Vancouver Whitecaps vs Sporting Kansas City Predictions

• Vancouver Whitecaps finished in 23rd place last season, picking up a disappointing 34 points.
• Sporting Kansas City ended the season in 21st position in a very disappointing season.
• Vancouver scored just 37 times, averaging just over a goal a game, and conceded 59 goals.
• Kansas City conceded 67 times last season, an average of 1.97 goals a game.

Massive improvements needed at BC Place

Vancouver Whitecaps endured a terrible campaign last season, finishing bottom of the Western Conference and struggling throughout the campaign. They won just eight times, with two of those wins coming at the very end of the season when there was nothing to play for. The side will need to improve quickly this season in order to avoid the embarrassment of another lowly league finish.

Head coach, Marc dos Santos has tried to combat their poor season by bringing in Lucas Cavallini, a striker from Club Puebla in Mexico as well as Leonard Owusu, a midfielder with a lot of buzz about him. There has been no real noticeable exits from the club in the off season with dos Santos looking to enhance his squad rather than overhaul it.

Last season Vancouver really struggled in front of goal, scoring just 37 times with Freddy Montero finishing as their top scorer with eight goals. The arrival of Cavallini should help them on that front but they’ll need to improve rapidly at the other end of the pitch where they conceded at a rate of  1.73 goals per game last season.

Disappointment surrounded Kansas City in 2019

Sporting Kansas City fans will be keen to put 2019 far behind them as they embark on a mission to get back into the playoffs in the season ahead. The side finished in 21st place overall last season, conceding more than any other team and finishing the season with a 7-2 defeat to LA Galaxy and a 6-0 loss to FC Dallas.

Peter Vermes has kept his job despite their poor season and he’s made a host of changes in an attempt to get the club back on their feet. No fewer than seven players who featured regularly in the first team last season have left the club as Vermes looks to overhaul the squad. Winston Reid arrives on loan from West Ham in attempt to improve the defence alongside Roberto Puncec whilst Alan Pulido arrives from Guadalajara with the task of scoring the goals to give Sporting KC playoff football.

Last season Sporting KC scored 49 goals, a decent return if a little low, but their main issues came in defence where the side conceded 67 times. This was the highest total in the Western Conference at an average of 1.97 goals per game and, although it wasn’t helped by the two heavy defeats at the end of the season, was indicative of where the problems lay for the club.

Two sides meet with the intention of playoff football

These two sides couldn’t have had worse seasons in 2019 and there will be plenty of pressure on them both to improve this year as playoff football becomes the goal. There wasn’t a lot to pick between these two last season with just four points separating them in the end and this could tell a story about where this match could be heading too.

There were too many goals conceded by both teams last season with their defences really struggling to compete and this could be a factor again and they try and find their feet early on in 2020. For that reason we’re backing this game to see plenty of goals and we think the 2.5 goal line should be beaten.

There isn’t one clear favourite for this game with neither side looking like they will be at the right end of the table come the end of the season and we think a stalemate is likely between two struggling sides. A 2-2 draw looks a good selection, offering plenty of value whilst also highlighting the poor defensive records these teams currently hold.