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On Saturday, June 16th, the Colorado Rapids will play the Vancouver Whitecaps at the BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Major League Soccer has had a mini break due to recent regional World Cup Qualifiers.
Vancouver (6-3-4) have impressed during the first part of the 2012 campaign. The British Columbia based club has started well in a competitive Western Conference after finishing bottom of the table in 2011, their debut season. Colorado (6-6-1) currently find themselves right behind the Whitecaps in the Western table by three points.
The Rapids could have a boost with Conor Casey and Brian Mullen expected to play in Vancouver after both players traveled with the squad. Unfortunately, Omar Cummings did not travel and is still recovering from a sprained ankle; he reportedly is skipping the match partially because he doesn't want to risk re-injuring himself on the Vancouver turf.
Meanwhile, Vancouver has lost the services of Omar Salgado after the youngster broke his foot while on international duty with the United States U-20 national team. They won't cry for too long about that though, as they have plenty of other attacking options to work with in their 4-3-3 attack. Eric Hassli, Sebastien Le Toux and Darren Mattocks among others form a formidable strike force.
In 2011, the Rapids swept the Whitecaps in both fixtures. Vancouver is unbeaten in their previous three matches while Colorado will be looking for a second straight win over a Canadian club, after defeating Montreal Impact 3-2 on May 26th at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.