Columbus Crew SC will look for win No. 2 tonight as they face off against the hot Vancouver Whitecaps. Photo/Greg Bartram (Columbus Crew SC)
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]olumbus Crew SC look to recover from their 2-1 loss to New York in a midweek trip to Cascadia to take on the white-hot Vancouver Whitecaps.
While the MLS schedule can be favorable at times, this week is the exact opposite for the Black and Gold as the powers that be decided a west coast trip to Vancouver should come three days before a trip back out east to New England on Saturday.
Either way, you play with the cards you’re dealt and Crew SC have a tall task in front of them tonight.
What to expect from Vancouver
Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ousted; Beltashour, Waston, Kah, Adekugbe; Laba, Telbert; Mezquida, Morales, Manneh; Rivero
Octavio Rivero is off to a great start, scoring four goals in five matches for the Whitecaps. He has found himself in great attacking positions and is receiving fantastic support from his supporting case in Mezquida, Morales, and Manneh.
Morales seems to have turned the corner this year and has looked stellar playing behind Rivero. Make no mistake, though: Watching a couple of Vancouver’s matches, the front three behind Rivero love to free roam and will switch positions on a regular basis. They can attack from almost any angle and will look to feed their striker at every opportunity.
The pivot has been insanely strong this year for Vancouver with Laba and Telbert holding down the fort in front of the back line. Telbert will regularly move up in attack when Vancouver puts on their press as they are more of a free attacking squad.
Possession still matters in this sport, but Vancouver would prefer to push high as soon as possible and that includes bringing up their defensive midfielders. Expect to see something similar tonight as to what we all saw a week and a half ago against NYRB.
The back four has recovered nicely from that opening match defeat to Toronto, putting up three clean sheets in the last four matches, including a 2-0 victory over LA Galaxy.
Ousted is a more than capable keeper and will have to be tested, but getting through Beltashour, Waston, Kah, and Adekugbe has suddenly become a tall order for any opposing side as only Portland has managed to put one in the back of the net since the opening week.
What to expect from Columbus
Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Clark; Grana, Parkhurst, Pogatetz, Klute; Tchani, Saeid; Finlay, Jimenez, Steindorsson; Kamara
After a ridiculous second yellow card in the 85th minute against NYRB for dissent (if you could call it that), Federico Higuain has to sit out this match, leaving a gaping hole at the #10. Expect Hector Jimenez to slot into the role of center attack.
Justin Meram has returned from international duty, but expect to see Kristinn Steindorsson get his third start at left midfield/left wing. Ethan Finlay will continue to play out right as they all attempt to feed Kei Kamara up top.
Meram could very well slot in, but he may still be recovering from his international duty and the safe play is to go with the fresh player.
Wil Trapp isn’t listed on the disabled list, but he’s still questionable to start tonight. He was held out of making the trip with the United States U-21s due to his injury and there has been no confirmation either way as to his status. For now, the pivot should feature Tony Tchani and Mohammed Saeid, who has been very impressive as a deep-lying playmaker.
The back four will want to forget about their performance against New York, especially the center halves.
Emmanuel Pogatetz gave up a rather soft penalty and Michael Parkhurst practically gifted the second goal with a poor back pass. As Parkhurst said after the NYRB match, though, you have to erase it from your memory and move on. Waylon Francis has returned from international duty just like Meram, but he may not be ready in the same manner, though his travel schedule was not as brutal.
Either Francis or Klute could slot in at left back while Hernan Grana will take his usual spot at right back. Steve Clark will get the start in net.
Prediction
This is not an easy matchup for Crew SC. The week and a half in between matches will certainly help as there have been a couple of knocks to shake off, but with two regular starts just returning from international duty and the suspension of Higuain, it’s tough to see a victory on the road in this matchup. Vancouver is as hot as any club right now, sitting on top of the Western Conference at 12 points. Crew SC could steal one, but I’m not betting on it.
Vancouver 2, Columbus 1
[infobox color=”eg. light, green, blue, yellow”]
MATCHDAY #4:
Opponent: Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Current Form: L-W-W-W-W (12 points, 1st in Western Conference)
Venue: BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Kickoff: 10 PM EDT
TV: Time Warner Cable Sports Channel
Radio: CD 102.5 FM[/infobox]
