St. Louis City Sc Stl vs Vancouver Whitecaps Fc Van Picks and Predictions July 13th 2024

St. Louis City Aim for Revenge on Whitecaps

Match Overview

St. Louis City will hope to bounce back from a weighty street rout when they host the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. Following a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids on Sunday, St. Louis aims to recover their structure under in-between time lead trainer John Hackworth. The Whitecaps, in the mean time, are riding a rush of strong performances and seek to continue their unbeaten streak.

St. Louis City’s New Challenges

St. Louis (4-8-10, 22 points) has confronted a turbulent season, featured by the dismissal of lead trainer Bradley Carnell on July 1 amidst a 0-6-3 slump. This decision came just two days after a restricted 4-3 loss to Vancouver. The group immediately broke their winless streak with a triumph over San Jose under Hackworth but stumbled again against Colorado.

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“You can only control what you can control. That’s what we’re trying to keep our focus on. No longer the referees or anything like that, just trying to expend energy on the things that we can help move in a positive direction,” Hackworth said on Thursday.

In the loss to Colorado, Roman Burki, the 2023 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, was constrained out due to back spasms. Hackworth remains optimistic about Burki’s accessibility for the upcoming match against the Whitecaps.

Vancouver Whitecaps’ Consistency

Vancouver (9-7-5, 32 points) has found a level of consistency, going unbeaten in their last four matches across all competitions (3-0-1). The Whitecaps settled for a 1-1 draw at CF Montreal on July 6 but secured a 1-0 triumph over Pacific FC in the first leg of their Canadian Championship semifinal on Wednesday.

Head coach Vanni Sartini expressed his enthusiasm for facing Burki again, acknowledging the challenge.

“I hope he’s in,” Sartini said on Friday. “He’s the best goalkeeper of the league. It’s going to be a problem to play against him.”

Key Players and Team Dynamics

St. Louis City

• Roman Burki: Despite recent back spasms, Burki’s presence is crucial for St. Louis. As the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, his performance could be pivotal in securing a win.
• John Hackworth: As interim head coach, Hackworth’s ability to stabilize the team and maintain focus on controllable elements will be essential.

Vancouver Whitecaps

• Brian White: White’s new structure has been uncommon, with five goals in his last three league appearances, carrying his complete to 10 for the year.
• Ryan Gauld: Gauld has been influential, contributing 10 goals and seven assists across all competitions, including the decisive objective against Pacific FC.

Historical Context

The host group has won every one of the first three meetings in the untouched series between St. Louis City and Vancouver, tracing all the way back to last year. This pattern adds an extra layer of intrigue to Saturday’s match, as the two teams hope to use home advantage.

Conclusion

As St. Louis City aims to vindicate their new loss to Vancouver and secure a much-required win under break mentor John Hackworth, the Whitecaps seek to broaden their unbeaten streak and continue their move in the standings. With central participants like Roman Burki and Brian White in the spotlight, this match promises to be a serious and drawing in encounter. Fans can anticipate an undeniably exhilarating contest as St. Louis fights to turn their season around and Vancouver looks to keep up with their upward direction.