A matchup of losing teams takes place on Wednesday as the
bottom team in each conference squares off against one another. The Stanley Cup
didn’t go the Canadians way and their soccer teams are not delivering either.
Canada's MLS squads have been performing terribly this
season, with the Whitecaps at the bottom of the Western Conference and the Reds
in the cellar of the East.
Unable to pull it all together, Wednesday's only match of
the day pits these two struggling franchises against each other.
Both Vancouver and Toronto suffered defeats last weekend,
the Whitecaps away to Sporting Kansas City (Vancouver was +506 in soccer betting) and the Reds away to Real Salt Lake.
Vancouver could not have started its loss any better
actually, racing out to a 15th minute lead. Eventually however the
hosts battled back in front of a formidable fanbase to reclaim the lead and
hold on for victory.
Winners of only two out of 17 matches, the Whitecaps take to
the field in Toronto looking to make up some ground.
They'll be happy to know that the Reds have been just as
poor, having won only twice as well but in 18 fixtures. They have the league's
worst goal differential at minus-13.
Over the weekend they fell to a good Salt Lake team in a 3-1
loss. The only consolation was a goal from Maicon Santos in the 66th
minute; other than that, the Reds were practically outplayed.
Fight for Canada pride
It was somewhat annoying that the soccer odds for
this encounter had not been released at time of writing, but we will have live
lines below once they're made available. With both teams failing to impress,
there is unlikely to be an overwhelming favorite.
The Reds will be out for blood on Wednesday though, knowing
that they were soundly beaten 4-2 by their rivals in Vancouver in the first
playday of the season.
Eric Hassli came up huge for the Whitecaps in the victory,
scoring two goals to go alongside tallies from Atiba Harris and Terry Dunfield.
High-level performances have been all too common for Hassli
this season. He's scored a team-leading six goals, while teammate Camilo
Sanvezzo has been prolific as well, accounting for five goals for the
Whitecaps.
You really cannot talk about Vancouver's standout players
without touching base on Davide Chiumiento, a playmaking midfielder who has six
assists to his name already.
A fantastic season for Toronto's Maicon Santos all started
in that opening-day defeat, with the Brazilian forward netting his first of six
so far in the 2011/12 campaign. He's pretty much been the lifeline of the squad
through this painful period for all those involved with the Reds.
Toronto will therefore have no complaints about returning
home to play in the stadium where the team has notched its only two victories
of the season.
In spite of underachieving, the Reds are sure to be greeted
by a huge crowd on Wednesday. No matter how disastrous their efforts have been,
there's still plenty to play for in what will be the second chapter of one of
the MLS's fiercest rivalries.
Truthfully, neither team has really done anything to deserve
being backed in any circumstance. In this showdown between under-performers,
I'll go ahead and roll with a draw.
FREE PICK: Toronto 1 Vancouver 1