It can be said that a football club is only as good as its spine. Much like the human vertebrae, the four central pieces of a club are its goalkeeper, senior centre back, central midfielder, and striker.  Having missed last year's cup competition, both Vancouver and Min United made extensive changes to their spines during the winter.

Tonight, Vancouver pitched Maxime Crépeau, Érik Godoy, Jon Erice, and Fredy Montero against Min United's Vito Mannone, Ike Opara, Darwin Quintero, and Romario Ibarra. Of the eight, only Quintero and Ibarra are holdovers from 2018, both having joined mid-season. Perhaps it is telling that both players saw their name added to the score sheet. Stability counts for a lot.