The Vancouver Whitecaps are aiming to extend their nine-game unbeaten streak across all competitions with a home win against a struggling Real Salt Lake squad.
Vancouver (7-1-2, 23 points) routed Inter Miami 3-1 on Wednesday to advance to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final against Cruz Azul. Their upset victory over Miami is just one of many victories that have made Vancouver the surprise of the MLS season.
“Every team has its strengths and weaknesses, and what we talked about was how we could play into our strengths, and how we could make the games fit our strengths,” Vancouver manager Jesper Sorensen, hired mid-January, told reporters.
“When you play Miami … It’s like when the circus comes to town. You go to watch it, but we came out too and controlled our emotions and proved we are a good football team.”
Vancouver has taken that dominance to the MLS. Their only loss through 10 games is a shocking March loss to the Chicago Fire. They are tied for the league lead in both goals scored and fewest allowed. They’re led by MLS Player of the Month Brian White, who has scored 11 goals in 16 total appearances. Vancouver, which finished eighth in the Western Conference table last season, looks like the best team in North America.
In contrast, Salt Lake (4-6-0, 12 points) has struggled recently, claiming only two wins in its last six matches. The side will miss key players Justen Glad (thigh) and Dominik Marczuk (leg) to injury while defender Bode Hidalgo serves a one-game red card suspension. They’ve struggled to create chances on offense and must lean on playmakers such as Diego Luna (five goals) and midfielder Emeka Eneli to get on the board.
“What Diego’s been able to do year over year has been digging deep and continuing to reinvent himself,” Salt Lake manager Pablo Mastroeni said. “He came here as a technical player. Now he’s a very cerebral player with a lot of bite. These players are rare, especially when you have the quality Diego has.
“The sky’s the ceiling for him.”
Salt Lake has struggled to replace the output of outgoing players like Chicho Arango, Carlos Gomez and Anderson Julio. Their rotation is inconsistent, and they have struggled heavily on defense, conceding 15 goals in just 10 matches. It would be an understatement to say Salt Lake travels to Vancouver as heavy underdogs.
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