Toronto FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps – MLS, April 24, 2021

We were treated to an all-Canadian thriller on the opening weekend of the 2021 MLS season – and we have another one to look forward to this weekend.

Toronto and Vancouver clash at Orlando City’s Exploria Stadium on Saturday, April 24, having both recorded unexpected results last time out. The Reds suffered a shock 4-2 loss to Montreal, while the Caps claimed a rare victory over Portland.

After assessing the teams and looking at the odds, I will share my Toronto FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps prediction and betting pick.

Having seen off Mexican champion Leon in the CONCACAF Champions League, Toronto was expected to make light work of Montreal last weekend. After all, the Reds had enjoyed a successful lead-up to the new campaign.

But Chris Armas’ first MLS match as TFC head coach ultimately ended in failure, with Montreal sealing an emphatic 4-2 victory in the Canadian Classique.

Granted, Toronto has been hit hard by injuries recently. Eight first-team players were unavailable for selection last weekend, including 2020 MVP Alejandro Pozuelo and key striker Jozy Altidore. But the manner with which TFC lost to Montreal is a cause for concern.

On a brighter note, only Ifunanyachi Achara and Julian Dunn have been placed on the league’s injured list, meaning they will miss a minimum of six MLS matches. Armas will be hoping that guys like Ayo Akinola, Chris Mavinga, and Jonathan Osorio will be fit enough to feature against Vancouver.

The Reds have only lost one of their previous four meetings with the Caps, picking up two wins and a draw in that time. Can they build on that impressive record this time around?

It’s fair to say that Vancouver hasn’t had much luck in the Cascadia Cup in recent years. Indeed, the Caps were priced at 4.35 to beat Portland last time out, with the big odds underlining Vancouver’s inferiority in that fixture.

Still, Marc Dos Santos’ men came out on top against the Timbers on the opening weekend – sealing a hard-fought 1-0 win.

The Caps even managed to enjoy more possession than Portland and limited their rivals to just two shots on target. In fairness, Dos Santos’ men also created very few clear-cut chances, although Lucas Cavallini’s second-half header was enough to get them over the line.

The British Columbia outfit endured a tough season last year, suffering 14 defeats in 23 matches. But the opening-day victory will have filled the team with a heap of belief.

Having toppled the Timbers last weekend, Vancouver won’t mind holding the underdog tag on Saturday.

The best online sports betting sites haven’t sprung any surprises here, naming Toronto (1.46) as the clear favorite and Vancouver (5.75) as the rank outsider.

However, when you consider what happened last weekend, the high odds for the draw and the away win will almost certainly attract plenty of attention.

At the end of the day, TFC is far stronger than Vancouver, so I’m backing the Reds to bounce back from their loss to Montreal and beat the Caps on Saturday.

Armas will be looking for a big response from his players this weekend, and I think he’ll get it. We all know that Toronto underperformed last time out, but I can’t see them losing two Canadian derbies in a row.