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Rapids-Whitecaps FC Preview

The Vancouver Whitecaps may have the second-most points in the Western Conference and the Colorado Rapids the second fewest, but their head-to-head results haven't gone according to that form.

The Rapids have captured the two previous meetings and will seek a fourth straight win Wednesday night when they visit the short-handed Whitecaps in a matchup of the league's top defensive teams.

Vancouver (14-10-3) has 45 points to trail Los Angeles by one in the West race while Colorado (8-9-9) has 33 to lead only Real Salt Lake.

While there's a gulf between these teams in the standings, they are similarly stellar defensively. The Whitecaps have yielded 28 goals in 27 games for the league's best ratio while the Rapids are second with 27 conceded in 26.

Colorado has matched its longest win streak of the season. The Rapids' confidence is also high after beating Vancouver twice at home, 1-0 on May 23 and 2-1 on July 4.

"I think we really match up well against them, I think just from a tactical standpoint, the players that we have, the way that we like to play, we match up really well," coach Pablo Mastroeni said. "So having the confidence of the two performances here at home and taking that same type of mentality into Vancouver, I'm very confident in the way we'll approach that game."

The Whitecaps seek a fourth straight home victory in the opener of a three-game homestand. They are 2-6-0 in the last eight meetings with the Rapids.

"Obviously they've had the number on us the past few games so hopefully we can change that," Vancouver defender Steven Beitashour said.

Vancouver will be without defender Kendall Waston and midfielder Matias Laba, who were both sent off in a 2-0 loss at Houston on Aug. 29. They rank second and third, respectively, in minutes among the Whitecaps' outfield players.

"They've definitely meant a lot to us this year but at the same time, guys have been itching to get into the team and right now is a great opportunity to prove themselves," Beitashour said.

Midfielder Russell Teibert also won't be available since he is with Canada's national team.

Coach Carl Robinson gave his team four days off after the loss to the Dynamo. His club is eager to get back into action.

"You can see after a couple days of practice, everybody has been fresh and very energetic and ready to go," said forward Kekuta Manneh, who has six goals to rank second on the club to Octavio Rivero's nine.

Colorado has had a similar layoff after winning 2-1 over Sporting Kansas City on Aug. 29. Kevin Doyle scored the winning goal for the second straight game.

The club played without suspended defender Bobby Burling. He is eligible to return Wednesday as the Rapids seek their longest win streak since a five-game run in 2003.

"You can feel a lot of momentum in the locker room, and our spirits are definitely lifted and we've really been getting after it in training because we want to push for a fourth (straight win) and a fifth," midfielder Dillon Powers said.

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