Vancouver Whitecaps FC travel to CenturyLink Field to take on Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday night in a regular season MLS match with significant Cascadia Cup implications.

With the Cascadia Cup up for grabs, Saturday’s match has additional meaning for both teams. For those unfamiliar with the competition, the Cascadia Cup involves the three northwest MLS teams: Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Seattle Sounders FC and the Portland Timbers. The team with the most points in head-to-head regular season MLS play against its Cascadia Cup rivals at the end of any given season wins the coveted trophy.

Cascadia Cup in reach for Seattle

Seattle can clinch the Cascadia Cup for the fourth time in team history with a victory over the Whitecaps on Saturday. Seattle currently sits in first place with six points in only three games played, while Vancouver has five points in four games and Portland has five points in five games.

A win for the ‘Caps will vault them into first place in the Cascadia Cup standings and make their next MLS meeting with Seattle on Sept. 19 a winner-take-all scenario. 

The rivalry is set to heat up this week as the two teams will meet twice in five days, once in MLS regular season play on Saturday and again in CONCACAF Champions League play on Wednesday. However, the Champions League meeting does not count towards the Cascadia Cup standings.

Both teams will also be vying for MLS playoff positioning on Saturday. The Whitecaps currently sit in second place in the MLS Western Conference standings with 36 points in 22 games played. A win on Saturday and an FC Dallas loss on Sunday can propel the Whitecaps into first place in the Western Conference. The Sounders, on the other hand, sit in fifth place with 32 points in 22 games, but a win can help them get back on track.

It will be a busy month for the Whitecaps and Sounders, who each play eight games in August. The ‘Caps are coming off an impressive 3-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes last week and are looking to continue their upward trend on Saturday when they meet Seattle Sounders FC in what promises to be a fierce match.

Familiar faces returning to the Sounders

The Sounders have dropped three straight and have failed to score in all three of those matches. The team has been struggling without the likes of top forwards Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins, who lead the Sounders with seven goals each.

However, things are starting to look up for Seattle as Dempsey is set to return to the team after competing for the United States Men's National Team in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Along with Dempsey, Sounders defender Brad Evans will also be returning from his Gold Cup duties with the United States as well.

Seattle may also see the return of Martins on Saturday, who has missed the last seven games with a groin injury. However, his status for Saturday night is still questionable.

Vancouver dealing with an injury to Rosales

Vancouver, on the other hand, will be without the services of midfielder Mauro Rosales, who was injured in the ‘Caps’ match against San Jose last Sunday.

Rosales, who had a goal and an assist last contest, has been playing great as of late and will be difficult to replace in the midfield. Vancouver will have to rely on others to fill the void.

The Whitecaps did get captain Pedro Morales back last match from a calf injury that sidelined him for six weeks. He came off the bench in the 68th minute of that game and played well despite missing over a month of play. He may get the call to start in this contest in Rosales' absence.

The points are certainly attainable for both sides in this tilt. The all-time statistics are extremely close between these two rival teams. In 12 meetings, Seattle has won four times and Vancouver has won four times. Both teams have also played to a draw four times and have each scored 17 times in those 12 meetings.