The Vancouver Whitecaps hope there are still many games left to be played this year.
asserted
Whitecaps → hope → ?
Just six contests remain on the Major League Soccer team’s regular-season schedule, but on Saturday the ‘Caps became the first Western Conference club to clinch a playoff spot.
asserted
Caps → remain → spot
“It’s a good box to check, but job’s not done,” forward Emmanuel Sabbi said after training on Tuesday.
asserted
Sabbi → ’ → Tuesday
“We have to — hopefully, by God’s grace — get No. 1 (in the conference) and clinch that, and then look to move on game after game.
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We → have → game
But it’s one game at a time.”
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it → ’ → time
The next game comes Wednesday when the Whitecaps (15-7-6) visit scorching St. Louis City (14-6-8).
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Whitecaps → come → City
Vancouver heads into the matchup sitting first in the MLS Western Conference standings.
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Vancouver → sit → standings
Locking up the top spot over the final games of the regular season is forefront in players’ minds, Sabbi said.
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Sabbi → lock → minds
“We know it was a battle for us last year.
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it → know → us
We didn’t clinch that, and it became difficult for us to go away and come out with wins,” he said.
asserted
he → clinch → wins
“We know we can do it, but it’s better if we get that first spot, so we know it’s home field advantage.”
asserted
it → know → spot
St. Louis is a single point behind Vancouver in the standings — and charging hard.
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Louis → charge → standings
City enter Wednesday’s game on a four-game win streak and are unbeaten in an MLS-record 20 games across all competitions following a 6-2 drubbing of the L.A. Galaxy on Saturday.
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City → enter → Saturday
“They are good tactically, they are strong physically, they have great running capacity, they play with high intensity, they have a good idea of what they want to do when they have the ball, and they have very good structure also in the pressing,” said Jesper Sorensen, Vancouver’s head coach.
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Sorensen → have → pressing
“So it’s a good team.”
asserted
it → ’ → ?
St. Louis’s streak includes a 3-1 victory over the ‘Caps at BC Place on Sept. 5.
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streak → include → Sept.
That game saw Sabbi score in the second minute before City replied with three goals before halftime.
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City → see → halftime
“They kind of took over after we had the early goal,” Sabbi said.
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Sabbi → take → goal
“They started playing their game and we didn’t meet the standard that we normally give.
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we → start → that
And they took it to us and ended up getting a victory at our home.”
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they → take → home
Asked what Vancouver will need to do this time out to earn a different result, defensive midfielder Andres Cubas was succinct.
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Cubas → ask → result
“Tackles,” he said.
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he → say → ?
The ‘Caps can’t give a talented opponent room to make manoeuvres, he added.
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he → give → manoeuvres
“I think the more important is if we are able to keep the ball, don’t let them play easily,” Cubas said.
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Cubas → think → ball
“I think this is going to be the main thing to win this game.”
asserted
this → think → game
The best-of-the-West tilt comes amid a minor slump for the Whitecaps.
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tilt → come → Whitecaps
Vancouver has just one win over its last five league games (1-2-2), but it is coming off a gritty 1-1 draw with Los Angeles FC on Saturday.
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it → have → Saturday
The ‘Caps played much of the game short-handed after centre back Tristan Blackmon — the league’s reigning defender of the year — picked up a red card in the seventh minute for levelling Canadian midfielder Jacob Shaffleburg on what could have been a breakaway.
uncertain
what → play → Shaffleburg
Blackmon isn’t the only key piece who will be missing from Vancouver’s lineup in St. Louis.
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who → miss → Louis
Midfielders Thomas Muller and Jeevan Badwal and defender Sam Adekugbe are all out with hamstring injuries, while Kenji Cabrera (foot) and Belal Halbouni (knee) remain sidelined with long-term ailments.
“That’s just what you have to expect in this game, right?
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you → remain → game
Sometimes you miss guys,” Sorensen said.
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Sorensen → miss → guys
“So what is important is that we have a good idea and feeling of what we want to do and how we want to do it, no matter if we miss a guy or two or maybe even five or six, right?
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we → have → guy
So that’s the most important thing.”
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that → ’ → ?
Vancouver’s players know they’re in for a “tough game” in St. Louis, Cubas said.
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Cubas → know → Louis
“But I think we are also a good team,” he said.
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he → think → ?
“We prepare well for this game.
asserted
We → prepare → game
We know we have to do something else than what we did the last time we played with them.
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we → know → them
We have to go and give our 100 per cent to win this game.
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We → have → game
And trust in what we can do.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2026.
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report → trust → Press
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