Playoff positioning on the line as Vancouver Whitecaps host Seattle Sounders

Vancouver Whitecaps' Tristan Blackmon, centre, vies for the ball against Seattle Sounders' Cody Baker, left, and Xavier Arreaga during second half MLS soccer in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, May 20, 2023. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

With four games left in their regular-season campaign, Vanni Sartini is challenging his Vancouver Whitecaps to adjust their mindset.

The club clinched its post-season spot last weekend. Now the head coach wants every game from here on out to be treated like a playoff matchup, starting Wednesday when the 'Caps (13-9-8) host their regional rivals, the Seattle Sounders (14-9-8).

“We try to win the game. We have the luck to be already qualified, so even though it's not like a do or die, we can't be scared," Sartini said. "Now it's all about the prize that is in front of us. And the prize will hopefully make us perform in a way that is with no restraint, with no fear, with a lot of confidence and going there to try to win.”

Vancouver has made the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, but hasn't made it out of the first round. Getting into post-season mode now, while the regular season is still going, could help, the coach said.

“It's all about trying to get into that kind of mentality and habits of being a team that can play and win games (in the post-season). Finally," he said. "Because it's good that we are consistent playoff participants. We want to try to become playoff winners.”

The final games will also determine who faces whom — and where — when the playoffs begin.

Seattle currently sits in fifth spot in Major League Soccer's Western Conference standings, three points up on seventh-place Vancouver.

The top four teams in the table will have home-field advantage for the post-season, while the clubs sitting in fifth through seventh position will skip the play-in round the eighth- and ninth-place teams must endure.

With just seven points separating the second-place and ninth-place team, positioning is still very much up for grabs.

“Obviously a couple teams are still battling for the top four," said Whitecaps striker Brian White. "We could easily finish ninth if we don't perform and we lose games and other teams do well. So there's still a lot of things to play for on the table. And it's important that we do our best to win all three points.”

The 'Caps and Sounders have already met twice this season, with Vancouver taking a 2-0 win on April 20 and settling for a 1-1 draw on May 18.

There's little love lost between the two clubs, said Whitecaps left back Sam Adekugbe.

“We've played them so many times over the years, and we probably know that they have it out for us as well, seeing that we won away early in the season," he said. "So we're just looking forward to it.”

While Seattle struggled to start the 2024 campaign, they've rounded into form in recent weeks and head north for Wednesday's matchup unbeaten in their last four Major League Soccer games (3-0-1). The Sounders have outscored opponents 9-2 across the stretch.

"They're a big, physical team. Offensively, they have a lot of weapons, so it's going to be a tough test at home," White said. "But these are the kind of games that we need to win in the playoffs. So it's good to have tough challenges going into that.”

SEATTLE SOUNDERS (14-9-8) AT VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-9-8)

Wednesday, BC Place

INS AND OUTS: The Whitecaps could once again be without captain Ryan Gauld (knee) and midfielder Ali Ahmed (quad). Both players missed Saturday's matchup and did not participate in full training with the team on Monday.

GIMME A BREAK: Wednesday will mark Vancouver's sixth game in 18 days. The club will wrap a stretch of seven games in four weeks Saturday when it hosts Minnesota United FC.

ANOTHER CASCADIA CLASH: After posting a 1-1 draw against the Timbers on Saturday, the 'Caps sit atop the Cascadia Cup leaderboard with a 2-1-2 against their regional rivals, Portland and Seattle. A win on Wednesday would clinch Vancouver's second-straight title as best in the Pacific Northwest.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024.