Whitecaps-FC Dallas preview

The MLS All-Star break could not have come at a better time for FC Dallas or the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Both teams will be rested and ready to roll for the second half of the season when they meet for the second and final time this year on Sunday evening in steaming Texas heat in Frisco.

But the two sides bring different goals into the run to the postseason. FC Dallas (12-6-5, 41 points), the leader in the race for the Supporters Shield, sits atop the Western Conference table, three points ahead of Colorado.

The Whitecaps (8-8-6, 30 points) are in sixth in the West, only a point ahead of Portland and a point behind Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake.

The top six teams from each conference make the MLS Cup playoffs.

One of the big storylines to watch on Sunday is the return to Frisco for the Whitecaps striker Blas Perez. Perez spent four seasons with FC Dallas before joining Vancouver in the offseason. This will be his first trip back to Toyota Stadium, a fact that's not lost on his new teammates.

"Blas is a warrior, man, and I'm glad he's on our side this time," Vancouver defender Jordan Harvey said. "I'm sure he'll be giving the team talk. We'll be rallying around him."

Both the Vancouver and FC Dallas enter Sunday's match in Frisco off a draw in their most recent outings.

FC Dallas got a late goal from Victor Ulloa to stay atop the league's overall standings in a 1-1 road draw with the Colorado Rapids. FC Dallas has spent this week recuperating after a tough stretch of its schedule had it play eight games in 29 days.

Vancouver played the Houston Dynamo to a scoreless draw at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, earning their first-ever point after 10 losses in 11 matches in the Lone Star State.

This meeting will mark the second and final encounter between the two Western Conference sides during the regular season. FC Dallas and the Whitecaps last met on April 23 in Vancouver, with the Canadian side earning a 3-0 win.