Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Vancouver Whitecaps FC will attempt to maintain its astounding start to the 2015 season when the club welcomes Columbus Crew SC to BC Place on Wednesday.
The 'Caps have been by far the most impressive team through five weeks of the 2015 MLS season, producing four wins from five outings.
The club's lone blemish came in its opening fixture when Vancouver succumbed to fellow Canadian club Toronto FC in a 3-1 loss.
What followed, however, was a run of four successive wins, enough to catapult the 'Caps to the top of the overall MLS table.
Octavio Rivero has been leading the charge, scoring four goals in five games, including two game-winning strikes.
But while Rivero has been the star player, Vancouver is far from a one-man team.
The 'Caps turned in a complete performance against the Los Angeles Galaxy last time out, dominating play from start to finish while riding second-half goals from Kekuta Manneh and Rivero en route to a 2-0 victory.
"I think they've got to feel good about themselves, because they've just put on a performance against the best team," 'Caps head coach Carl Robinson told reporters after the game. "What we've got to do, as I said last year as well, is be more consistent. If we're more consistent then we become a very, very good team.
"I don't want to be a good team one week and a very poor team the next two or three weeks. It's about consistency. With young players you have inconsistency sometimes. My job, and my staff's job, is to make sure we get them more consistent than not. That's part of our focus here. We'll enjoy it. It's one game. It's another game off the calendar but we've got two massive games coming up."
Vancouver will need that consistency against a Columbus team that has become quite formidable under the guidance of Gregg Berhalter.
Having played only three games in the opening five weeks of the season, Columbus is a somewhat tough team to gauge.
Crew SC dropped a road match to the Houston Dynamo, 1-0, and a home contest to Red Bull New York, 2-1, but in-between, Berhalter's men did manage to cruise to a 2-0 defeat of Toronto.
The club is well-rested after a bye week, but that could be offset by the rigors of cross-country travel.
Nevertheless, Berhalter will be eager to spoil Vancouver's winning run.
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