LINEUPS: João Paulo will get his first start of the season, slotting in alongside Obed Vargas.

Getting ready to head out on a two-game road trip to the East Coast and having just one of their first seven games, the Seattle Sounders head into today’s home match against the Vancouver Whitecaps needing a win pretty badly. Although the Sounders have picked up points in each of their past two games, they are still in a rather significant hole after going 0-3-2 in their first five.

The Whitecaps are no easy opponent, however. They are off to one of their best-ever starts, going 4-2-1 with wins in both of their previous road games (albeit over bottom-of-the-table San Jose and Dallas). They will be missing at least one key contributor to that start, Fafa Picault, who is out with a back injury.

The Sounders, meanwhile, should be as close to full strength as they’ve been all year. Notwithstanding Pedro de la Vega’s recent setback, João Paulo appears to be in position to make his first start of the year and Léo Chú will be available as well. Essentially, the Sounders will have a starting lineup very similar to the one that finished last year’s closing stretch.

Also potentially working in the Sounders’ favor is their historical domination of this fixture. The Sounders are 8-0-2 against the Whitecaps at Lumen Field since Vancouver’s last win in Seattle on March 19, 2016.

Notes

This is the second of nine total Cascadia Cup matches, but the first one involving the Sounders. The Whitecaps beat the Timbers 3-2 earlier this year. The Whitecaps are the current trophy holders and are tied with the Sounders for the most all-time titles (7).
The Sounders and Whitecaps have faced one another 151 times across various leagues and competitions since they were both founded in 1974. The Sounders have an all-time record of 73-52-26 against the Whitecaps, which includes a record of 17-9-9 in MLS play.
Raúl Ruidíaz has eight all-time goals against the Whitecaps, the most in the series’ history.
The Whitecaps lead MLS with a +6 goal-difference, while the Sounders are tied for third-best in the Western Conference at +2.