Sporting KC vs Vancouver Whitecaps Odds & Prediction – MLS Cup Playoffs Round One

• Sporting KC and the Vancouver Whitecaps clash in the MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday, November 20th
• KC head in as a heavy -155 favorite on home soil
• Find the odds, betting preview, and prediction below

The journey to the MLS Cup begins on Saturday, November 20th as Sporting KC welcomes the Vancouver Whitecaps to Children’s Mercy Park. The kick-off is scheduled for 5pm ET.

KC is the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, while the Caps are seeded No. 6. The winner of this round one fixture will progress to the Western Conference Semifinals where they will face either Real Salt Lake or the Seattle Sounders.

These two clubs locked horns twice this season, capturing one victory apiece. Their most recent meeting was on October 18th as Vancouver ran out as 2-1 winners at BC Place.

Sporting KC vs Whitecaps Odds

All odds as of November 19th at DraftKings.

Sporting KC in Poor Form

Although KC put together a very respectable season by finishing just three points behind Western Conference champions Colorado, the side heads into Saturday’s encounter in dismal form. Peter Vermes’ men lost the last three games of the campaign, conceding six times while scoring just two goals. This was their worst string of results all year.

But, Sporting has had a two-week window to regroup and prepare for a tough matchup with an in-form Whitecaps team. KC possessed one of the most deadly attacks in the entire MLS this term, bagging 58 goals in 34 games. That was the second-most in the league behind only New England, who fired home 65 en route to winning the Supporter’s Shield.

Vermes has no shortage of lethal finishers at his disposal. Strike duo Johnny Russell and Daniel Salloi were absolutely ruthless in the final third, netting 15 and 16 times, respectively. The two frontmen also combined for 14 assists and are easily the most important players to Sporting.

JFR 🤝 DS20

These two had a helluva regular season. Time to bring it to the @Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs Saturday🔥#SportingKC pic.twitter.com/Cu0QZmdTI5

— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) November 18, 2021

Alan Pulido, who has been out since early October after undergoing knee surgery, is back in training and could feature on Saturday as well. He’s proven to be a key part of the attack alongside Russell and Salloi, notching eight goals in 21 appearances. While Sporting KC does have an advantage here playing on home turf,  five of their seven defeats in 2021 have actually come at Children’s Mercy.

Vancouver Confidence Sky-High

The Whitecaps hovered around a playoff spot for most of the year, but after a shock defeat to CPL outfit Pacific FC in late August, Vancouver decided to sack Marc Dos Santos and appoint Italian Vanni Sartini, who has done a phenomenal job since taking over. Under his guidance, the Caps have gone 7-5-2 and went unbeaten in their last six games to close out the campaign.

A 1-1 draw with Seattle on November 7th secured their spot in the postseason, thanks to a Ryan Gauld equalizer in the first half after Fredy Montero converted from the spot for the Sounders. Gauld, who joined the side in early August, has scored four goals and supplied four assists in 13 starts for Vancouver, serving as a key component behind the two strikers.

During the Caps’ impressive run, they managed to secure a few terrific results, beating Portland, Minnesota, and Sporting KC, who all finished above them in the West. Just like their Saturday opponents, Vancouver has quite the versatile front two as well. Christian Dajome had 10 goals and four assists to his name, while Ben White bagged 12 and laid on another five for his teammates.

“Even when we go down in games we can pull out a tie, or we can pull out a win… I think the group is flying high right now. We have a good belief, a good confidence going into these playoffs that we can make a run”
💬 @_BrianWhite42#VWFC #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/M8X0Di1J69

— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 18, 2021

Although it is the playoffs and truly anything can happen, the Whitecaps were dreadful on the road this term, posting a 2-5-10 record. Just one of their previous three wins came away from BC Place.

Sporting KC vs Whitecaps Key Stats

Sporting KC vs Whitecaps Prediction

Needless to say, Sporting KC is a heavy favorite in this match despite the fact they’ve struggled to find results lately. While the Whitecaps aren’t great on the road, I don’t believe that’s going to matter here. This is their first playoff appearance in four years and given the way Vancouver is playing right now, the squad will have the belief they can beat anyone. Take the visitors to pull off the upset and secure their spot in the conference semifinals.

Pick: Vancouver Whitecaps (+425)