By buckeye 
Woke up around 7 AM, yawned, poured coffee. Grabbed my beat-up notebook – got soccer stuff scribbled everywhere. Saw the Monterrey vs Vancouver Whitecaps game tonight, figured fans would wonder who’s starting. Decided to dig in.
First thing: checked Monterrey’s last game lineup. Had my laptop propped on the kitchen counter. Scrolled through their official site, then the usual fan forums. Noticed people chatting about three key guys nursing minor knocks. Highlighted those names right away.
Next, jumped to Whitecaps news. Phone buzzed – texts from my buddy who watches every Whitecaps practice. He swore their main striker looked sluggish yesterday. Saved that. Felt lucky having a connection there.
Hit a wall around 9 AM. Needed Monterrey’s injury gossip deeper. Dug into some Spanish-language blogs – google translate made a mess, took me ages. Stumbled on reports the backup goalkeeper might start over the usual guy. Wrote “???” next to the keeper spot.
Past noon, sketched it all out:
- Monterrey attack: Likely sticking with Funes Mori even if not 100%, plus Gonzalez as support. Those bench reports? Kept Vega ready as backup.
- Midfield mess: Guys arguing online whether Ortiz or Kranevitter starts. Went with Kranevitter – seemed logical based on recent games.
- Whitecaps defense: Blackmon’s probably locked in, right? Heard murmurs about Adekugbe maybe sitting, penciled in Martins instead.
Saw time flying. Ate lunch standing up, crumbs on my keyboard. Felt like an idiot when I realized Vancouver’s got CONCACAF injuries stacking up. Double-checked – yep, their star midfielder is definitely OUT. Crossed him off my draft lineup fast.
Final guts call: Vancouver’s coach loves switching tactics away. Bet he plays Gauld deep instead of pushing up high like home games. Monterrey’s coach? Bet he risks one limping player – those guys hate rotating.
Slapped down my guesses:
- Monterrey (probable): Andre; Sanchez, Vegas, Moreno, Hernandez; Meza, Romo, Kranevitter; Canales; Funes Mori, Gonzalez
- Whitecaps (probable): Takaoka; Brown, Blackmon, Veselinovic, Martins; Vite, Cubas; Schopf, Gauld, Ahmed; White
Posted it. Hit send with that usual nervous sweat. Already know folks will roast me if even one player’s wrong. But hey, that’s the fun. Went to clean the coffee mug.