12:29 AM ET: Thank you for joining us tonight here on VAVEL USA. Make sure to tune back in tomorrow for a college football tripleheader with me. I'll be covering the Red River Shootout between Texas and Oklahoma at Noon ET followed by Washington and California at 6 pm ET followed by USC and Arizona at 10:30 pm ET. It will be a fun day of football, I hope that you'll join me!
12:22 AM ET: The VAVEL USA Man of the Match is Vancouver Whitecaps centerback Kendall Waston. He personally cleared so many Seattle attacks in this one, he threw his body around to save the clean sheet and pulled a header off the line late in the game. Congratulations to Kendall Waston.
12:20 AM ET: Congratulations to the Vancouver Whitecaps for retaining the Cascadia Cup.
Final Score: Vancouver Whitecaps 1, Seattle Sounders 0.
90+6': FINAL WHISTLE! And that will do it from CenturyLink Field as the Vancouver Whitecaps retain the Cascadia Cup with a 1-0 win.
90+6': A late foul on Gonzalez, Seattle with one last push.
90+5': Ousted plays a ball that is on its way out of bounds should that have been a corner? That should've been a corner. Oh boy, terrible call there by the officials.
90+4': Handball called on Laba. Everybody coming forward for Seattle.
90+3': Waston with another big clearance. Martins called for a foul on Ballouchy on another challenge in the air. He was a little late on that one.
90+2': Waston clears the Evans header off the line! Marshall got the Pineda costless kick back across the face of goal but it doesn't fall for Seattle.
90+2': Costless kick to Seattle about 30 yards out to the right side.
90+1': Ousted is finally up after the delay. Now Dempsey and Waston are exchanging words, five minutes of stoppage time remaining.
90': Obafemi Martins collides with David Ousted on a ball in the air. The keeper is still down, Teibert and Dempsey are yapping at each other right now as we enter stoppage time.
89': Time is ticking away for Seattle.
87': Vancouver is playing very solid defensively. The lines are holding up.
86': Vancouver employing some stall tactics to try and kill time. Basically every Seattle player except for Frei is in the attacking third.
85': Handball called on Ballouchy. Laba gets shown a yellow card.
83': Both teams are out of subs.
82': Seattle going all in with a back three.
81': Seattle making their final sub as well: Andy Rose (In), Jalil Anibaba (Out)
80': Here comes the sub for Vancouver as Morales will come off for Nicolas Mezquida.
80': Morales goes down again, it looks to be a cramp.
77': Seattle is pressing here late in the match. There are bodies flying everywhere right now. Barrett goes down, Evans goes down, Waston goes down. It is nuts!
76': Dempsey's shot is deflected off the wall and out for a corner.
75': Kendall Waston is shown the yellow card for another foul on Dempsey. A very dangerous costless kick coming up for about 22 yards out straight away.
74': Morales is back on the field. We will see how he holds up.
73': Nicolas Mezquida will be the replacement if needed.
72': Pedro Morales just pulled up. That could be a hamstring issue. Oh boy.
71': Vancouver sub: Mauro Rosales (Out), Mehdi Ballouchy (In)
70': The big problem for Seattle is Kendall Waston in the middle who is just clearing out any arial balls.
68': Sounders are just having problems finding space. They need to look to the wings for the attack.
65': Here comes the sub: Pineda (In), Azira (Out)
65': Gonzalo Pineda is getting prepared to come on the field.
64': Clint Dempsey goes in the book for a sarcastic clap in the face of the referee after a questionable foul on Beitashour.
62': Alonso with a great run across the middle of the field. He looks for Pappa but the ball is out for a corner. Pappa swings the corner across but Dempsey heads it out. Pappa will come off for Chad Barrett.
60': A big challenge from Kendall Waston on Clint Dempsey but nothing doing from the referee. The tackles have been very tough on both sides tonight.
59': Seattle now with pressure in the Vancouver half.
57': Rosales looks cross but Martins makes the block in the wall.
56': We just saw a replay of the challenge on Anibaba by Froese. No ball that should habe been at least a yellow card. Meanwhile, Vancouver earns a costless kick in the Seattle end.
