It’s not going to be easy.
With just three games left, the Vancouver Whitecaps have their backs against the wall.
The team is 1-2 since firing head coach Carl Robinson, though they picked up an important win in Toronto in their last match. Interim head coach Craig Dalrymple will need to rally his troops, because they have a tall task ahead of them.
The Whitecaps trail the LA Galaxy by just two points, and are three points back of Real Salt Lake for the final playoff spot in the West. They’ve got a game in hand on both of those teams, though with a -11 goal differential, they may not win the tie-breaking procedure (tie-breaking procedure in MLS is: number of wins, then goal differential, then goals for).
Vancouver needs wins. Desperately.
Unfortunately for them, their final three matches look to be very difficult.
First up is Sporting Kansas City, who the Whitecaps will try to beat at home on Wednesday without the services of their best player. Alphonso Davies is expected to miss the match given that he’s playing with the Canadian men’s national team the day before in Toronto.
Craig Dalrymple said today it's "highly unlikely" that Davies, Henry, or Teibert will be involved for #VWFC against #SKC. They're slated to land in Vancouver around noon tomorrow. #canMNT
— Farhan Devji (@farhandevji) October 16, 2018
The Whitecaps’ final two matches are no cakewalks either. They play on the road against LAFC on Sunday. Not only is that a match against the second-best team in the West, it’s a team that has lost only once at home this season.
If somehow the Whitecaps survive those two tests, they’ll have a final chance to earn points against rival Portland Timbers in the regular season finale at BC Place.
Vancouver probably needs two wins and a draw in their final three games – though they might even need to win all three. If they do that, they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.