Cascadia derbies are endlessly entertaining. It is a rarity to witness a boring match between the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders. So far this season we have seen a dramatic battle between the Timbers and the Whitecaps in Vancouver followed by a cagey affair in Seattle between the Sounders and the Timbers.
This weekend the Whitecaps travel south to face their expansion cousins missing the relentless force that is Matias Laba. The Argentine defensive midfielder was on the wrong end of a red card during last week’s 2-1 defeat to DC United. This means that should Carl Robinson choose to stick with his favored 4-2-3-1 formation we will likely see Gershon Koffie fill in for Laba.