Vancouver Whitecaps vs. CF Montreal – MLS, May 8, 2021

Canadian rivals Vancouver and Montreal meet for a cross-conference clash on Saturday, May 8, as both sides aim to build on a promising start to the 2021 MLS season.

The Whitecaps beat Portland on the opening weekend before holding Toronto to a draw in Week 2. They may have lost to Colorado last time out, but they should be pleased with the start they’ve made.

Over in the Eastern Conference, Wilfried Nancy’s men find themselves fourth. They remain unbeaten this year and have taken five points from a possible nine so far.

Read on to find my Vancouver Whitecaps vs. CF Montreal prediction and betting pick.

Due to the current restrictions, Saturday’s clash will go down at Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium – meaning neither side will benefit from a home-field advantage.

This means the odds for this matchup are a true reflection of the teams’ quality.

The online sportsbooks view Montreal (2.25) as the favorite, although Vancouver (2.85) isn’t too far behind. Could the draw (3.65) be the way to go?

I assess both sides’ prospects below.

I’d be lying if I said that I expected the Caps to beat the Timbers on the opening weekend. In fact, even the most die-hard Vancouver fans would have been worried about facing Portland in Week 1.

As it turned out, Marc Dos Santos’s men claimed a rare victory over their Cascadia Cup rivals, with Lucas Cavallini scoring the only goal of the game.

The Caps weren’t expected to upset the odds against Toronto, either, but they managed to hold TFC to a 2-2 draw. Goals from Cristian Dajome and Andy Rose almost won the match for Vancouver, but the Reds netted a late equalizer.

Last weekend, the Caps looked more like the team that lost the most games in the 2020 Western Conference. They suffered a whopping 14 defeats in 23 matches last year, and only three teams finished below them.

Vancouver struggled to create any meaningful opportunities and eventually lost 1-0 to the Rapids. Regardless of their previous result, Dos Santos’ men should be proud of their recent efforts.

It wouldn’t be unfair to say that Nancy’s plan at Montreal remains unclear. But whatever he’s doing, it’s working!

The Quebec club has already faced the best team in Canada (Toronto FC) and the defending MLS Cup champions (Columbus Crew). Oh, and let’s not forget about the tricky test against Nashville SC in Week 2.

Still, Montreal has yet to taste defeat this season.

Nancy’s men kicked off their campaign with a thumping 4-2 victory over TFC before securing an impressive 2-2 draw with Nashville. Last weekend, there is no denying that Montreal should have clinched more than a goalless draw against Columbus.

It is no exaggeration to say that Montreal completely dominated the Crew. Not only did the Canadians rack up a whopping 20 shots, but they also prevented Columbus from registering a single shot on target.

If Nancy’s men can pick up where they left off last weekend, they will surely cause the Caps plenty of problems on Saturday.

Don’t get me wrong – the Whitecaps have shown glimpses of real promise across their opening three games in 2021. But there is no hiding from the fact that Montreal has made an even better start to the season.

Nancy’s men have already dealt with some of the best teams in Major League Soccer this year, so I’m backing them to overcome Vancouver on Saturday.