5th in the West FC Dallas (33 points, 8-6-6) is down to the penultimate game of the brutal, season-defining road stretch as they travel to the Great White North to take on 2nd in the West Vancouver Whitecaps (37 points, 11-4-4) on Saturday at 8:30 pm CT at BC Place.
Vancouver won the first meeting this season in Dallas 3-2, with a brace by Sebastian Berhalter, who is, of course, no longer with them.
The Caps are 7-2-1 at home; however, they have just one win in MLS and Leagues Cup since May (against a reeling Seattle).
By the way, if you are curious, after these last two road games in the brutal run, FCD finished with 8 of 12 at home. That’s 8 home and 4 road to close out the season.
Weather
It should be partly cloudy and about 68 degrees in Vancouver at kickoff, but since the game is in a dome, it doesn’t really matter.
Broadcast Info
TV: Apple TV
– Apple TV English: Blake Price and Paul Doan
– Apple TV Spanish: Francisco X. Rivera
– Dallas Audio: Ryan Figer, Steve Davis, and Sam Hale
MLS Injury/Player Availability Report
FC Dallas
Daniel – Lower Body (Out)
Anderson Julio – muscle injury (Out)
Suspended after one yellow: Sam Sarver, Daniel, and Osaze Urhoghide.
2 yellows suspended: Christian Cappis, Patrickson Delgado
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Jeevan Badwal – Concussion Protocol (Out)
Kenji Cabrera – Foot (Out)
Aleksa Cvetković – Not Due to Injury (Out)
Belal Halbouni – Knee (Out)
Kwasi Poku – Hamstring (Out)
Ranko Veselinović – Knee (Out)
FC Dallas Lineup Prediction
No one is suspended, and Coach Eric Quill went with a rotation by early subs at Real Salt Lake, so basically he should be able to keep his normal group. No mid-week game next week either.
Ramiro didn’t get dropped when he deserved it, so I don’t think he will get dropped now. I kept the big guns up front. Joaquín Valiente is on fire, and Peta Musa is leading MLS in goals, Santi Moreno is the one I might consider a rotation for.
I was tempted to rotate in Sebastien Ibeagha and sit Herman Johansson with Shaq Moore at right wingback, but that would leave just Lalas Abubakar on the bench for center back, and I’m a little nervous about that. Quill seems reluctant to use Abubakar short of an emergency, and this defense is looking kind of tired.
Or do I have this completely wrong, and because of the turf, Quill will rest guys like Ramiro, Moreno, Moore, and/or Johansson?
Bench Prediction
Michael Collodi
Sebastien Ibeagha
Patrickson Delgado
Clay Holstad
Ran Binyamin
Sam Sarver
Christian Cappis
Lalas Abubakar
Logan Farrington
MLS Kit Assignments
Officials
Referee: Malik Badawi
Assistant Referees: Jeffrey Swartzel, Gerard-Kader Lebuis
4th Official: Alain Ruch
VAR: David Barrie
Assistant VAR: Rhett Hammil
More Game Info
- FCD vs. VAN all-time: 12-12-9 (41 goals scored, 43 goals conceded)
- FCD vs. VAN away: 4-7-6 (16 goals scored, 21 goals conceded)
FC Dallas is 6-3-2 (23 points) on the road, 4-3-2 vs. the West. 6 road wins ties the club record (2007, 2011 and 2018). [Credit Garret Melcer for tweeting out that stat.]
Vancouver leads the league in expected goals difference with 28.9.
The ‘Caps also lead the league in expected goals (45.0) and tackles per match (19.8), while also sitting second in goal difference (+22), second best in goals conceded (18), second in big chances created (74), second in crosses per match (5.9), third in goals scored (40), and fourth in clean sheets (7).
In MLS, Dallas is 6-0-1 when leading at halftime and 9-1-3 when scoring first. Dallas is also 0-4-1 when conceding first.
FCD is tied for fifth in most goals scored in MLS with 38 and is 12th in MLS in xG with 33.54.
Petar Musa leads MLS with 16 goals.
Petar Musa became the fifth player in MLS history to score at least 15 goals in each of his first three MLS seasons: Josef Martinez (2017-19), David Villa (2015-17), Sebastian Giovinco (2015-17), and Raúl Díaz Arce (1996-98).
Sebastien Ibeagha recorded the 30th fastest speed in MLS this season at 35.42 kph (22.01 mph).
Osaze Urhoghide ranks tied-third in MLS in aerial challenges with 54 and tied 16th in clearances with 27.
FC Dallas Assistant Coach Matthew Watson made 39 appearances in all competitions with Vancouver from 2012-2013.
In 2026, FCD has a better road record (6-3-2) than home (3-2-4)? That’s amazing and says something about this team’s guts. (And maybe the home stadium situation?)
FC Dallas All-Time Goals
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Jason Kreis | 91 |
| Jesus Ferreira | 53 |
| Petar Musa | 50 |
| Kenny Cooper | 46 |
| Blas Perez | 36 |
FC Dallas Single Season Goals
| Player | Goals | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Kreis | 18 | 1999 |
| Kenny Cooper | 18 | 2008 |
| Jesus Ferreira | 18 | 2022 |
| Jeff Cunningham | 17 | 2009 |
| Petar Musa | 16 | 2024 |
| Petar Musa | 16 | 2026 |