West Coast table-toppers FC Los Angeles will host the Vancouver Whitecaps this time around, looking to make it three wins in a row and maintain their lead at the top of the table. FC Los Angeles have been on a strong run of form going into this game, especially after beating the Seattle Sounders 1-0 in their last outing, which propelled them to the top of the table. The reigning playoff champions lost two games in a row to Houston Dynamo earlier this month, but I attribute the two losses to a tight schedule rather than problems in the lineup.
Captain Carlos Weiner continues to be the team's spiritual leader, and last week's 90th-minute winning goal against Sporting Kansas showed that he is still one of the best players in the USL. However, the team's leading scorer Dennis Buanga has not scored a single goal in the last 4 league matches, so if he can get back to his goal-scoring shoes and score a goal, FC Los Angeles' strength will be greatly improved.
The Vancouver Whitecaps have drawn their last two league matches and are 10 points away from FC Los Angeles. However, I think this Canadian team has improved a lot this season and I expect them to reach the playoffs this season.
