The Finisher:
Chris Wondolowski has nine goals in 11 career games against Vancouver, making him the all-time scoring leader against Whitecaps FC. He has three multi-goal games against Vancouver, including a brace in a 2-2 draw in July 2011. In 2012, Wondo scored twice during a stirring three-goal sequence over 10 minutes in a 3-1 win.
He’s 22 and hails from 33:
Vancouver’s 22-year-old Octavio Rivero, born in Trenta y Tres, Uruguay, leads MLS in scoring with five goals in six games. He came to Vancouver after six months with Chilean Primera Division side O’Higgins FC, where he scored 10 goals in 16 league appearances. Rivero isn't afraid to let them rip either, leading MLS in shots with 23 and shots on goal with 13.
- TICKETS: Quakes vs. Vancouver
Bay Area ties:
The Quakes and Whitecaps FC are practically joined at the Bay Area hip. Vancouver defender Steven Beitashour, a former Leland High School star, broke in with the Quakes. Whitecaps F/M Erik Hurtado was the West Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2012 with Santa Clara. Vancouver defender Christian Dean, a highly rated left-footed center back from East Palo Alto, and Quakes goalkeeper David Bingham, a former California High star, both played for UC Berkeley. Finally, Quakes midfielder Shea Salinas played for Vancouver after being selected in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft. He was traded to the Quakes for allocation money in 2011. Quakes’ KLIV Radio color analyst Joe Cannon, a two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, wrapped up his illustrious playing career in Vancouver after the 2013 season. Cannon won a 2001 MLS Cup with the Quakes. Steve Nash, who recently retired from the Los Angeles Lakers, is a member of the Vancouver ownership group. Nash helped No. 15 Santa Clara stun No. 2 Arizona in the 1993 NCAA Tournament.
Home Sweep Home:
While the teams are meeting for the first time at Avaya Stadium, the Quakes are unbeaten at home all-time against the Whitecaps FC (1-0-4). The teams drew 0-0 in the Buck Shaw Stadium swan song in 2014.
Head-to-Head Matchups:
Vancouver's Octavio Rivero, the MLS leading goal scorer, will go toe-to-toe with Quakes defender Clarence Goodson, who is enjoying a promising start in the backline for San Jose. In the midfield, a bout between two designated players will commence, as Whitecaps midfielder Pedro Morales and Quakes midfielder Matias Perez Garcia will look to win the battle in the middle of the park. Morales is second in MLS in assists with three and leads the league in shots on goal with nine. Garcia, on the otherhand, boasts an MLS best 24 corner kicks and is fourth in the league in fouls suffered. On the flanks, Vancouver's Darren Mattocks and San Jose's Sanna Nyassi will show off their fleet feet in a matchup between arguably two of the fastest players in MLS.
