Vancouver FC forward Octavio Rivero (29) is congratulated by teammates after he made the game winning goal during the second half at Orlando Citrus Bowl. (Photo : Reuters)
Group F of the 2015-2016 CONCACAF Champions League tournament will be opened by a match between two Major League Soccer teams, the Vancouver Whitecaps vs Seattle Sounders, at the BC Place in Vancouver on Wednesday, August 5.
These two teams had a long history of competition in between them that goes back from the 1974 North American Soccer League, then in the United Soccer League, which resumed in today's MLS as contemporary fans know it.
According to the MLS official website, this is the first time that the Western Conference-leading Whitecaps will join the annual CONCACAF tourney and the first opponent that they will face are the familiar Rave Green of Seattle.
Actually, they have just faced each other on August 2, when the Caps demolished the Sounders, 3-0, at their own home field of CenturyLink in Seattle with a double from Norwegian defender Pa-Modou Kah and one goal from Chilean midfielder Pedro Morales, via SkySports.
The result of their Champions League opener may not be far from what happened last Sunday if Sigi Schmid would not be able to adjust as the Canadians will surely employ the same tactics that led to their convincing victory.
Prediction: Another 3-0 rout for the Whitecaps as the Sounders will be having a harder time executing their game plan not that they are in front of Vancouver fans. The Caps are a strong team and they not leading MLS' Western Conference for nothing.
Vancouver Whitecaps starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Ousted; Beitashour, Waston, Kah, Harvey; Laba, Koffie; Techera, Mezquida, Manneh; Rivero
Seattle Sounders starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Frei; Mears, Evans, Marshall, Remick; Friberg, Alonso, Pineda, Thomás; Dempsey, Barrett
