Tonight, the Vancouver Whitecaps kick off their first continental campaign when the Seattle Sounders come – somewhat reluctantly, as we’ll see later – to town for the first of four CONCACAF Champions League group stage matches.

The Whitecaps got something of a mixed bag in their first CCL draw. On the one hand, they avoided a Mexican club. On the other, they drew a very strong MLS side in Seattle and a 2015 quarterfinalist in Honduras’ CD Olimpia. This presents Carl Robinson with an interesting dilemma. Does he count his lucky stars that the likes of Club America and Cruz Azul were drawn into other groups, and go for the win, testing his squad depth and potentially risking results in the Voyageurs Cup and the league, or does he trust a young squad to try and nick a result? Province reporter Marc Weber provided this quote, which seems to indicate the latter: “It will be the best lineup I think can go out and win this game, with an eye on Saturday, with an eye on next Wednesday.”

With that in mind, a few predictions, all of them sure to be wrong because what the hell do I know?

Robert Earnshaw: I’m still not sure why the Whitecaps are paying this guy, but a start tomorrow could give me my answer. Even a lengthy substitute appearance would go some way to justifying his presence on the roster. He has a history of scoring big goals, by all accounts he’s a natural leader, and this would be an ideal stage for him. Prediction: Earnie gets at least 30 minutes tonight.

Marco Bustos: the Whitecaps’ homegrown attacking midfield prospect has been playing for WFC2 this season, and after returning from injury he’s been knocking on the door for first team minutes. In his last outing, he scored a brace against Tulsa. With Nicolas Mezquida having put in an energetic hour in Seattle on Saturday and Pedro Morales still getting his fitness back after an injury layoff, I expect to see Bustos among the Caps’ attackers tonight.

Youth: the back line, hell, the back six, will be young and terrifying. Christian Dean and Tim Parker are almost givens for this match, but whether they’ll play their natural centre back roles, or if they’ll be forced into secondary positions as fullbacks, remains to be seen. If Sam Adekugbe isn’t slated to start, as has been hinted at by people in the know, expect to see Christian Dean forced out left to a role he fared well in against San Jose a week ago Sunday. That would mean Diego Rodriguez, who’s failed to impress since returning from suspension and injury, could be called into action. And it wouldn’t shock to see Russell Teibert and Deybi Flores taking over the defensive midfielder roles from Matias Laba and Gershon Koffie. Whatever the combination, don’t expect to see anyone over the age of 24 playing much defence.

On the other side of the pitch, what to make of the Seattle Sounders? Entering tonight having lost seven of their last eight matches, having failed to score in six of those eight games and the last four running, the Sounders must be coming into BC Place thinking the young squad the Caps will field gives them the chance to bump the slump. Especially so, given that star striker Obafemi Martins stands a good chance of making his return to action.

That makes Sounders forward Chad Barrett’s recent comment all the more puzzling. He said, when asked about CCL play, “I think the league looks forward to it more than the players do.” I can’t decide what Barrett was trying to accomplish with this quote. He’s certainly not wrong. The league sees CCL success as a massive marketing opportunity, and is quick to fellate any MLS club who manages to get out of their group. But as anyone who’s ever been involved in, like, any kind of relationship, ever, just because something is true doesn’t mean you should open your pie hole and give voice to it. Barrett’s now put himself and the club in a terrible position should they go on to lose. Regardless of performance, the team will almost certainly be crucified for not giving their all if they come away with less than a victory. Maybe that’s his idea of motivation, but if so I wouldn’t want to see what he thinks being negative looks like.

Vancouver’s waited a long time for this, and I’m looking forward to this game  both eagerly and nervously. Eagerly because we’ve been denied CCL play for so many bizarre, terrible reasons over the last several seasons, and it’s finally here. Nervously because it reminds me of last year’s Voyageurs Cup, when Robinson threw an incredibly young side up against a much more experienced TFC. It didn’t work then, and even with an extra year under the key players’ belts, I’m not sure it will work this time. Here’s hoping our first Champions League memory isn’t getting whooped by our hated rival.