Rebounding, Reuniting and Is It Fidel Barajas Time? 3 Storylines To Watch When RSL Travel To Vancouver 

Rebounding, Reuniting and Is It Fidel Barajas Time? 3 Storylines To Watch When RSL Travel To Vancouver 

Welcome To Storylines.

After having a week to recover, reset and witness the “Return of Royalty” following Real Salt Lake’s disappointing 2-1 home defeat against Colorado all the way back on March 9, the boys in Claret-and-Cobalt are finally back in action on Saturday.

The weather radar charts that it’ll be a rainy night at B.C. Place in Vancouver when RSL is reunited with their former captain, and face the second-place team in the Western Conference. Of course the surface will be dry inside, but the eyes might be misty for some of those back in Utah watching Damir Kreilach wear a crest that reads something other than “RSL.”

There won’t be much time for sentimentality, however. Real Salt Lake need a result to bounce back and there’s no better way to put MLS back on notice than by taking three points from a previously-undefeated opponent.

Want to find out what this team is made of? Let’s see how it reacts to a disappointing home loss against a difficult opponent on the road. Trust that Mastroeni will have his road warriors ready to go.

Let’s write the story.

Storylines:

1. It’s never fun to lose the Rocky Mountain Cup, just ask Pablo Mastroeni. Real Salt Lake’s head coach has made the journey across the Rockies more than most, having been a player and coach for the Rapids before making the journey to the right side, the Wasatch side. The good news is that Mastroeni has a proven knack for lifting his team's back up after a loss

2. That pick-me-up will be exactly what RSL needs when they revisit an old friend in Cascadia. \Let’s catch up with Damir Kreilach and see how he’s getting on in the Pacific Northwest \

3. This weekend's match could also present opportunities for some of RSL’s young players who have been knocking at the door to finally kick it down, especially with multiple regulars missing due to the international break. Who has the opportunity to break through?

Where To Watch:

You can catch RSL vs VAN on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass right here.

Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, March 23.

The Deep Dive:

1. It’s never fun to lose the Rocky Mountain Cup, just ask Pablo Mastroeni. Real Salt Lake’s head coach has made the journey across the Rockies more than most, having been a player and coach for the Rapids before making the journey to the right side, the Wasatch side. The good news is that Mastroeni has a proven knack for lifting his team's back up after a loss

Since August 2021, when the formerly-dreadlocked USMNT icon assumed the head coaching reins for RSL, the Claret-and-Cobalt has notched an impressive 17-win and 10-draw record against just nine losses in matches following a loss. One of the biggest things Mastroeni preaches is mentality, and that mentality is what’s kept RSL from dropping its collective head following a tough loss over the last 105 games, like the one against Colorado two weeks ago.

You can call it xDawg if you’d like, but the tougher the situation, the more “stuck in” Mastroeni’s team seems to be. Last season, RSL set a Club record away from home with 8 wins and 4 draws away from home, against just five reg. season losses on the road. In addition to RSL’s record after defeats and historic road record, recent history likes RSL’s chances as well. The Utah side has won its last two matches against Vancouver by 2-1 scorelines. Concepts based on numbers and “xDawg” may not seem like they often go hand-in-hand, but there’s a methodology to Mastroeni’s teachings. It’s not just about playing hard, but also about playing smart - and mostly, playing for each other.

This mentality is also what’s helped inspire emerging players such as Emeka Eneli, who went from RSL’s last pick in the first round of the 2023 MLS Superdraft, to one of the first players on Mastroeni’s team sheet this season.

Often deployed as a right back last season, Eneli has slotted right into one of the two pivot spots in the heart of RSL’s new-look 4-2-3-1 this season.

The Cornell graduate had always been incredibly impressive when it came to his defensive work rate (he leads the entire team in tackles + interceptions this year with 23), but this season he’s worked hard on improving other aspects of his game as well. With midfield lynchpin and key progressive passer Pablo Ruiz out for the season due to injury, Eneli has been challenged to not only help win the ball back, but when in possession, also move the ball forward. Impressively enough, the midfielder trails only Bode Hidalgo in progressive passes so far this season for RSL with 22.

There’s a reason why Mastroeni has gone as far to repeatedly mention Eneli as a “young Diego Chara” in various press conference settings, in no small part due to him being one of the Club’s “mentality monsters.” Only two players have played every single one of the 360 collective minutes for RSL so far this year: Andrew Brody and Eneli.

Against Vancouver, best believe Mastroeni, Eneli and the remainder of the RSL group will come prepared to execute and accomplish what they always aim to do. It’s in their mentality.

2. That pick-me-up will be exactly what RSL needs when it revisits an old friend in Cascadia. \Let’s catch up with Damir Kreilach and see how he’s getting on in the Pacific Northwest \

It’s a strange, strange sight to see former RSL captain Damir Kreilach suiting up in MLS for any other team besides Real Salt Lake. Kreilach scored the Claret-and-Cobalt’s game-winning goal in its first match against Vancouver last season, but now will face off against the very teammates he was celebrating with last February. Odd indeed.

So far in his Canadian adventure, Damir has played in all three MLS games for the Whitecaps, starting two of them while operating beneath or out wide of Vancouver’s starting striker, Brian White.

After crashing out of the Concacaf Champions Cup to Tigres before the MLS season started, the Whitecaps have enjoyed a strong start to their campaign. Undefeated in three games, while winning its past two by a combined 5-1 scoreline with five different players finding the back of the net. It won’t be an easy game at B.C. Place, and RSL’s reunion with its former Croatian inspiration is much more likely to be a dogfight rather than a walk-in-the-park.

Kreilach joined former RSL striker Sergio Cordova as recent Claret-and-Cobalt players who switched from Utah to British Columbia. Cordova only appeared in 26 matches for the Caps in 2023 before moving on to Alanyaspor in the Turkish first division, and now finally landing at PFC Sochi in the Russian first division.

Kreilach will always be held in high regard in the hearts of the Riot, and his move away certainly didn’t dampen any love RSL supporters have for their former captain. That being said, the Wasatch Range will be cheering against a team Kreilach is playing on for the first time on Saturday. Strange times.

3. This weekend's match could also present opportunities for some of RSL’s young players who have been knocking at the door to finally kick it down, especially with multiple regular starters missing due to the international break. Who has the opportunity to breakthrough?

Real Salt Lake will be without first-teamers Andrés Gómez, Diego Luna and Gavin Beavers this weekend due to international commitments. Especially with perennial starters Gómez and Luna out, two spots in the attack open up.

Precocious winter signing Fidel Barajas, the 17-year-old who’s only played 40 minutes so far in the four-game campaign for RSL, could be in line to start on Saturday due to Luna and Gómez’s absence. The dual Mexico / U.S. youth international impressed in preseason after joining RSL in early January from USL Championship side Charleston Battery, and made his MLS debut during Matchweek One against Inter Miami.

Another winter signing - Greek wingback Alexandros Katranis - could potentially see his first start for RSL on Saturday, which would allow Brody to move back over to his natural right side. Additionally, Bode Hidalgo could keep his place, while Brody could move into the attack to take Gómez’s spot on the right wing. Anderson Julio and Maikel Chang should also be in contention to replace the Colombian, while talented young RSL Academy product Zavier Gozo has a shout to see extended minutes - his first this year - due to the international absences.

Could Saturday be the day Barajas and Katranis get their first-ever starts for RSL? You’ll want to tune in to find out.