55': A dangerous moment there as Mauro Rosales broke through a tackle into a 3-on-2 break. His cross was right in between the other two Vancouver attackers.
54': Seattle is just not on the same page in their attack. They need a spark of some sort.
51': Froese called for the foul on Alonso. Evans puts a ball into a crowd that is met by the head of Chad Marshall but the shot is wide and out for a goal kick.
49': SAVE! Erik Hurtado gets acres of space and fires a low shot that is kneed away by Frei. The rebound is hit out for a goal kick.
47': Seattle is starting out on the front foot in the second half. Gonzalez whips a ball across the middle of the box but Kendall Waston is there to clear.
46': We are underway in the second half as Vancouver kicks off.
46': Sub coming on for Vancouver: Kianz Froese comes on for Kekuta Manneh.
11:15 PM ET: Sporting Kansas City ended up winning their game earlier against the Chicago Fire. That puts Sporting back into second place in the East with 49 points just one point ahead of the New England Revolution who have played one fewer game.
11:14 PM ET: Seattle has had the better of the possession so far with 57.6%. Vancouver leads in the shots category 5-4 and shots on target 2-1.
45+2': And that will do it for the first half. The final whistle is blown and Manneh is back down on the field. The trainers are helping him off the field. We may see a sub coming after halftime.
45+1': Manneh is still limping on that hip. Wow, that was a crazy sequence.
45': GOAL!!!! KEKUTA MANNEH!!!! He comes back on the field and is not picked up by any Sounder defenders. He fires a low shot through Frei's leg and it is 1-0 Vancouver.
44': Manneh is walking off the field but he is still in pain.
43': Manneh is down on the field and is in considerable pain.
42': The outswinger goes through the box and eventually out for a goal kick after Matias Laba knocks it out of bounds.
42': The delivery is cleared out by Chad Marshall out for a corner.
41': Yellow card to Leo Gonzalez who trips up Kekuta Manneh to deny a run at goal on the 1-on-3. A costless kick coming from a distance for Vancouver.
39': Vancouver breaks, the ball finds Kekuta Manneh on the right side, he slices his shot wide.
38': Wow big shove in the back of Neagle by Russell Teibert. No call at the top of the box.
36': Seattle is looking to build up pressure starting from the defense. Evans pulls down Morales as Vancouver takes possession.
35': Vancouver putting the pressure on Seattle in their half with some one-touch passing. Laba looks to shot but his space closes up quickly.
31': A great counter-attack started by Martins who floats the ball to Dempsey who dishes off to the charging Azira who cannot get the shot off. He made have been bumped as he was taking the shot but nothing doing says the referee.
30': SAVE! Manneh turns Brad Evans inside out and fires a low shot to the near post but Frei palms it out for a corner.
30': Just as we point that out, they switch again.
29': Martins is playing out on the right wing now with Neagle playing more forward up with Dempsey.
28': Manneh is not happy after he feels like he is fouled at the edge of the box. He may have had a point but the referee waves for play on.
27': Rosales battling down the right side with Leo Gonzalez. Rosales looks to make a play in the middle but the ball is out for a goal kick.
25': Not much to report over the last three minutes. Possession, steal, possession, steal, possession, steal.
22': The corner comes in towards Evans at the top of the box but it is cleared by Andy O'Brien.
21': Martins gets open in some space, he tries to tee up a long shot but it is blocked off of Steven Beitashour and out for a corner.
20': Vancouver starting to get some sustained possession in the Seattle half. Just as we say that, they give up the ball.
18': The corner is cleared by Vancouver.
17': Laba has some words for the referee after another foul called on the DP. A corner coming up for Seattle.
16': Matias Laba hacks down Clint Dempsey as Dempsey pushes into the Vancouver end.
15': Some good play from the Sounders to get Martins some space in the corner. Pappa made a cut to the middle of the field while Martins thought he was going to the end line. Out for a goal kick.
13': Dempsey tries a long-distance drive that is blocked by a Vancouver player on the 18-yard line.
12': Kendall Waston is called for a hard shoulder on Martins. A costless kick coming for Seattle from about 35 yards out straight away.
11': The costless kick is taken quickly by Morales but it was too far and out for a goal kick.
