SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake will close its three-game home stand on Saturday, when it will host Western Conference foe Vancouver Whitecaps FC in a match presented by Rio Tinto at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Saturday’s match will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on CW30, ESPN700 AM and 102.3 La Gran D/1600 AM. CW30 will air its 30-minute Ford Postgame Show immediately following the match; ESPN 700 will begin its pregame coverage at 6:00 p.m. MT and will air an hour-long postgame show immediately following the final whistle.
Real Salt Lake will host Star Wars Day at Rio Tinto Stadium for Saturday’s match. Fans are encouraged to dress in costume for the “May the 4th be with you” festivities, which will kickoff at 5:00 p.m. at Carnival Real.
RSL played Vancouver just three weeks ago, getting a fantastic goal from FW Olmes Garcia to tie Whitecaps FC 1-1 at BC Place on April 13. Real Salt Lake lost its last match, falling 2-0 to the LA Galaxy at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The Claret-and-Cobalt enters Saturday’s match struggling with injuries – particularly up top. Leading scorer FW Alvaro Saborio (R quad tear) is out for the match, while Garcia (R adductor strain) and FW Robbie Findley (L knee hyperextension) are both questionable, leaving FW Joao Plata and rookie FW Devon Sandoval as the squad’s only fully fit strikers. RSL is also dealing with injuries at other positions, with MF Cole Grossman (concussion) and DF Rich Balchan (L shoulder separation) out and DF Chris Wingert (L quad strain) questionable for Saturday’s game.
RSL’s health problems up top began last week, when Saborio and Findley were late scratches from the lineup against LA after initially suffering their injuries in training the day before the match. The starting tandem of Garcia and Plata was the seventh different strike pairing used by RSL in nine games this year.
Real Salt Lake is 2-2-2 all-time against Vancouver. The Claret-and-Cobalt has had a good amount of success against Whitecaps FC at home, posting a 2-0-1 record in three league games against the ‘Caps at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL’s lone home tie against the Canadian side came in the 2012 regular season finale, when several of the Utah side’s regulars were held out of the scoreless draw ahead of the team’s playoff run.
Vancouver has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this year, sitting in seventh-place in the Western Conference with a 2-3-3 record. The ‘Caps tied their last MLS match, clawing its way back from a two-goal deficit to tie FC Dallas 2-2 at BC Place last weekend. Vancouver won in the Amway Canadian Championship on Wednesday, using a mostly first-choice lineup to defeat FC Edmonton 2-0 at BC Place to advance 5-2 on aggregate into the ACC Final.
RSL will embark on an Eastern Conference road trip next week, when it will take on the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night before traveling north to take on the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo on Saturday.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake v. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah
- TV: CW30 (Ford Postgame Show to immediately follow final whistle)
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (Pregame begins at 6:00 p.m. MT)
- Spanish Radio: La Gran D 102.3 FM & Juan 1600 AM
- Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter Feed will provide live match updates
Click here to download the PDF version of the MLS Game Guide for Saturday’s RSL-VAN matchup
RSL History v. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Real Salt Lake is 2-2-2 all-time against Vancouver. The Claret-and-Cobalt has had a good amount of success against Whitecaps FC at home, posting a 2-0-1 record in three league games against the ‘Caps at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL’s lone home tie against the Canadian side came in the 2012 regular season finale, when several of the Utah side’s regulars were held out of the scoreless draw ahead of the team’s playoff run.
Real Salt Lake has played Vancouver once this season, tying Whitecaps FC 1-1 on April 13 in British Columbia. FW Olmes Garcia put the Claret-and-Cobalt ahead with a cracking goal in the second half of that match before DF Nat Borchers was whistled late for a controversial handball in the box to setup Vancouver FW Camilo for a successful penalty kick goal.
