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Whitecaps FC-Timbers Preview

If the Vancouver Whitecaps can tie their longest MLS win streak Sunday, they would also take a commanding lead in the race for the Cascadia Cup.

The Whitecaps will seek a fourth consecutive victory while sending the scuffling Portland Timbers to a fourth straight loss in the second meeting between the teams this month.

The only time Vancouver (6-5-2) has won more than three straight in its six years in MLS was a four-game streak early last season.

The Whitecaps survived for a 4-3 victory in Toronto last weekend, blowing an early two-goal lead before Kekuta Manneh and Pedro Morales scored two minutes apart in the second half. They played with 10 men for the final 19 minutes, including stoppage time, after Fraser Aird received his second yellow card.

Vancouver kicked off its win streak with a 2-1 home victory over Portland on May 7, as Masato Kudo provided a goal and an assist. Kudo is currently out with a fractured jaw.

It's unclear if Portland (3-6-3) will have to play without one of the league's leading goal scorers. Fanendo Adi injured his hamstring not long after scoring his eighth goal of the season in a 2-1 defeat to New York City FC last Sunday, the Timbers' third straight loss by that score.

The Timbers are already without striker Darren Mattocks (knee), goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey (finger), and defenders Alvas Powell (wrist) and Andy Thoma (knee). Midfielder Diego Chara's status is unclear because of an ailing foot.

"It's been hard but those kind of things happen in a long season," midfielder Diego Valeri said. "You have to work with the whole roster."

The Whitecaps will try to take advantage of that short-handed lineup while adding to their six-point lead over Portland and Seattle in the Cascadia Cup. Vancouver has four matches remaining in the competition.

"On derby days, everything goes out the window. I said that prior to when we play Seattle, Portland, or even Toronto," coach Carl Robinson said. "It's who performs on the day. We've got to make sure we continue doing the positive things we've done, but we continue with the work as well. The work they've put in has been phenomenal."

Whitecaps forward Octavio Rivero (ankle) is listed as questionable, but he has one goal in 10 games after scoring a team-best 10 in 2015.

Christian Bolanos has sparked the team with four goals and one assist in his last five matches. Manneh had two goals and an assist in the win over Toronto after tallying one of each in his first 11 games.

Bolanos had the go-ahead goal against the Timbers in Vancouver's third win in 17 all-time MLS meetings (3-7-7). The Whitecaps are 1-3-5 in Portland and have played to draws in each of the past three games there, including a scoreless one in the first leg of last year's Western Conference semifinals.

Portland closed out the series with a 2-0 victory in Vancouver en route to its first MLS title.

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