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Live updates: Philadelphia Union at Vancouver Whitecaps

The Union are reunited with some old friends on one of their longest road trips of the season.

Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
Venue: BC Place, Vancouver, B.C.
TV: The Comcast Network (J.P. Dellacamera and Alejandro Moreno)

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Greetings from the family reunion.

Jordan Harvey and Brad Knighton welcome Sébastien Le Toux and his teammates to the shores of False Creek for the first time ever today, as the Union make one of their longest road trips of the year.

Le Toux has played on B.C. Place's polytan artificial surface before, having spent the first half of last season playing for Martin Rennie and the Whitecaps.

(Perhaps you've erased those months from your memory and needed a quick refresher.)

But the Union as a team have never played here. Their only previous game in this city was across town at Empire Field. Tonight they'll step on the same ground where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics took place.

It's been a while since we've seen Harvey and Knighton in Union colors, but plenty of fans in the River End still remember their exploits with the Union.

(Perhaps you haven't erased those months from your memory, given the Union's lack of depth at those players' positions.)

It's a near-certainty that Le Toux and Harvey will start today. Indeed, they'll probably run into each other a few times. But Knighton could be on the bench, and it will be a fairly big deal if he is.

A lot of people - myself included - think the 28-year-old is a starting-caliber goalkeeper in Major League Soccer, and ought to be treated that way. Knighton's recent strong performances have only served to validate that belief.

Rennie sees things differently. The Scotsman brought Knighton to Vancouver last season from the NASL's Carolina RailHawks, after coaching Knighton there in 2011. If anyone would know how good Knighton is, it's the man who's still coaching him today.

But last month, Rennie pulled the trigger on signing 28-year-old David Ousted from Danish club Randers. The Denmark native posted 14 shutouts in 33 games, helping the team to a third-place finish in the league.

(Ousted played with former U.S. national team forward Charlie Davies, by the way.)

Knighton will start today, which means Ousted will be on the bench for another week. Still, it's pretty clear that Ousted wasn't brought here to be a reserve. Knighton is under pressure to deliver. The Union's direct style can bring plenty of opportunities, even though Conor Casey isn't here due to a suspension fior yellow card accumulation.

Vancouver Whitecaps (4-2-1-3, left to right)

Goalkeeper: Brad Knighton
Defenders: Jordan Harvey, Johnny Leverón, Brad Rusin, Lee Young-Pyo
Midfielders: Jun Marques Davidson; Gershon Koffie, Nigel Reo-Coker
Forwards: Kenny Miller (c), Camilo Sanvezzo, Russell Teibert

Bench: GK David Ousted; Ds Carlyle Mitchell,, Mark Watson; Ms Daigo Kobayashi; Fs Corey Hertzog, Erik Hurtado, Kekuta Manneh

Philadelphia Union (4-2-3-1, left to right)

Goalkeeper: Zac MacMath
Defenders: Raymon Gaddis, Jeff Parke, Amobi Okugo, Sheanon Williams
Midfielders: Brian Carroll (c), Michael Farfan; Danny Cruz, Keon Daniel, Sébastien Le Toux
Forwards: Jack McInerney

Bench: GK Chris Konopka; D Matt Kassel; Ms Fabinho, Leo Fernandes, Kléberson; Fs Antoine Hoppenot, Aaron Wheeler

Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Linesmen: Frank Anderson (bench side), Mike Rottersman (far side)
Fourth Official: Alejandro Mariscal

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