East meets West as the Lions are set to host the Vancouver Whitecaps this weekend at Orlando City Stadium. Both teams are fighting for playoff qualification in their respective conferences, so the stakes will be high on Saturday night.
Here’s what you should know about Orlando City’s next opponent:
Recent Matches
The Whitecaps are coming off a 2-1 home victory over Houston this past weekend. The result gave Vancouver sole possession of sixth place in the West, one point ahead of seventh place San Jose. Prior to the win, Vancouver fell to New England and drew Colorado in two testing road matches.
Who’s Hot
Vancouver’s two key offseason acquisitions exhibited their goal scoring prowess against the Dynamo:
Fredy Montero and Yordy Reyna each scored in the match which ended Houston’s six-game unbeaten streak -- Montero converted a penalty and assisted Reyna’s brilliant curling effort from outside the box. At times the Whitecaps were running riot on the Dynamo defense; shown by lightning-quick transition play and decisive passing in the attacking third. A lot of that was led by Reyna, who has begun to settle in as the ‘Caps main playmaker.
Who’s Not
The Whitecaps defense came under significant pressure in the second half against Houston. Up 2-0 at the half, Vancouver came out with less urgency for the second 45 and were nearly punished. Houston, playing without leading goal-scorer Erick Torres, nearly equalized late in the match after Romell Quioto cut the Caps’ lead in half.
Overall, Vancouver has looked relatively solid defensively in recent weeks. However if the Lions show the same late-game intensity they played with against Crew SC, don’t be surprised if Vancover becomes overwhelmed by the pressure.
Head-to-Head
These teams have yet to square off in 2017. City has a 0-1-1 record against the Canadian side -- with last year’s dramatic 2-2 draw being the most recent meeting between the teams.
