place on Wednesday night seeking to avoid a fourth consecutive loss.
The Whitecaps (3-4-1) got a stellar performance from goalkeeper David Ousted and a bit of good fortune in Saturday's much-needed 3-0 home win over FC Dallas. Aided by an own goal by Dallas defender Maynor Figueroa in the 35th minute, Vancouver received four spectacular saves from Ousted and second-half scores from Jordan Harvey and Kekuta Manneh in ending a two-game losing streak.
"I think you saw everybody top to bottom step up," Harvey said. "We just need to continue to do that. I think we've done it throughout the season but the balls kind of fell our way this game."
The Whitecaps entered the match scoreless in their last three games and having generated only one goal in open play this season. Four of their nine goals have come on penalty kicks from midfielder Pedro Morales, whom coach Carl Robinson says is ready to go after missing three straight with a groin strain.
"He's raring to go," Robinson told the team's official website. "He's looking sharp, he's looking good, and hopefully that will transfer on Wednesday."
Morales accounted for Vancouver's lone goal in a 2-1 loss at Kansas City on March 12, its third straight defeat in the series. Sporting KC also won both 2015 meetings and is 5-1-2 all-time against the Whitecaps.
Though injuries to key midfielder Soni Mustivar and defender Chance Myers have contributed to its current skid, Kansas City (4-4-0) has been hurt by bad luck as well. It has owned time of possession advantages in all three losses and outshot San Jose in Sunday's 1-0 defeat in which the lone goal came on a penalty kick.
That score occurred shortly after Sporting's Dom Dwyer was taken down in the box, a play that Kansas City coach Peter Vermes said warranted a penalty and red card.
"It's unfortunate that it was a big miss and it was a two-part miss," Vermes said of the non-call. "It was a penalty and then also it was a red card and both were missed. Changes the game."
Dwyer, who had two first-half goals in last month's win over Vancouver, hasn't had a hand in any goals in two straight games after scoring four and assisting on two in the first six games.