Vancouver Whitecaps v Minnesota United: Togetherness is key for hosts, says Veselinovic

Vancouver Whitecaps defender Ranko Veselinovic believes their togetherness will get them through their tough spot as they prepare to welcome Minnesota United in MLS.

The Whitecaps have already clinched a playoff spot, but have struggled in recent weeks, drawing one and losing three, with their last league win coming against San Jose Earthquakes on September 15.

They sit seventh in the Western Conference, with Minnesota just one place and one point below them, and Veselinovic hopes they can find a solution to their recent blip to put a bigger gap between them.

“We feel like we can do better,” he said. “Seattle was a really poor performance, so we need to find a way to be better on Saturday.

“Now it’s all about the mental side. We need to find a way, we don’t know how yet, but we need to push through.

“The most important thing is to stay together in the locker room and get sharper in the duels and wanting to put in a better performance.”

Meanwhile, Minnesota drew 0-0 with Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, failing to make it three wins on the bounce.

However, the draw was enough to clinch their playoff spot with two games remaining, though head coach Eric Ramsay is not going to ease up on the team.

“We really want to make sure that we focus on us, the upcoming games, and I’ve said from day one of this trip that we came here with a real sense of a mission and purpose,” Ramsay said.

“We want to make sure that when we play that final home game that we are really playing for something with something secured.”

WE ARE SO BACK

For the fifth time in the past six seasons, your Loons are headed to the #MLSCupPlayoffs! pic.twitter.com/nZjxY0IolQ

— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) October 3, 2024

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vancouver Whitecaps – Pedro Vite

Vancouver failed to score in an MLS game for the first time since early September and struggled to assert themselves in front of goal.

Pedro Vite showed their biggest threat, registering the most shots on target (two), had one of their three big chances, and had the most final third entries on the team (11).

Minnesota United – Bongokuhle Hlongwane

Minnesota also drew a blank in their most recent outing, but despite an underwhelming performance, Bongokuhle Hlongwane caused some problems.

He was responsible for 0.42 of their 0.77 expected goals (xG) and had the joint-most shots, but their top scorer could not find a breakthrough.

MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN

Vancouver are unbeaten in their last three matches against Minnesota (W2 D1), scoring three times in both of those wins, while they also got the better of the Loons in a pre-season friendly in February.

After a three-match unbeaten streak in MLS straight after the Leagues Cup break, the Whitecaps are now winless in four (D1 L3). They also drew the Canadian Championship final before prevailing on penalties last month.

Meanwhile, Minnesota have lost just one of their last six matches (W4 D1), but are unbeaten in their last three, keeping a clean sheet in each of those after a run of five without a shutout in the league.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Vancouver Whitecaps – 46.8%

Draw – 26.4%

Minnesota United – 26.8%