Real Salt Lake and the Vancouver Whitecaps each have a chance to distance themselves from the teams behind them as the Major League Soccer playoff race intensifies when these sides face off at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday.
The Caps hung onto a 2-1 victory against the Colorado Rapids in midweek, vaulting them into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, while Claret and Cobalt are four points above them in fifth after beating the Seattle Sounders by that same score.
Match preview
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With nine games remaining in the regular season, RSL are in a solid position to make consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since the 2018 and 19 campaigns.
Throughout the year, Pablo Mastroeni has gotten this team to play at a level many thought would not be possible after losing some key components to their offence to start the season.
Despite scoring the second-fewest goals among the top-seven playoff teams in the Western Conference at the moment, this group have collectively found a way to earn points on a consistent basis, while also remaining above the postseason line through most of the campaign.
Salt Lake have made the most of their home field advantage throughout 2022, with points in 10 games, though they have lost their last two matches played at Rio Tinto Stadium, both against Western Conference opponents, 1-0 to Dallas and 4-1 versus Los Angeles FC.
While only winning two games since the start of July, they have been a lot more consistent in the final third, scoring in eight of their previous nine domestic encounters.
RSL have had favourable results against the Caps in Utah, picking up at least a point in all but two of their 13 regular season outings against the Canadians.
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The Caps were knocking on the Western Conference playoff door for a long time, and they have finally gotten access into the top seven thanks to a narrow victory against the Burgundy Boys on Wednesday.
Since July, this has been a Jekyll and Hyde team, who have not won or lost consecutive games, after following up a 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City at the end of May with a 2-1 win at home to RSL to start the month of June.
For the first time in their last five MLS encounters, Vanni Sartini saw his team begin positively at home versus the Rapids, going up 2-0 by half-time, their largest lead at the interval, since holding a 2-0 advantage on the road in Dallas back on June 18.
That was the last time this team came away with three points on the road, and they are coming off a dismal performance in Los Angeles a week ago, where they allowed four first-half strikes and looked a step behind the Galaxy throughout the entire 90 minutes.
Vancouver are in the playoffs thanks to having one more win than Nashville SC, and their margin for error with nine matches remaining is razor thin as four teams are within two points or fewer of the Caps for seventh in the Western Conference.
It is hard to remember how many seemingly must-win games this club have had over the past two campaigns, but they have fared well in most of those critical encounters, losing only one of their final 11 regular season matches last year, something they can draw on as the regular season winds down.
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Team News
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Sergio Cordova tallied his sixth of the season last weekend in RSL's victory over Seattle, moving him above Jefferson Savarino into first on the team, while Andrew Brody had the game-winner, his second on the year, both of which helped his team pick up three points.
Justin Meram leads them in assists with six so far this season, two more than Pablo Ruiz and Maikel Chang, while Meram, Bobby Wood and Justen Glad are tied for third in goals for them, having each tallied three times.
Wood remains sidelined with an adductor strain, Damir Kreilach continues to be bothered by back spasms, newcomer Danny Musovski is out with a hamstring problem and Tate Schmitt has a knee injury.
Ryan Gauld has three goals in his last two matches, becoming the first player in Whitecaps history since Alphonso Davies to score twice in the first half of an MLS affair, while Thomas Hasal returned to the lineup making three stops in place of Cody Cropper on Wednesday.
Julian Gressel set up his first goal in a Caps uniform this week, while Alessandro Schopf made his first MLS start since signing from second Bundesliga club Arminia Bielefeld earlier this month.
Cristian Dajome sat out of their midweek affair through suspension, Brian White was ruled out due to a rib cage strain and Deiber Caicedo missed another encounter following his right knee meniscus surgery.
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
MacMath; Brody, Silva, Glad, Herrera; Meram, Ruiz, Julio, Chang; Savarino, Cordova
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Hasal; Brown, Veselinovic, Blackmon; Gressel, Cubas, Teibert, Raposo; Dajome, Gauld; Cavallini
We say: Real Salt Lake 2-2 Vancouver Whitecaps
The Caps are playing Claret and Cobalt at a good time as Salt Lake have lost a bit of confidence at home lately, though with things so tight in the Western Conference at the moment, neither side should have a decided edge this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
