SportsMole previews Sunday's Major League Soccer clash between Real Salt Lake and Vancouver Whitecaps, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
MLS Western Conference with third place still possible A real salt lake to finish the regular season vs Vancouver Whitecaps The United States played for the first time on Saturday.
The Claret and Cobalt are tied with the Seattle Sounders in third place after a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes, while the Wildcaps, desperate to avoid a wild card round, currently sit in eighth place after a dramatic 2-1 defeat. Against Los Angeles FC.
Competition Preview
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Pablo Mastroni Real leads Salt Lake to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season, having accumulated 56 points nationally so far.
A win this weekend would set a new club record for points in a single MLS season, which has stood since 2012 (57 points).
Heading into this match, RSL have picked up points in five consecutive league games, losing on successive occasions.
Seattle is one win behind them, the only thing keeping RSL in third place, which means Salt Lake will have to improve on the Sounders' result on Saturday.
RSL has scored points in four consecutive home games, although its last victory in Sandy, Utah was against Dallas in mid-September (3-2).
In 2024, they were undefeated against Canadian opposition, with a 2-1 win in their previous meeting with the Caps earlier in the season.
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The Vancouver Whitecaps have picked a bad time to cool off, losing their third straight game this past weekend.
It was their longest losing streak in MLS since 2022 (three).
Go SardiniansHaving picked up just two points in their previous six domestic games, their last MLS win came at home against the San Jose Earthquakes in mid-September.
The Caps are winless in their last two league games.
All but one of their league wins this season were against Western Conference opponents (a 4-0 win over Toronto), and all of their road wins this year were against their own conference.
The Whitecaps have not earned three points since the 2020 regular season, winning 2-1 against RSL in Utah in September of that year.
Salt Lake Major League Soccer Actual Format:
Vancouver Whitecaps Major League Soccer Format:
Vancouver Whitecaps form (all games):
Group messages
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In their victory against the Earthquakes, RSL did not pablo ruiz At his disposal, since he will be out this year due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. With Kevin Pan He is also out for the season due to a knee injury.
Mastroeni runs out Brian VeraHe was suspended for two games earlier this season for spitting at someone.
Diego Luna With 12 minutes left in their previous match, and Zac MacMathematics Two stops to pick up the clean sheet.
Against LAFC on Sunday, the Caps put Belal Halbooni On the bench with an illness, at the same time Maximum anchorage He was sidelined due to a finger injury.
Many players like the captain. Ryan Gould, Andres Cubas, Ali Ahmad, Pedro Blanco, Adegukbe himself AND Fafa Bigault Returning from the international break.
Courtesy of an own goal Sergei Palencia The Caps were able to get by against the Black and Gold, as they conceded the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute.
Possible actual Salt Lake starting lineup:
MacMath; Brown, Joy, Quinton, Brady; Ojeda, Crooks; Julius, Gonçalves, Luna; Arango
Vancouver Whitecaps Possible Starting Lineup:
Dakota; Utvik, Veselinovic, Blackmon; Raposo, Berhalter, Cubas, Ámbito; Pickled, White, Gold
We say: Real Salt Lake 1-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
The Whitecaps' lack of depth has been evident in recent outings, and their long slump is not an encouraging sign heading into this matchup, and we predict the altitude in Utah could work in their favor on Saturday.
Click here to see data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this match.
