Sartini takes sunny outlook despite Vancouver's bleak recent results

Vanni Sartini says he has hope as Vancouver Whitecaps look to end their recent losing run against Portland Timbers in the MLS playoffs Western Conference Wild Card match.

The Whitecaps finished eighth in the table, only above Wednesday's opponents having secured more wins, but due to scheduling conflicts, will not have home advantage for this tie.

It is a disappointment to the club, who failed to win any of their last seven matches in the regular season, losing their last four on the bounce.

However, Sartini took heart from their playoff qualification and is confident his team can get back to winning ways in a game with so much resting on it.

"We need to be honest with each other," he told reporters. "We were honest when we had bad performances against Minnesota and Seattle, but the performances in the last two games were good.

"There were some moments [against Real Salt Lake] that make me really optimistic for Wednesday.

"Everything is not black now. It's a playoff game, everybody's happy to be in the playoffs, we're not moody. It will be a good game to turn up and play a good game against them."

'Cause baby, *since ’75* we got bad blood This will mark the 7th playoff meeting between the ‘Caps & Timbers since 1975, so let's take a look back at the 6 previous meetings Tune in Wednesday on TSN or for FREE on #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV #VWFChttps://t.co/E1c7RjZ2JC

— X - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) October 21, 2024

Portland also slumped over the line at the end of the regular season, failing to win any of their last five, and failed to snatch a win at 10-man Seattle Sounders in a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

They have not won at Providence Park since mid-September, and head coach Phil Neville is looking for improvements among his front line to get the better of their rivals.

"The front six, four in particular, have to do better for us," he said. "It falls on all of them to get us through the playoffs.

"Their effort is unbelievable, as is the concentration and discipline, but we need them to deliver in these big moments.

"Our forwards have been phenomenal this season, but they've got the challenge of working around the pressure, and the big players always step up, and we believe that ours can."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vancouver Whitecaps – Isaac Boehmer

The Whitecaps lost their final four matches of the regular season and will be the first team in MLS history to enter the playoffs on a four-match outright losing streak.

In that run, Isaac Boehmer conceded eight goals and scored an own goal that turned out to be the winner against Real Salt Lake last time out. He will be keen to put things right when they face Portland on Wednesday.

Portland Timbers – Evander

Evander recorded an assist on Portland's lone goal in their season finale, his 18th of the season to go along with 15 goals.

Evander's 18 assists and 33 goal contributions are both Timbers single-season club records, surpassing Diego Valeri’s assist total from 2019 (16) and goal contribution total from 2017 (32).

All for the cup. The Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs start THIS WEEK. pic.twitter.com/Wgu7m4tQli

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 21, 2024

MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN

This will be the second MLS playoff tie between Portland and Vancouver after the Timbers defeated the Whitecaps 2-0 on aggregate in the 2015 Conference Semifinals.

Overall, the eight meetings since the start of the 2022 season have been split, with each side winning three times and drawing twice.

The Whitecaps are only narrow favourites to win this game and have been eliminated in six of their previous seven MLS Cup playoff ties, only advancing past San Jose Earthquakes with a 5-0 win in the 2017 First Round. Vancouver have scored five total goals in their other nine all-time MLS playoff matches.

Meanwhile, Portland have not lost any of their five one-leg playoff matches at Providence Park (W2 D3), though they were eliminated on penalties twice after draws in those matches. The Timbers failed to score in their last two home matches this season, their first back-to-back scoreless games at the venue since 2019.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Vancouver Whitecaps – 39.9%

Draw – 26.6%

Portland Timbers – 33.5%