The Whitecaps look to take a step forward to the finals in the Canadian Championship on Wednesday night at BC Place against York United. After an early first-round exit to Cavalry FC in 2019, followed by an abbreviated point style format for the shortened 2020 season. The Whitecaps fell to Pacific FC at Starlight Stadium, which resulted in head coach Marc Dos Santos firing Last August.
This year has been different. The Whitecaps were able to get past Valour FC 2-0 before a shootout victory over the Cavalry, as mentioned above, FC 5-3 in penalty kicks. Now, the Whitecaps have a chance to host the semi-final match against York United and the Canadian Championship final at BC Place.
“We look forward to do a solid performance like we did in the first two games of the Canadian Championship.” Vanni Sartini said to the media on Tuesday afternoon.
I asked him about his impression of the York United side: “Well, they’re a good team, and they’re very aggressive. So it’s kind of a question mark for tomorrow because they are very aggressive, they press a lot, and I don’t know if tomorrow [when they play against us] they are going to change their approach.
Projected Lineup, News, and Notes
Vanni Sartini has said that the Canadian Championship and winning trophies are essential to the club. This would also be an excellent opportunity to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League next season.
The head coach gave an injury update, and Cristian Gutierrez, Michael Baldisimo, and Sebastian Berhalter are all unavailable for the Caps. Thomas Hasal is still out for the Whitecaps but has returned to full training. Vanni Sartini mentioned he would get a start with the WFC2 squad before returning to the team full-time, in which the team would have two top keepers.
“So, the plan is more or less the same as we’ve done with any other players. He will play one of the last two games with the WFC2 to get back into the rhythm of the game.
And then it will be available again and will be, I would say, an excellent competition because, you know, Cody’s come-on was very good. So I think that I’m happy because at the moment, we no longer have a number one or number two, but we have two number ones.”
New DP Andres Cubas also impacted the last match against FC Dallas and should factor in this week.
“He’s adjusting very well and very quickly. He’s also the kind of player who can adjust quickly because he’s a tactical player. His most outstanding qualities are winning the ball back, recovering the ball, and being an outstanding midfielder.
But at the same time, as you guys could see in Dallas he is a good striker is a good technique. You can give away the ball right to left and left to right. So I think it’s showing all the qualities that made the target for us.”
Lucas Cavallini has been in fine form of late scoring an early goal in Dallas after his stint with the Canadian National Team. He should start up top Wednesday night for the Whitecaps. Ryan Gauld came off the bench, but Vanni Sartini noted he wanted his best 11 on the pitch, so expect to see Gauld starting.
“So you know, you know me guys that I like to rotate a lot of players, but I think that tomorrow we will play the best 11 to win the game.”
Here is what I could see for the Vancouver Whitecaps vs York United starting lineup. Vanni Sartini wants to go with the best starting 11, so here is what I think it will be against York United. We should see the hybrid 3-4-2-1 formation or something close to it as the Caps will look to capitalize on the York United mistakes,
“So you guys know that I like to rotate a lot of players, but I think tomorrow we’ll play the best 11 to win the game.” Vanni Sartini said about his starting lineup for Wednesday night’s match.
Sports Talk Line And The Vancouver Whitecaps
The Vancouver Whitecaps will look to punch their ticket to host the Canadian Championship. It will take a victory at home over York United to make it happen but it will be an exciting match.
Make sure to follow me on Twitter @JoshuaGriffith0 for all the latest news and notes about your Vancouver Whitecaps. Check out the Sports Talk Line website for all your sports needs about the MLS, NFL, and much more and listen to the 90 + Podcast with myself and Ben Righetti which will be back soon.
Get your tickets today for as low as $15 for the Wednesday night’s match. All season ticket holders already have tickets to the match, so it should be a good show at BC Place.
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