No team has started the season better than the Seattle Sounders, who are on 24 points through 10 undefeated games. No team is in a worse run of form than the Vancouver Whitecaps, who come into this game losers of five straight.

But this being match against a Cascadia rival means that Brian Schmetzer is not about to overlook Saturday’s opponent.

“Games like this are not easy, because Vancouver is a rival,” Schmetzer said on Friday. “They’re a proud team, they’ll come and fight. They don’t have anything to lose. They can play as the underdogs. We must not lose our concentration or become complacent.”

Still, it’s undeniable that the Sounders will be favorites. The Sounders have a 17-point lead in the standings and are +19 in goal-difference on the Whitecaps. The Sounders are also playing at home where they’re riding a 15-game unbeaten run, while the Whitecaps are on a 10-game winless run as the road team. Just to top it off, the Sounders haven’t lost to the Whitecaps anywhere since 2017, and are 8-0-3 against them over their last 11 meetings.

Notes

• The teams have met the most times of any rivalry in soccer history in the USA and Canada. Since the clubs first met at Empire Stadium on June 9, 1974, in the old North American Soccer League, they have played 143 times over all competitions. The Sounders have won 70, the Whitecaps 50, and there have been 23 draws.
• The Sounders have opened with 10 straight unbeaten, the first MLS team to do that since 2014. The longest unbeaten run to ever start a season is 12, last accomplished by Real Salt Lake in 2014.
• Of Raúl Ruidíaz’s 50 career MLS goals, five of them have come against the Whitecaps, including goals in the last three against them. He has 13 goals and 3 assists against Cascadia opponents.

Liveblog

Absences: Injury, international duty and suspension

Seattle:

OUT: Jordan Morris (ACL injury); Jordy Delem (right ACL tear); Stefan Frei (left knee sprain); Nicolas Lodeiro (right knee surgery); Xavier Arreaga (international duty)

QUESTIONABLE: Nouhou (adductor)

Whitecaps:

OUT: Ali Adnan (visa); Tosaint Ricketts (Achilles tendinopathy); Javain Brown (head), Bruno Gaspar (left ankle sprain)

Officials

REFEREE: Guido Gonzales Jr.; AR1 (bench): Eric Weisbrod; AR2 (opposite): TJ Zablocki; 4th: Luis Guardia; VAR: Ramy Touchan; AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert

How to Watch

Match date/kickoff time: Saturday, 6:11 PM

Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle

Online Streaming: Amazon Prime (affiliate link, in-market), ESPN+ (affiliate link, out of market), Locast.org

Local English TV: JOEtv (Costigan, Zakuani)

Local Radio: 950 KJR-AM Seattle (Costigan, Zakuani)

Local Spanish Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Rodriguez, Maqueda, Tapia)

Local Spanish TV: KUNS-TV Univision-Seattle

INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST INFORMATION

Brazil: DAZN (Brazil)

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy & Spain: DAZN (Europe)

Latin America (excl. Brazil): ESPN Latin America

Netherlands: ESPN Netherlands

Norway: Strive

United Kingdom & Ireland: Free Sports

Lineups

Highlights will be posted as the match progresses.

This is Seattle Sounders vs. Vancouver Whitecaps; watch with us