10': Azira and Rosales collide in the middle of the field. A foul is called on Azira.
10': Pappa fed a lovely ball into Martins in behind the defense but Ousted comes off his line to clear the danger.
7': Neagle feeds Gonzalez on a run up the left side. Gonzalez looks ahead to Dempsey but the ball is cut out by Andy O'Brien.
7': Hurtado with the long-distance shot off the bounce but it falls halfway to the Space Needle.
6': Leo Gonzalez with a tough foul on Mauro Rosales. Rosales was down for a few moments but he is up.
5': Vancouver passing around their defense. They try a long ball in over the top of the Seattle defense but it is cut out.
4': Manneh makes the first attacking run at goal but he is tackled by Alonso. Seattle coming back the other way.
2': SAVE! Neagle gets a long cross field pass from Martins. Neagle cut inside and fired a low drive that is gathered by Ousted.
1': We are underway! Dempsey to Martins and it is go time.
10:22 PM ET: The Sounders will be defending the North End. It looks like Seattle will be kicking off wearing the Rave Green jerseys. Vancouver is in all blue.
10:21 PM ET: We are moments from the kickoff as the captains meet at midfield.
10:20 PM ET: The anthems are done and it is time for football at CenturyLink Field.
10:15 PM ET: Sporting Kansas City has broken the tie with the Chicago Fire. It is 1-0 at Sporting Park.
10:14 PM ET: Here is a look at the Best XI All-Time in Seattle Sounders History as voted on by the fans:
10:13 PM ET: The Sounders are honoring their legends tonight as part of the team's 40th anniversary. So many past Sounder players are out on the field right now.
10:06 PM ET: Both of these teams in the thick of the playoff chase. Seattle already clinched and fighting for the Supporters' Shield and Vancouver batting Portland for the final spot in the Western Conference. With both teams needing a win, expect some very intense soccer tonight.
10:04 PM ET: A very interesting dilemma for the Portland Timbers who would be in a better position if the Seattle Sounders FC win tonight? Do they root for three points for their rivals? My guess is no.
10:00 PM ET: Confirmed that the match will kick off at 10:23 PM ET.
9:58 PM ET: There is one other game going on in Major League Soccer right now as the Chicago Fire are playing away to Sporting Kansas City. That game is currently tied at 0 in the 60th minute.
9:56 PM ET: A win or a draw will give the Cascadia Cup to the Seattle Sounders FC.
9:54 PM ET: We are back and we are about 30 minutes to the kickoff tonight from CenturyLink Field.
9:28 PM ET: We will be right back with more coverage shortly.
9:26 PM ET: Now the lineup for the Seattle Sounders FC: GK: Frei, DEF: Evans, Marshall, Anibaba, Gonzalez; MID: Neagle, Alonso, Azira, Pappa; FWD: Dempsey, Martins
9:20 PM ET: Here is the starting XI for the Vancouver Whitecaps:
9:18 PM ET: Notice that there are no tarps in the upper deck. The stadium is open to all tonight, we haven't heard of tickets numbers as of yet but it will be rocking here tonight.
9:17 PM ET: A look at CenutryLink Field. The calm before the storm.
9:10 PM ET: Both clubs will be wearing black armbands in honor of John Best who passed away this week. Best was the first ever coach of the Seattle Sounders back in 1974 and served as the GM for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 1977. We at VAVEL USA send our regards to the family of John Best.
9:06 PM ET: How do you see this match ending? Who will be the hero? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below or on my twitter page @tenorman85.
9:04 PM ET: Both teams will be missing key players ahead of this match for a few different reasons. Vancouver will be without Darren Mattocks (International Duty), Carlyle Mitchell (International Duty), Christian Dean (International Duty) and Sebastian Fernandez (Yellow-Card Accumulation). Seattle will be without DeAndre Yedlin (International Duty) and Sean Okoli (International Duty).
9:02 PM ET: Seattle could not find the target in the second match. They launched 13 shots in total with only one hitting the target. Vancouver on the other hand forced Stefan Frei in six saves on the night in a match that could have easily been 2-0 or 3-0.
