AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC heads on its last road trip of the regular season when it goes north of the border to Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday to face the Whitecaps.
With a playoff spot already assured, Verde could lose and still remain in the No. 2 position in the Western Conference. A win or draw, however, would clinch the runner-up spot in the West and multiple home matches during the playoffs.
Vancouver needs wins in its last two matches to even have a shot at making the playoff field, and they’ll need some help along the way. Currently, the Whitecaps are No. 10 in the West with 40 points, five points out of the playoff field. They’ll be desperate for a win at home against Verde.
Minnesota currently occupies the last playoff spot in the Western Conference with 45 points, but Real Salt Lake is lurking with 43 points and both Seattle and Vancouver are mathematically still in the hunt with 40 points. Seattle plays Sporting Kansas City on Sunday and Minnesota takes on San Jose on Saturday. Real Salt Lake is also in action Saturday with the late game against the LA Galaxy.
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Austin and Vancouver met way back on April 23 and Verde rolled up three goals on the Whitecaps at Q2 Stadium three days after a U.S. Open Cup loss to San Antonio FC. Maxi Urruti scored a pair and Sebastian Driussi added the other for the dominant win.
If Driussi has a big game, he could vault back into the MLS lead for goals scored. Currently at 21 goals, he’s two scores behind Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar for the league lead. Diego Fagundez is three assists behind FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta for the league lead in that category.
The match kicks off at 9 p.m CT from BC Place in Vancouver.
How to watch Austin FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
TV: KBVO
Streaming: MLS LIVE on ESPN+, Austin FC app, AustinFC.com; Univision Austin app, UnivisionAustin.com (Spanish)
Radio: KASE-FM Alt 97.5; KLQB-FM 104.3 HD2 (Spanish)
