The Vancouver Whitecaps will play Sporting Kansas City for the second time this year on Saturday at Children's Mercy Park in an attempt to extend their MLS unbeaten streak to four games as Canadians from coast to coast commemorate the 156th birthday of their country.
Sporting KC have lost three straight games in this tournament after losing 1-0 to the Chicago Fire last weekend, while the Canadians have won their first road game of the regular season after defeating Los Angeles FC 3-2.
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A string of disappointing second-half displays has put Sporting on the outside looking in, four points behind Vancouver for the final Western Conference spot, with 21 points in 21 games.
SKC have gone a long way since the beginning of 2023, with five victories and 18 points since May, more than any other Western Conference team in that time.
Over that period, Peter Vermes' team has shown much better precision in the attacking third, with Kansas City tied with the Philadelphia Union for the most goals scored in the league since May.
The Whitecaps managed to win their first away game of the season at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, a stadium where they had never won before last Saturday.
This club has converted on numerous scoring chances, finishing with the second-most goals in the Western Conference (30).
Although they have lost two games this season when leading at the half, those losses came in their first two regular season games, with the Caps winning their only other two games in which they led at the half.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Sporting Kansas City vs Vancouver Whitecaps kick-off time
| Date: | Jul 1, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT |
| Venue: | Children's Mercy Park |
Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver Whitecaps face off on Jul 1 at Children's Mercy Park. Kickoff is set for 8:30 pm Eastern Time (ET), or 5:30 pm Pacific Time (PT).
How to watch Sporting Kansas City vs Vancouver Whitecaps online - TV channels & live streams
 | Apple TV | Watch here |
The game will not be broadcast live on TV but will be available to stream live online through Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
Team news & squads
Sporting KC team news
Logan Ndenbe, Tim Melia, Kortne Ford and Gadi Kinda are out with injuries for the LAFC. Alan Pulido has registered six goal involvements in his last four appearances and will be SKC's focal point yet again.
Sporting Kansas City possible XI: Pulskamp; Davis, Castellanos, Voloder, Ndenbe; Radoja, Walter, Thommy; Russell, Pulido, Salloi.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Pulskamp, McIntosh |
| Defenders | Fontas, Liebold, Zusi, Pierre, Valencia, Voloder, Sweat, Castellanos, Rindov |
| Midfielders | Tzonis, Rodoja, Espinoza, Thommy, Walter, Hernandez, Duke, Cisneros, Davis, Flores |
| Forwards | Salloi, Pulido |
Whitecaps team news
Vancouver Whitecaps have only Ranko Veselinovic unavailable. The Caps will yet again be looking to Simon Becher for goals, as he has been their main contributor so far.
Vancouver Whitecaps possible XI: Takaoka; Blackmon, Veselinovic, Laborda; Raposo, Cubas, Schopf, Martins; Gauld; White, Vite
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Takaoka, Hasal |
| Defenders | Veselinovic, Laborda, Brown, Martins, Blackmon, Yao, Ahmed, Aaron |
| Midfielders | Cubas, Schopf, Vite, Gressel, Gutierrez, Teibert, Raposo, Berhalter, Aguilar |
| Forwards | Gauld, Cordova, Dajome, Becher |
Head-to-Head Record
Over the course of their last five games, Vancouver Whitecaps has recorded three wins while Sporting Kansas City has recorded only one victory.