9:00 PM ET: The second meeting between the two came on July 5th at BC Place as well. This time a 12th minute goal from Sebastian Fernandez would be the only tally in a 1-0 win for the Whitecaps. Once again, Seattle were without Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin as they had just been eliminated from the World Cup.
8:58 PM ET: One of the bigger storylines from this game would be the injury to Seattle centerback Djimi Traore. Traore went down awkwardly on a challenge in the box. He would be diagnosed with a slight tear in his adductor and would be out for “a bit.” Since then, Traore has made only four appearances with three starts as he works his way back to health.
8:56 PM ET: The first meeting came back in late May at BC Place. Seattle were without DeAndre Yedlin and Clint Dempsey who had just been announced as making the final roster for the United States Men’s National Team heading to Brazil for the World Cup. The match itself finished 2-2 with goals from Erik Hurtado and Gershon Koffie for the Whitecaps and goals from Chad Barrett and Gonzalo Pineda for the Sounders.
8:54 PM ET: This is the third and final regular-season meeting between the two teams in 2014.
8:52 PM ET: Basically what it comes down to is a draw or Seattle win will bring the cup back to the Emerald City. If the Vancouver Whitecaps win, then they will retain the cup after winning in 2013.
8:50 PM ET: The Seattle Sounders sit on top of that table with eight points from five matches played. The Vancouver Whitecaps are in third with seven points from their five matches played. The Portland Timbers sit in second with seven points but they have played all of their matches and cannot win the cup.
8:48 PM ET: We mentioned earlier that this is the final Cascadia Cup fixture of the season and that trophy is on the line in this match as well.
8:46 PM ET: The schedule maker for Major League Soccer should be given a medal for their work especially with the way that Seattle’s schedule ends. They finish the season with a home-and-home with the second-place Los Angeles Galaxy. The first leg of that will take place next Sunday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA while the return leg taking place Saturday, October 25th at CenturyLink Field on NBC.
8:44 PM ET: The Seattle Sounders FC have already clinched their spot in the MLS Playoffs and are currently sitting on 60 points with three matches remaining. They are tied with the Los Angeles Galaxy for the top spot in the West and one of the two teams will win the Supporters’ Shield. Seattle holds the tie-breaker with the Galaxy having won 19 matches to LA’s 17.
8:42 PM ET: Portland then finishes off the season away to FC Dallas on Saturday, October 25th in a match that could be critical to their playoff lives. Fortunately for the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Timbers final match of the season kicks off 90 minutes before their final match starts so by the 30th minute, they will know what they need to make the playoffs, if that is still a possibility.
8:40 PM ET: The Portland Timbers have a significantly harder schedule remaining. They play next Friday night in the NBCSN Nationally-Televised game at home to Real Salt Lake before traveling mid-week to Honduras for their final CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage match. As long as the Timbers do not lose by four or more goals, then they will advance into the knockout round but a win could see them finish with a top-2 seed in the knockout round.
8:38 PM ET: The Whitecaps finish off the season with matches against teams that are already eliminated in the Western Conference. Next Saturday, they travel to Buck Shaw Stadium to play against the San Jose Earthquakes. The following Saturday they return to BC Place for an evening match with the Colorado Rapids. That one could very well be with the playoffs on the line.
8:36 PM ET: Vancouver has played one fewer match than Portland and our match tonight is that one. The Whitecaps are also just five points behind FC Dallas for fourth place in the West and six points behind Real Salt Lake. Each team has three matches remaining, you never know things could get pretty crazy.
8:34 PM ET: The Vancouver Whitecaps are currently out of the playoff positioning sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference, two points behind the Portland Timbers for the fifth and final playoff spot. Portland overtook Vancouver after a 3-0 win at Providence Park on Wednesday night over the San Jose Earthquakes.
8:32 PM ET: This game is an absolutely huge match for both teams who are in very different positions in terms of the playoffs.
8:30 PM ET: Good evening and welcome to VAVEL USA’s live coverage of Major League Soccer. We are in the stretch run to the playoffs where every match becomes more important as the season winds down. Tonight we bring to you the final match in this season’s Cascadia Cup competition as the Vancouver Whitecaps travel down I-5 to face off with the Seattle Sounders FC.