Atlanta United face a potential banana-skin in their quest to go five games unbeaten when they travel north to British Columbia to face the Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer.
The Caps welcome the incumbent MLS Cup holders to BC Place for an inter-conference clash knowing that victory for either would respectively strengthen their challenges for the postseason.
Frank de Boer's side haven't quite found their title-winning form this season but are currently on their best stretch of results after winning their last four.
Their hosts have also seen mixed results so far in 2019 but will hope to claim their fourth win of the campaign after downing Colorado and Portland in recent weeks.
| Game | Vancouver Whitecaps vs Atlanta United |
| Date | Thursday, May 16/Wednesday, May 15 |
| Time | 3:00am BST / 10:00pm ET |
| Stream (US Only) | fuboTV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
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In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
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| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Fox Sports South | fuboTV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast or available for streaming.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | N/A |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Vancouver squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Crepeau, MacMath, Melvin, Hasal |
| Defenders | Henry, Cornelius, Khmiri, Godoy, Sutter, McDonough, Nerwinski, Levis, Adnan, Giro |
| Midfielders | Hwang, Erice, Venuto, Felipe, Rose, Bangoura, Norman Jr, Reyna, Teibert, Colyn, Baldisimo |
| Forwards | Ardaiz, Bair, Montero |
Marc Dos Santos looks set to still be without the trio of Jasser Khemiri, Michael Baldisimo and David Norman Jr as they continue to return from injuries.
He will likely keep faith however with the 4-3-3 formation that delivered the win on Saturday against the Timbers.
Potential Vancouver starting XI: Crepeau; Nerwinski, Godoy, Henry, Adnan; Hwang, Erice, Teibert; Venuto, Montero, Bangoura.
| Position | Atlanta squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Guzan, Moore, Kann |
| Defenders | Escobar, Parkhurst, Pogba, Pirez, Robinson, Shea, Bello, Ambrose |
| Midfielders | Nagbe, Barco, Pity Martinez, Remedi, Meram, Villalba, Larentowicz, Gressel, Gallagher, Goslin, Pereira, Carleton |
| Forwards | Josef Martinez, Williams, Vazquez, Wild, Kratz |
Frank de Boer is also without three players through injury, with Chris Goslin, George Bello and Kevin Kratz all still out of the equation.
They will probably opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation, led at the front by Josef Martinez in the key striker role.
Potential Atlanta starting XI: Guzan; Escobar, Robinson, Pirez, Parkhurst; Remedi, Nagbe; Gressel, P Martinez, Villalba; J Martinez.
Betting & Match Odds
Atlanta are the 11/10 favourites to prevail with bet365 ahead of the game. Vancouver are meanwhile priced at 12/5 while a draw is available at the same price.
Match Preview
It's been a bag of mixed results for Atlanta United throughout the opening rounds of their MLS Cup defence, as new boss Frank de Boer found his feet - but the champions look to be finally back to their best.
Having now won four on the bounce to reignite their chances of reaching the end-of-season playoffs once again, the Five Stripes will now look to make it five unbeaten with a trip across the border to Britsh Columbia.
They head west to face Vancouver Whitecaps, who themselves look to have hit a run of form following a shaky start to 2019 - with both putting their recent records on the line in the search of success.
Both sides are nursing a handful of injury complaints but will be able to call upon otherwise mostly full squads for a game vital to momentum for the pair.
With the two sides crossing conferences - Atalanta play in the Eastern Conference of MLS while Vancouver sit in the West - it will be their only regular season encounter of the year.
One player of interest is United's former USMNT international Brek Shea, who left the Whitecaps on a free transfer last December.
The hosts will be determined not to simply roll over however and may fancy their chances of dealing the cup holders a blow.
“We know they are the champs,” Jake Nerwinski told reporters on Monday. “They have a strong front four. [Josef] Martinez is starting to heat up a bit. [Hector] Villalba has been good.
"But we want to make it tough for teams to score when we play at home, and I think we have been doing this year.”
