The Vancouver Whitecaps and Minnesota United are sharing the same battle cry as they head into their Decision Day showdown on Sunday in Saint Paul, Minn.
“Win and in.”
The teams head into their season-finale needing to garner points if they are to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs. Minnesota United (13-14-6, 45 points), who begins the weekend clinging to the seventh and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, can also qualify with a draw, but the ninth-place Whitecaps (12-14-7, 43 points) need a victory to reach the postseason.
Adding intrigue is the fact that the sixth-place Portland Timbers (11-9-13, 46 points) and eighth-place Real Salt Lake (11-11-11, 44 points) kick off at the same time.
Vancouver has made a late surge for a playoff spot with an impressive three-game winning streak that includes wins over Austin FC, Seattle and the LA Galaxy.
“We are in a position that we were dreaming of a few weeks ago,” Vancouver coach Vanni Sartini told the Extratime podcast. “We were very good, we were also a little lucky because of the results. So now we need to do the last step. We see the peak of the mountain. We have to do the hardest part.”
Scottish midfielder Ryan Gauld has led the way for the Whitecaps with two goals and two assists over the three-game win streak. Gauld leads the team in scoring with eight goals and nine assists while forward Lucas Cavallini leads the team in goals with nine.
Minnesota United won the first meeting with the Whitecaps in Vancouver, 3-1, on July 8, scoring three goals over a 17-minute span late in the second half. That was during an impressive 8-1-2 run over an 11-game span for the Loons.
However, Minnesota, plagued by injuries to star midfielders Emanuel Reynoso (10 goals, six assists) and Robin Lod (six goals), sputtered to the finish line going just 0-5-1 over its last six games, including a 2-0 loss at last-place San Jose last Saturday. The Loons, who still have an outside chance of finishing in the top four and hosting a first-round playoff game with a victory, have been outscored 14-2 during the stretch.
Reynoso, sidelined for a 4-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City with a right ankle injury, returned for the San Jose loss but failed to score on seven shots. Lod, a Finnish national who has missed the last two games with a calf injury, returned to full training on Friday and is expected to play.
“He’s a really important piece for us wherever we play him,” Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath said of Lod. “He has been an invaluable player for us all season. We need him certainly.”
–Field Level Media