Vancouver Whitecaps: Unbeaten Streak and Home Advantage

Targeting Victory Against Real Salt Lake

The Vancouver Whitecaps, unbeaten in nine games across all competitions, aim to secure a home win against Real Salt Lake, who have been struggling lately.

Vancouver’s Impressive Run

• Vancouver (7-1-2, 23 points)
• Advanced to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final
• Beat Inter Miami 3-1 on Wednesday
• Only loss in 10 games was against Chicago Fire in March

The Whitecaps’ recent success, including an upset victory over Inter Miami, has made them the surprise team of the MLS season.

Jesper Sorensen’s Strategy

“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,” said Vancouver manager Jesper Sorensen.

“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’s Dominance in MLS

• Tied for the league lead in goals scored
• Allowed the fewest goals
• Led by MLS Player of the Month Brian White
• White has scored 11 goals in 16 total appearances

Vancouver, which finished eighth in the Western Conference table last season, is now looking like the best team in North America.

Real Salt Lake’s Struggles

• Salt Lake (4-6-0, 12 points)
• Claimed only two wins in their last six matches
• Missing key players due to injury and suspension
• Struggled to create chances on offense

Real Salt Lake has struggled to replace the output of outgoing players and has conceded 15 goals in just 10 matches. They will rely on playmakers such as Diego Luna (five goals) and midfielder Emeka Eneli to get on the board.

Pablo Mastroeni on Diego Luna

“What Diego’s been able to do year over year has been digging deep and continuing to reinvent himself,” said Salt Lake manager Pablo Mastroeni. “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’s Challenges

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. It would be an understatement to say Salt Lake travels to Vancouver as heavy underdogs.