They may be two of Vancouver's most dangerous attackers in 2017, but Whitecaps duo Yordy Reyna and Cristian Techera will have to make their marks off the bench against the Seattle Sounders in Sunday night's Western Conference Semifinal first leg.
With the Whitecaps in the midst of a busy stretch that will see them play four games in 11 days between Decision Day, their Knockout Round win over San Jose and the Sounders series, head coach Carl Robinson opted to rest the two six-goal men. Brek Shea will start on the left flank in place of Techera, while Nigerian midfielder Nosa Igiebor will slot in behind Fredy Montero in place of Reyna.
Though both Reyna and Techera will both be available off the bench, the move could still prove to be risky for a Whitecaps team that has thrived when all of those players are on the field. Montero, Reyna and Techera lead the Whitecaps in goals this season, and in the seven matches they’ve started together, no opponent has kept all three off the scoresheet nor defeated Vancouver. Addtionally, Vancouver are undefeated with a 19-0-8 record when Techera records a goal or an assist.
UPDATE:Reyna entered the match in the 62nd minute while Techera followed in the 76th, but neither where able to make an impact on the scoresheet as Vancouver failed to register a shot on target in a 0-0 draw.
