VANCOUVER — Vanni Sartini admits a packed schedule has taken its toll on his Vancouver Whitecaps.
The club is set to play its seventh game in 21 days across all competitions on Saturday.
The stretch included the high of lifting the Voyageurs Cup for a third straight year after beating Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship final.
It also included the low of Wednesday's ugly 3-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders — a game in which Sartini said his team simply ran out of fuel.
Now the coach is asking his players to give their all once again on Saturday when the 'Caps (13-10-8) host Minnesota United (13-12-7).
"We need just one more push, push, push. It's like we try to literally squeeze every amount of energy that we have out," Sartini said. "We don't have to put a lot of pressure on the players because the pressure is already there and the motivation is already there."
Saturday's matchup could have big implications on playoff positioning for both teams.
Minnesota currently sits a single point behind Vancouver in Major League Soccer's Western Conference standings, with the 'Caps currently in seventh place.
If the post-season began today, the Whitecaps would face Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, while United would have to face current ninth-place squad, the Portland Timbers, in wild-card game.
"It's a really big game," said Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld. "Obviously, no one wants to have to play the play-in game to get to playoffs. So it's a big game to hopefully put them out of it and put us in a really good position to make sure we're in at least the top seven."
Minnesota heads north undefeated in its last three appearances (2-0-1), and with three straight clean sheets, including a 0-0 draw against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Vancouver has already met the Loons once this season, collecting a 3-1 win on the road back on July 3.
The game will unfold differently this time around, Gauld said.
"I think we're all expecting a tougher game than when we played them there," he said. "They were coming through a bad spell and we were playing really good football at the time. I think they're going to be in a better position."
The 'Caps are likely to get some reinforcements back in the lineup for Saturday, including Gauld, who has missed Vancouver's last two MLS games with a knee injury.
Being sidelined wasn't easy for the Scottish attacking midfielder.
"It's not fun. It's not fun for anyone, not just myself. Just sitting and watching, not being able to help, that's frustrating," he said. "But hopefully that's the last time that happens."
While getting key players back in the lineup would be nice, Sartini said he needs to balance the need for their skill with the need to keep the team's energy and intensity up for a full 90 minutes — something the group sorely missed in Wednesday's loss.
"We need to have players on the field that can give everything. It's better to give 100 per cent for half of the time than 50 per cent for the entire time," the coach said. "So that should be the message to the entire team."
MINNESOTA UNITED (13-12-7) AT VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-10-8)
Saturday, BC Place
INS AND OUTS: Sartini said midfielders Gauld (knee), Stuart Armstrong (calf) and Ali Ahmed (quad) are all available and likely to "play a part" in Saturday's game. Vancouver will be without striker Fafa Picault, who is suspended after receiving a pair of yellow cards on Wednesday.
HISTORY BOOKS: The two sides boast an even 5-5-4 record in all-time MLS meetings. Vancouver has been solid against United recently, though, and is undefeated in the last three meetings (2-0-1) after claiming a 3-1 victory in Minnesota on July 3.
HUGE HELPERS: Gauld and United midfielder Robin Lod have 15 assists apiece — tied for third most in the league this season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2024.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
