With No. 1 seed clinched, Whitecaps seek Cascadia sweep vs. Sounders

A day before their Cascadia Cup clash with the Seattle Sounders on Sunday, the Vancouver Whitecaps had the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference clinched for them with FC Dallas' 1-1 draw at Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.

It's the first time the Whitecaps (17-8-7, 58 points) have finished atop the Western Conference standings in their 16 seasons in MLS. But there's still something on the line in this rivalry matchup, as Vancouver looks to become the first team in Cascadia history to sweep the season series with both of their rivals in the three-way competition that also includes the Portland Timbers.

"We are ready to attack the last two games," said Whitecaps coach Jesper Sorensen, whose team will travel to Montreal for the regular-season finale.

The Sounders (11-11-10, 43 points) are fighting for their playoff lives in the penultimate match of the regular season, trying to avoid missing the playoffs for just the second time since joining MLS in 2009.

Seattle entered the weekend in the ninth and final Western Conference spot, level on points but behind on total wins with eighth-place Colorado, which hosts Chicago Saturday night.

"I don't think we need any sort of motivation from our opposition," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said of the rivalry. "We know where we sit (in the standings), know the importance of this game to us."

The Sounders have been up and down all season. They're 0-2-2 over their past four matches, including a 1-0 home loss Wednesday against Houston in which they outshot the Dynamo 21-2.

"Things are not going our way recently, but we're going to bounce back," said Sounders forward Dejan Joveljic, who has five goals in nine matches since being acquired from Sporting Kansas City.

The Whitecaps returned home after a 1-2-2 trip to defeat San Diego FC 4-1 on Wednesday. Brian White also tallied his 100th career goal in league play in the victory.

"Something I've always wanted to get to and had my eyes on, if I'm being honest, to get to 100 goals," White said. "But at the end of the day, you want to win championships with the team."

The Sounders eliminated Vancouver in the Round of 16 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup this spring, including a 3-0 road victory in which Paul Arriola tallied twice.

The Whitecaps won 2-0 at Seattle on Aug. 17 in MLS play as Rayan Elloumi and Thomas Muller scored five minutes apart in the second half.

--Field Level Media