Real Salt Lake Faces Vancouver Whitecaps in Road Match

HERRIMAN, Utah (May 2, 2025) – Real Salt ⁣Lake (4-6-0, 12 points, 10th in the Western Conference) continues its three-game ⁤road ⁤trip ⁢against Vancouver Whitecaps⁢ FC (7-1-2, 23 points, 1st in the‍ Western Conference) Saturday⁢ at BC Place. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ⁣MT. The match will be broadcast on Apple TV+ ‍via MLS Season‍ Pass,⁢ with ‍English commentary from‍ Mark Followill and ⁣Warren barton, and⁤ Spanish commentary from Nacho García and Max Córdaro.

RSL Seeks Consecutive Wins Against Western Conference Leader

Real⁤ Salt Lake heads to Vancouver, where they have‍ secured 2-1 victories in each of the past two seasons, aiming for thier first set of consecutive wins in ‍a season marked by⁢ inconsistency. Last week, RSL defeated san Diego FC ⁤3-1, becoming the first visiting team to win at Snapdragon Stadium. Diego Luna scored twice, ‍and substitute defender Sam⁤ junqua added another goal. This marked the first time RSL has scored three goals in a ⁤game since September 2024 against Portland, ending a 17-game drought.

Luna’s goal-Scoring ⁤Impact

Luna’s late first-half heroics and the team’s subsequent defensive performance improved RSL’s record to 38 wins,‍ 7 losses, and ‍12 draws when scoring⁤ the first goal under coach Pablo mastroeni. This victory ⁤was the fourth⁤ this season in all competitions after scoring first, following wins against Seattle, houston, and‍ the Galaxy. They have lost three games after ⁣scoring first, against Herediano, San Diego, and Nashville.

Mastroeni Achieves Milestone Victory

The win in⁤ San Diego marked the 100th ⁢career victory for head coach pablo Mastroeni across all competitions, including his time with Real Salt Lake (2021-present) and the Colorado Rapids (2014-2017). Mastroeni’s overall record stands at‍ 100 wins,110 losses,and ⁣74 draws.He achieved ⁣his 50th win with RSL in all competitions last June in Kansas City, a 4-3 victory.‍ The 2-0 regular-season win against the Galaxy on April 5 was his 50th MLS victory ⁤with RSL. Since August 2021, his record as ‍coach in Utah is 61-53-37.

Player Milestones and Potential Debuts

Saturday’s game also marked ⁢milestones for two⁢ RSL players. Zavier Gozo, ⁢18, made his first MLS start,‍ playing the full 90 minutes‍ on the right wing in place of the injured Dominik Marczuk. The San Diego victory also saw the debut of 25-year-old forward William Agada, recently acquired from Sporting Kansas City.Agada became the 222nd⁤ player in RSL ⁢history ‍to play in an MLS match.

Agada could make ⁣his first‍ start for RSL in Vancouver.‍ The Nigerian striker, wearing number 9, has 65 goals in 213 official games, including ⁢24 ⁣goals in 78 games ⁤with Sporting KC and RSL since arriving in the United States. Johnny Russell,⁣ recently ‍signed as a free agent, could also join the⁣ team. Russell traveled with ⁢the team to San Diego but did not play.

Injury Updates and Player‍ Availability

with defender Justen Glad sidelined due to an adductor injury, ⁤goalkeeper Rafael Cabral remains the only‍ player to ⁢have played every minute of the club’s 10 league ⁢matches this season, totaling 900 minutes in MLS play. The‍ Brazilian also played 180 minutes in Real Salt Lake’s Concacaf⁢ Champions ⁣Cup games.

Upcoming Road Schedule

The ‍April‍ 12 match against Nashville marked the beginning of a stretch where RSL plays⁣ four ⁤of five games ‍on the⁣ road,and seven of 10 through the end of May away from home. Following the Vancouver match, RSL will visit Dallas, Colorado,⁣ Austin, and the LA ⁤Galaxy before May 31.

RSL’s Road Record Under Mastroeni

This season, RSL has a 2-3-1 road record (7 points) under Mastroeni, now in his fifth year as coach. The previous two seasons were the best in club⁣ history in terms of road performance. In 2023, ⁢the team went 11-8-5 on the road in all competitions, ⁢including a loss in ⁤the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals ⁣against Houston and⁣ a playoff series loss, also in Houston.

Last year, Mastroeni’s team achieved the ⁢second-most ⁢road points in‍ RSL history, with a 5-4-8 record in the regular MLS season,‍ excluding a Leagues Cup elimination against Houston Dynamo after a⁤ win⁤ at home against Atlas FC.

Consistent Betterment⁢ Under Mastroeni

During each of mastroeni’s ⁣three previous seasons, RSL‍ has increased its total points (47 ‍in 2022, 50 in 2023, and 59 last year) and ⁢climbed in the Western Conference standings (7th in 2022, 5th in 2023, and 3rd last year).‍ The 2025 campaign represents⁢ RSL’s attempt to reach the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, the seventh in the last eight seasons, ⁣and the 15th in⁢ the last 18 years.

Looking Back at 2024

Real Salt Lake retains nearly 21,000 minutes played from last season. ‍The 2024 regular season saw RSL achieve⁢ a club-record 59 points, finishing third ‍in the Western ‍Conference ⁣and sixth overall among the ⁤29 teams, while also setting a new club‍ record with 65 goals scored.