MLS analyst breaks down Sounders upcoming match against Vancouver Whitecaps

A rivalry clash this weekend north of the border when the Sounders hit the road for British Columbia in a Cascadia match against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The two teams faced each other back in August. Vancouver won that one 2-0. The Rave Green hoping to rebound after a painful 1-0 loss to Houston this week. It's going to be a tough match, though, against the Cavs as the club sits in first place in the Western Conference at 58 points. Now, joining me now to break it all down is MLS and Apple TV analyst Paul. Dolan, thank you so much for being here, Paul, and chatting all things soccer with us. Yeah, happy to join you. All right, well, let's jump right into it. We've got a lot to cover. Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer hoping some home cooking would have secured a win and a playoff berth earlier this week. But the team just couldn't finish and find the net. They fall 1-0 to Houston. Now the pressure is on in what could be a heated, low-scoring international match here across the border. You know, Vancouver had that same issue with the Houston Dynamo. They just sit back and they ask to make questions of whether you can break them down, and the Sounders just couldn't do it. So you give away an early goal, and you're always in an uphill battle against Houston. The same thing with Vancouver. I have to say, when the Whitecaps score first, they never lose under Jesper Sorensen in the two years that he's been the coach. So the Sounders need to get that critical first goal. But what they need to do is be a little cleaner in their possession as well because the Whitecaps like to press high up the field. They're a very aggressive team, especially at home. They smashed San Diego here on Wednesday night by putting a lot of pressure on them, turning the ball over. And then they had three or four goals before you knew it. So the Sounders need to be careful in possession. And then when they get those chances, as you say, they need to take advantage of them. Yeah, for sure. And you talk about possession. Do you think it's a possession game? Whoever controls this game, especially in the middle, is going to take the victory here? Well, the Sounders are known as a counter-attack team at times, but Vancouver will have and want that possession for sure, especially at home. So if the Sounders can catch out Vancouver by turning the ball over even deep in their own half, they can get to goal quickly back the other way. There could be some spaces there. So that is a way that I think the Sounders can take advantage of Vancouver wanting to take possession. But I don't necessarily think that the Sounders feel like they need to have the ball a lot. When they have it though, they need to be much more clean and clinical with the passes and the finishing that they have. Yeah, they need some smart play there for sure. Who do you think the Rave Green need to shut down? Brian White, he certainly is a threat on the attack. Yeah, he has 17 goals now on the season, and he's just been phenomenal for the Whitecaps ever since he came over four or five years ago from New York. So he's a player that you need to be very wary of, of course. He pops up in the box, and the defenders need to be careful about where his positioning is. But really, it's a Whitecap team that likes to build through the center of midfield as well. So I think that the Sounders need to be careful in midfield to close those spaces down. And they also have Eddie Ocampo, the Whitecaps do, coming down that right side who likes to get balls into the box, whether it's along the deck or in the air. But that's where you need to pick up a guy like a Brian White, for sure. Yeah, for sure. And these two teams have kind of played each other several, multiple times across all competitions. Last, they played at Lumen Field, beating the Rave Green 2-0 there in August. Do you think Paul Rothrock's return is going to help kickstart this club and get a little offense going up top? They need Paul Rothrock back in the lineup for sure. He's a real spark plug. He's a great finisher. Talk about a guy that gets into the right spots at the right times. And they've missed him for sure. Obviously, they've missed Pedro de la Vega as well. Injuries throughout the course of the year, especially in the first part of the season. Is the reason that the Sounders right now are struggling just to find that last playoff spot, sitting in eighth, I think it is right now. So it's a really important game to get all their players back fit, healthy, and roaring to go. And I think they've come back from that bad start to the season, but a bit of a sticky patch here, having dropped the points at home to Montreal. They need to get a result here in Vancouver on Saturday afternoon. Yeah, they have to escape with the win and get that much needed three points. And speaking with Coach Brian Schmetzer over the season, You can't just rely on the defense and you specifically can't just rely on the goalkeepers. How about your veteran, Yohei Takaoka? He's done well. That's it, yeah. Yeah, and then you look at Andrew Thomas, he's had some amazing saves. Both of these guys are so strong. Yeah, they've been excellent. You know, Yohei Takaoka sits behind a defense that's one of the best in Major League Soccer in Vancouver. And oftentimes, he's not called upon to have to make that big save. But I honestly think that in the last four or five games, he has played his best for the Whitecaps. He's made critical saves at critical times of games when they've needed those big saves. And he would be a contender for the goalkeeper of the year right now. And Andrew Thomas, despite that rough start for the entire team, That's kind of kept his team in games, taking over from Stefan Frei this year. So he's had a fantastic season as well. All right, well, it is certainly going to be a clash at the border. Those international games are always fun and it makes that Cascadia Cup rivalry so great. We will look forward to hearing your call this weekend as we go. Paul Donlan, thank you so much for chatting with us today. You're welcome, looking forward to it. Okay. Thank you. Sounders kick off Sunday, November 1st, from Vancouver, B.C.'s place at 1230. And remember, you can catch and watch the re-air on Tuesday on FOX 13+.