The international offices of Pucked in the Head were unceremoniously attacked last week by an audiophilic zombie, leading to chaos and turmoil throughout the agency. The confrontation eventually led to the production of a podcast and a brief hiatus for our beloved Whitecaps Wednesday, but it is with great pride that I report everyone here remains just as screwed up as they were prior to the zombie’s arrival. No more, no less.
As for today, the fourth installment of the “March to March” series trumpets the return of Whitecaps Wednesday, in which we will examine the Whitecaps’ matchups throughout the month of June.
Vancouver heads out on the road, where they will remain for an extended period of time, in order to allow the 2015 Women’s World Cup the use of their hallowed, lawsuit-initiating turf. Read on to find out how I expect month four of the Caps MLS season to play out.
Game #15: The Whitecaps’ first match of the month sees them in Montreal to face the Impact on June 3. The Montreal Impact joined MLS a year after Vancouver (in 2012) and after qualifying for the playoffs in 2013, took a major step back last season, earning just six victories and finishing in the league’s basement.
Historical Result Table:
MLS Play
| Date | Home | Away | Result |
| 10 – MAR – 2012 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Montreal Impact | 2 – 0 |
| 21 – SEP – 2013 | Montreal Impact | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 0 – 3 |
| 16 – JUN – 2014 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Montreal Impact | 0 – 0 |
Canadian Championship Play
| Date | Home | Away | Result |
| 27 – APR – 2011 | Montreal Impact | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 0 – 1 |
| 04 – MAY – 2011 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Montreal Impact | 1 – 1 |
| 15 – MAY – 2013 | Montreal Impact | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 0 – 0 |
| 29 – MAY – 2013 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Montreal Impact | 2 – 2 |
The Rub: Interestingly enough, Montreal has performed well in Canadian Championship play and will be defending the Voyageurs Cup for the second consecutive year in 2015. But the MLS competition has proven to be a different beast for the Quebec-based squad. The retirement of the Impact’s leading goal scorer, Marco Di Vaio, has left a hole at the top of their formation that they have yet to fill. Montreal will struggle to find the scoring needed to outpace Vancouver, and the Whitecaps leave Montreal with a 3-1 victory.
Game # 16: Just three days after playing in Montreal, the Whitecaps find themselves in California for a meeting with the 2014 MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy on June 6. It’s the second and final contest of the season between the two Western Conference teams. Assuming my prediction from earlier in the season holds true, the Galaxy will be looking to get even after dropping a decision to Vancouver in April.
Historical Result Table:
| Date | Home | Away | Result |
| 30 – JUL – 2011 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | LA Galaxy | 0 – 4 |
| 17 – SEP – 2011 | LA Galaxy | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 3 – 0 |
| 23 – JUN – 2012 | LA Galaxy | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 3 – 0 |
| 18 – JUL – 2012 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | LA Galaxy | 2 – 2 |
| 01 – SEP – 2012 | LA Galaxy | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2 – 0 |
| 01 – NOV – 2012 | LA Galaxy | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2 – 1 |
| 11 – MAY – 2013 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | LA Galaxy | 3 – 1 |
| 20 – JUL – 2013 | LA Galaxy | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2 – 1 |
| 24 – AUG – 2013 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | LA Galaxy | 0 – 1 |
| 12 – APR – 2014 | LA Galaxy | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 1 – 0 |
| 19 – APR – 2014 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | LA Galaxy | 2 – 2 |
| 23 – AUG – 2014 | LA Galaxy | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2 – 0 |
| 04 – APR – 2015 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | LA Galaxy | 2 – 1* |
*Note: This result correlates to a prediction made in an earlier “March to March” entry
The Rub: This will be the third match in just seven days for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Throw in a couple of cross-continent flights and you can expect the squad to be more than a little fatigued come kickoff. Coach Carl Robinson will be tasked with managing minutes leading up to and beyond this game – but it would take a committee of Nostradamus, Father Time and Doctor Who in order to field a squad with enough energy reserves to win this one. LA are victorious by a 3-0 score.
Game #17: Another game, another flight to the eastern seaboard. The Whitecaps’ schedule finds them in New York to face the Red Bulls on June 20, so at least the team will have a stretch of 14 days in between games to try and recharge their batteries. They’ll be taking on a new look New York squad.
Historical Result Table:
| Date | Home | Away | Result |
| 28 – MAY – 2011 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | New York Red Bulls | 1 – 1 |
| 10 – SEP – 2011 | New York Red Bulls | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 1 – 1 |
| 20 – JUN – 2012 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | New York Red Bulls | 1 – 1 |
| 01 – JUN – 2013 | New York Red Bulls | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 1 – 2 |
| 09 – MAR – 2014 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | New York Red Bulls | 4 – 1 |
The Rub: Somewhat mirroring the season of upheaval the Whitecaps went through prior to the 2014 season, the Red Bulls will start 2015 with a new head coach after Mike Petke was replaced with former Montreal Impact manager Jesse Marsch. Both Thierry Henry (retirement) and Tim Cahill (mutual termination) have left the club, and although the league’s 2014 golden boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips remains, the departures of Cahill and Henry are significant. This will undoubtedly be an interesting year for soccer in the Big Apple, and Red Bulls supporters will watch the Whitecaps escape with a 2-1 victory in this one.
Game #18: Vancouver continues on the road, heading to the land of the Super Bowl Champions to take on the New England Revolution on June 27. The Revolution advanced to the MLS Cup finals last season and will prove to be a tough road test for the Whitecaps.
Historical Result Table:
| Date | Home | Away | Result |
| 06 – APR – 2011 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | New England Revolution | 1 – 1 |
| 14 – MAY – 2011 | New England Revolution | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 1 – 0 |
| 12 – MAY – 2012 | New England Revolution | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 4 – 1 |
| 15 – JUN – 2013 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | New England Revolution | 4 – 3 |
| 22 – MAR – 2014 | New England Revolution | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 0 – 0 |
The Rub: The defending Eastern Conference champions look to be serious contenders this season, reacquiring striker Juan Agudelo after his disorganized stint overseas last year. The Revs will also have U.S. national team member Jermaine Jones in place for a full season, who will help 2014 MLS MVP candidate Lee Nguyen orchestrate New England’s offence through the midfield. Toss in yet another long distance flight and it’s all a bit too much for the Whitecaps, who drop a 2-0 decision in Massachusetts.
The End Result: Vancouver weathers their lengthy road streak, managing to collect six points of a possible twelve. The results bring their overall record to 8-6-4 (W-L-T) as they eclipse the halfway point of the season and see a return to BC Place in the not-to-distant future. The Caps will be relieved to see June in the rear-view mirror and a much more tranquil schedule in July approaching. Remember to check back next week for more suppositions, deductions and assumptions as we purvey the Whitecaps’ results in month number five of their 2015 MLS season.