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“The added bonus, the flavour, the little bit of sparkle to the match, is the Cascadia Cup. I know we can go up there and get a result, and (the Cup) will come back to us,” said Schmetzer.

“It’s the biggest game of the year. It’s a rivalry game, it’s Seattle, what more can you ask for?,” said Caps’ midfielder Russell Teibert. “This is a championship game for us. We want three points. We know we need them. Especially at home. Especially against Seattle.

“We know what’s at stake going into this game.”

The Whitecaps are on a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2), having scored 15 goals over that span. It’s the best current streak in MLS. Behind Seattle, that is.

The Sounders have won a league-record eight straight games — started with a 2-0 win over the Caps at CenturyLink Field on July 21 — and are unbeaten in 11. Despite having snapped Portland’s record 15-game unbeaten run earlier this year, the Caps are framing themselves as the big underdogs for Saturday’s 7 p.m. match.

“You could say it’s that David versus Goliath story right now, because … we know how good of a team they are, and they’re on one of the best runs in MLS history,” said Teibert. “We all know the story of David and Goliath, so hopefully we can do something special at B.C. Place.”

To hear the narrow-focused questions asked by Seattle media these days, it’s being viewed as more of a ‘Davies’ vs. Goliath matchup down the I-5, as Alphonso Davies didn’t feature in their first meeting. The Whitecaps’ winger was held out of that game as his representation hammered out his record-setting transfer to Bayern Munich, where he’ll move at the conclusion of this season.