SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake will play its fifth road match of the season on Saturday, when it will take on Western Conference foe Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place.
Saturday’s match will kickoff at 2:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on ABC4, ESPN700 AM and 102.3 La Gran D/1600 AM. ABC4 will air its 30-minute Ford Postgame Show immediately following the match; ESPN 700 will begin its pregame coverage at 1:00 p.m. MT and will air an hour-long postgame show immediately following the final whistle.
RSL – which lost 1-0 at the Colorado Rapids last Saturday – enters Saturday’s match shorthanded due to injuries. Claret-and-Cobalt MF Sebastian Velasquez (R fractured metacarpal) and MF Cole Grossman (concussion) are both out for the match and FW Robbie Findley (L adductor strain), FW Alvaro Saborio (R knee swelling), FW Joao Plata (R hamstring strain), MF Javier Morales (R knee menisectomy), MF David Viana (R quad strain), MF Khari Stephenson (L knee sprain), DF Chris Wingert (R foot fracture), DF Rich Balchan (L groin strain) and DF Carlos Salcedo (concussion) are all questionable for the game.
Velasquez fractured the fourth metacarpal in his right hand when he was hit by a shot in training on Thursday. He had successful surgery on his hand on Thursday evening and could return to the Claret-and-Cobalt as early as next weekend’s match against Chivas USA.
Real Salt Lake went 1-1-1 against Vancouver last year, beating the ‘Caps 2-1 at home on July 27, losing 2-1 at BC Place on Aug. 11 and tying the Canadian side 0-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium in the regular season finale on Oct. 27. RSL is 0-2-0 all-time at Vancouver, losing 3-0 at BC Place in October 2011 before dropping last August’s game.
Vancouver is 2-2-1 on the year, tied with Real Salt Lake on seven points but holding a game in hand on the Claret-and-Cobalt. The ‘Caps tied San Jose 1-1 last weekend, taking advantage of a bizarre 11-v-9 situation that saw two Earthquakes players off the field changing their shoes to score a second-half equalizer.
The RSL Reserves will take on the Whitecaps FC Reserves on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. MT at UBC Thunderbirds Stadium. The Claret-and-Cobalt’s second-team is off to a solid start in the Reserve League season, sitting in first place in the West Division with a 2-0-1 record.
The RSL Reserves will play at Rio Tinto Stadium for the third time in 2013 on Monday, April 22 against USL Pro side Phoenix FC. Fans can buy tickets for that match at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at http://www.riotintostadium.com/events/rsl-v-phoenixfc.php or over the phone at 801-727-2700.
Real Salt Lake will return to Rio Tinto Stadium on April 20, when the Claret-and-Cobalt will take on Western Conference upstarts Chivas USA. RSL will be looking for its eighth straight regular season sell-out in that match; fans can buy tickets for the Chivas USA game at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at www.RealSaltLake.com/tickets or over the phone at 801-727-2700.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake at Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Kickoff: 2:00 p.m. MT at BC Place in Vancouver, B.C., Canada
- TV: ABC4 (Ford Postgame Show to immediately follow final whistle)
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (Pregame begins at 1:00 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 2-2-1 in MLS regular season matches against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Claret-and-Cobalt is 0-2-0 in MLS play at Vancouver, getting outscored 5-1 in its two games at BC Place.
RSL was 1-1-1 against Vancouver in the 2012 regular season, beating the ‘Caps 2-1 at home on July 27, losing 2-1 at BC Place on Aug. 11 and tying the Canadian side 0-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium in the regular season finale on Oct. 27.
