Sporting Kansas City and the Vancouver Whitecaps, who last met in the 2021 MLS postseason, will face off on Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park. The Wizards won by a 3-1 with kickoff at 4 am.
Sporting Kansas City earned four points from their previous two domestic encounters. Peter Vermes was pleased with the effort that his players gave against the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday, picking up just their second point on the road this season.
While the effort was evident at PayPal Park, the Wizards still squandered a pair of points, conceding just a minute after taking the lead, as they have now failed to win four of their last five domestic matches in which they have scored first.
Since suffering what some players called an embarrassing defeat, 7-2 to the Portland Timbers, this group has responded well, beating Colorado Rapids and drawing a much-improved Goonies team.
Vanni Sartini’s Caps could not build upon a promising start Sunday, as they fell 2-1 to Charlotte FC. It was the third time all season that they had come away with nothing despite scoring first, having now suffered three road defeats by a single goal this season. Health and safety protocols left Sartini scrambling to find last-minute replacements a week ago, as their top three goalkeepers were forced out because of COVID or injuries.
Kansas City vs. Vancouver Head to Head
Both sides have 23 games against each other with hosts taking 12 wins while visitors with 7 wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Kansas City 2-1 Dynamo
- San Jose 1-1 Kansas
- Kansas 2-1 Colorado
- Portland Timbers 7-2 Kansas
Away
- Cavalry 1-1 Vancouver
- Charlotte 2-1 Vancouver
- Vancouver 2-1 Dallas
- Vancouver 3-3 San Jose
Kansas City Team News
KC striker Johnny Russell tied for the team lead in goals this weekend, and Cameron Duke collected his second assist. Tim Melia stopped four of the five shots that he faced. Russell also had a brace in midweek at the U.S. Open Cup, helping his team advance to the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over the Houston Dynamo.
Vancouver Whitecaps Team News
The Whitecaps maybe without as many as three players because of health issues: Pedro Vite, Isaac Boehmer, and Brian White are all recovering from a positive COVID test, while Cody Cropper returned to the lineup at the Canadian Championship on Wednesday, starting in goal when his side defeated Cavalry to advance to the semi-finals.
Prediction and Odds
Kansas City has not looked as dangerous in the final third this season and have struggled with consistency all year, so we expect the Caps to end their road woes this weekend.
- Away Win
- Goals Over 1.5
- First Half: 0-0
