GAME DAY:
VANCOUVER VS. L.A.
The road to the site of the Vancouver Whitecaps' playoff debut is lined with palm trees.
There is no barbed wire, nothing is crumbling, the modern washrooms do not threaten to churn one's innards and no extended national holiday has been declared.
The Home Depot Center in suburban Los Angeles, where the Whitecaps will become the first Canadian team to compete in Major League Soccer's post-season today, is much friendlier than the scene of an infamous Canadian national men's team loss in Honduras.
"It's not really an intimidating atmosphere, but it's pretty nice," Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie said of the surroundings Wednesday. "It's a nice field, nice stadium. I think it'll probably be a smaller crowd because of it being a midweek game."
The underdogs from Vancouver, who must defeat the Galaxy in a do-or-die game to advance to the second round of the postseason, are seeking their first road win and first away goal against L.A. since entering MLS last year.
"It's always a tough place to play," Vancouver midfielder Dane Richards said. "They always have a tough fan base who's cheering for them, a lot of people. Now, it's the playoffs, tough game.
"If you lose, you're out. If you win, you're in."
Vancouver goalkeeper Brad Knighton, who is slated to make his first career playoff start, said the atmosphere is always electric when the Whitecaps visit the Galaxy.
"Especially with the players that they've got there, the fan support they've got behind them, being the defending champs, so obviously it's going to be a raucous crowd," Knighton said. "We know we've got a ton of fans going down for the game, and we're looking forward to that in our [supporters'] section. It's going to be a great atmosphere for a great game."
The Whitecaps have not won on the road since beating the Colorado Rapids in July. L.A. posted three shutout wins over Vancouver, along with a comeback draw, in the regular season, while outscoring the Whitecaps 10-2.
But Knighton said all of the pressure is on the star-studded Galaxy, whose veteran-laden side includes iconic English midfielder David Beckham and American striker Landon Donovan.
"Everybody's already written us off," Knighton said. "Why not make everybody wrong ... and show some people that we deserve to be here?"
A Whitecaps goal would also be surprising. Vancouver has not scored on the road since losing 2-1 to the Portland Timbers on Aug. 25 - a span of seven games. They have scored just 10 times away from B.C. Place Stadium all season.
But Vancouver captain Jay DeMerit noted his team does have a saving grace when it comes to playing at the Home Depot Center.
After going winless on the road all of last season, they recorded their first-ever away win here in March - albeit against lowly Chivas USA, which shares the stadium with the Galaxy.
"For us, you're the underdog and you go in there and just fight," DeMerit said. "You've got to make sure that everyone as a unit, as an 11, is all on the same page. First and foremost, the tactics are right and, secondly, you have to believe that anything can happen - because at the end of the day, it's 11 men versus 11 men."
DeMerit praised the quality of the Home Depot Center's grass pitch, which was being cut as close as a golf course fairway as the Whitecaps worked out.
"It's always a good climate," said DeMerit. "Playing in this type of [warm, sunny] weather, it's great. Conditions aren't really a factor either. So it's just about going and doing what we've set off to do - and making sure that we do everything right and, most importantly, as a team."
DeMerit said the Whitecaps will have to try to disrupt the usual "heated" atmosphere and quiet the crowd. He called the game the most important in the franchise's MLS history.
"When you're a new team and you're an expansion franchise, you always have a series of firsts," DeMerit said. "This is an important one, because when you have a franchise idea, it's about winning championships, and the only way you win championships is by having success in the playoffs.
"For us to get to a playoff in our second year is definitely a marker to go on for the next years, but there's no reason why we can't try and do these things now."
