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St. Louis CITY & Vancouver Whitecaps vie for Western Conference lead
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- St. Louis CITY & Vancouver Whitecaps vie for Western Conference lead
St. Louis CITY & Vancouver Whitecaps vie for Western Conference lead
By Ari Liljenwall
Fresh off tying the MLS record unbeaten streak across all competitions (20 games), St. Louis CITY SC can take the Western Conference lead when they host Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday night.
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How to watch & stream
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Apple TV
When
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Wednesday, Oct. 14 | 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT
Where
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Energizer Park | St. Louis, Missouri
Player of the Matchday 29: Carlo Holse
St. Louis CITY SC
Standings
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2nd in Western Conference
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50 points (14W-6L-8D)
Last game
St. Louis emphatically extended their historic unbeaten run with a resounding 6-2 victory over LA Galaxy on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire.
Summer signing Carlo Holse stole the show with a hat trick inside the opening 21 minutes, while fellow Designated Player newcomer Rafael Navarro added 2g/2a in the rout.
Players to watch
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Carlo Holse: The Danish playmaker has made an immediate impact since arriving from Turkish Süper Lig side Samsunspor this summer. His hat trick against the Galaxy was the second-fastest in MLS history from kickoff.
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Rafael Navarro: Acquired from Colorado Rapids in a club-record $12 million trade, the Brazilian striker has been sensational with 7g/3a in just five starts.
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Roman Bürki: The 2023 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year remains a steady presence between the posts, helping St. Louis concede the sixth-fewest goals (38) in MLS this season.
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Chris Durkin: The former D.C. United standout anchors St. Louis CITY's midfield alongside Red Bull New York alum Daniel Edelman.
Need to know
St. Louis are the hottest team in MLS and await arguably the biggest game of head coach Yoann Damet's first season on Wednesday.
Unbeaten in 18 straight league games and 20 across all competitions, St. Louis can claim the all-competitions record outright and tie the league record (19) with a result against Vancouver.
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Additionally, a win would send St. Louis atop the Western Conference and closer to their first Audi MLS Cup Playoffs trip since their inaugural 2023 campaign.
St. Louis are also chasing silverware on another front, with a US Open Cup final at the Columbus Crew looming on Oct. 21. A victory there would deliver the club's first-ever trophy.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Standings
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1st in Western Conference
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51 points (15W-7L-6D)
Last game
Vancouver battled to a 1-1 draw at LAFC on Saturday despite playing nearly the entire match with 10 men.
After Tristan Blackmon was sent off in the seventh minute, Oliver Larraz and Denis Bouanga swapped goals as Vancouver secured a point and clinched their fourth straight Audi MLS Cup Playoffs berth.
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Players to watch
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Brian White: Vancouver's all-time leading goalscorer has 17 goals, putting him firmly in the Golden Boot presented by Audi conversation.
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Ryan Gauld: Vancouver's captain is back in the fold after injury troubles, providing another creative dimension to an already dangerous Whitecaps attack.
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Édier Ocampo: The dynamic fullback made his senior debut with Colombia during the September/October international window, playing 83 minutes against Paraguay.
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Yohei Takaoka: The Japanese goalkeeper co-leads MLS in clean sheets (12) this season, alongside Nashville's Brian Schwake and LAFC's Hugo Lloris.
Need to know
Vancouver are looking to build on a historic 2025 campaign, which saw them reach the Concacaf Champions Cup and MLS Cup finals for the first time.
Head coach Jesper Sørensen's side have maintained their place among the Western Conference elite despite transferring USMNT midfielder Sebastian Berhalter to Middlesbrough this summer.
The Whitecaps have conceded the second-fewest goals in MLS this season (30) and can take a major step toward securing the West's top seed with a victory over second-place St. Louis.
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The market slightly favors St. Louis, giving the hosts a 43% chance of victory versus Vancouver's 34%.
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Market insights shared are current as of Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 10 am ET.
