Here we go, a head-to-head matchup we've all been waiting for: Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders FC. The stats are stacked, let's dive in, folks.
In the net, we've got the Sounders served by Stefan Frei and Andy Thomas, both rocking near-identical, and not all too shabby 6.90ish ratings. Not to be outshone, for Vancouver, Yohei Takaoka is sitting pretty with a 6.94 rating and a noteworthy 12 saves. So in the goalie stakes, let’s say it's neck and neck.
Seattle Sounders' leading pack boasts players like Albert Rusnák, who carries a desirable 7.92 rating alongside 3 goals and a solid passing accuracy. The likes of Jordan Morris and Paul Rothrock aren’t too far behind, both sitting comfortably in the 7.6s. I mean talk about quality, right?
Meanwhile, on the Vancouver side, we have Ryan Gauld, causing all sorts of problems for the opponents with his 8.13 rating and superb passing skills. Sebastian Berhalter, Brian White, and Ranko Veselinović trail behind him, making up a robust line-up. But, don't forget Gauld hasn't been finding the net as much as some would hope.
Now, let's take a quick zip down memory lane. Their past meetings have been closely contested, with a few draws, some Whitecaps wins and a cheeky Sounders victory squeezed in there. Not much separating them, history wise.
This season, both teams have been on a similar journey, the Sounders have a tiny bit of an edge with a 14-8-9 record, compared to the Whitecaps' 13-8-9. I'd call it almost equal.
Recently, let's not mince words, Sounders have been showing better than the Whitecaps, cementing some wins where Vancouver has struggled.
So, drumroll please...My prediction? You guessed it.
Albert’s Prediction: Seattle Sounders FC by 1