Vancouver Whitecaps vs LA Galaxy

A fierce battle for playoff qualification in the Western Conference is heating up as Vancouver Whitecaps and LA Galaxy go head-to-head at BC Place.

Vancouver Whitecaps continue to flirt with a playoff spot in the Western Conference after a 2-1 home triumph over Austin on Thursday helped them arrest a two-game losing MLS streak and move one point clear of 10th-placed Minnesota United. That was also Vancouver’s first home league win after an underwhelming three-game winless streak beforehand (D2, L1). However, Vanni Sartini’s men have failed to keep a clean sheet in five consecutive home league outings in the lead-up to this encounter, casting some doubt on their effort to post a third H2H home win in a row. But since both those victories saw Vancouver score multiple goals, conceding once may not be a problem.

On the other hand, LA Galaxy’s pursuit of playoff qualification is picking up momentum as back-to-back wins in the run-up to this trip saw them whittle down the gap on Vancouver to six points. Yet, it’s worth noting both those triumphs came on home turf, while Galaxy’s poor away form remains their Achilles heel. Indeed, Greg Vanney’s men have tasted victory just once on 11 MLS travels this season (D5, L5), drawing their last three league matches on the road. Moreover, they’ve found the away goals hard to come by, averaging just 0.63 per game. That’s a massive issue, considering they’ve only registered one shutout on their last eight league trips.