FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

1.

Weary, worn-out Whitecaps Vancouver is two games into a stretch that sees them play five opponents in a span of 10 days, and they’ve been bitten by the injury bug already.

Out are key players in midfielder Jon Erice and forwards Yordy Reyna and Lass Bangoura, while there have been hints that winger Lucas Venuto might need some load management after playing 180 minutes in five days. There’s the possibility that both Erice and Bangoura could join the team in New York for Wednesday’s game against the Red Bulls, but both have been ruled out of tonight’s game.

2.

Sporting short-handed

As bad as Vancouver’s injury problems are, they pale in the face of Kansas City’s. Sporting is missing 10 players, seven of them starters, and five of them for the long term. That includes former Caps striker Erik Hurtado, who just had surgery on his wrist — while he was on the IR with a knee injury — and homegrown Daniel Salloi, who played for Dos Santos with Swopes Park. “Each game we’ve gotten better in that we’re more organized,” said coach Peter Vermes, who only had four substitutes for last week’s game. “Defensively, we’ve gotten better … but obviously we want to win.

“We want to stay competitive so we have a chance as we get more and more guys back. But the difficulties are at the moment is … it’s only going to get worse before it gets better. Guys keep getting injured, and the guys who come back aren’t fully fit.”

3.

Let’s get in formation

With Bangoura, Reyna and Venuto (most likely) out — they’d started the last two games on the wings in a 4-3-3 — and no true wingers to replace them, we could see a change in formation from the Whitecaps.

Dos Santos has tried variations of three centrebacks at the back on the road this season, both in a 3-5-2 and 5-3-1-1, and lacking the offensive firepower of the three forwards and calming presence of Erice, could do the same in Kansas City.

4.

Revenge Tour

Their last visit to Kansas City was, in hindsight, the beginning of the end for Carl Robinson. The team lost 6-0 to Sporting, a shambolic display that saw Yordy Reyna and Efrain Juarez both red-carded in a fracas sparked by midfielder Johnny Russell — who finished with a hat trick.

The loss, the team’s third straight, was the worst in the Whitecaps’ MLS era.

“Kansas City is always a tough place to play — I’ve always found it one of the hardest places to play since I’ve came into the league,” right back Jake Nerwinski said. With Reyna missing tonight’s game, Felipe and Russell Teibert are the only remaining Caps on the squad from the 2018 meeting. “They’re a much different team. A lot of changes,” Russell said this week. “They’ve looked good this year. Obviously, there is a bit of added pressure for us … we need to win. We know that. I’m really looking forward to it.”

5.

Not much mercy at Children’s Mercy Park

Despite being, umm, hamstrung by injuries, Sporting has been solid at home, with only one loss in five games (2-1-2) and leads MLS with a 3.0 goals-per game average at home, bolstered by a 7-1 kicking of Montreal in March.