3 Points: RSL's 3-game winning streak snapped by Vancouver, but are the good vibes gone?
3 Points: RSL's 3-game winning streak snapped by Vancouver, but are the good vibes gone?
Real Salt Lake was the only game in town for its trip to BC Place against the Vancouver Whitecaps. How did that show turn out?
Good morning, and thanks once again for spending part of your day with Own Goals, the official newsletter of the Salt City FC podcast. It was a sleepy Saturday in Major League Soccer, with only one game around the league in recognizing the FIFA international break. That means all eyes were on Real Salt Lake and Vancouver Whitecaps FC in a jaunt to British Columbia.
And, well … it didn’t start out well for RSL. Let’s take a look at a 2-1 stoppage-time loss to Vancouver that snapped a three-game winning streak.
If this feels like an upset, even being on the road, that may be because … well, it kind of is (at least, according to the MLS standings).
Real Salt Lake entered the match rolling, placed third in the Western Conference and feeling remarkably chipper after a road-heavy early slate of games through the first third of league play. Vancouver was laboring through the bottom of the table, though with results in four of its previous five MLS matches.
Make that, five of six now.
Ranko Veselinovic gave the Whitecaps the early lead with a right-footed “shot” that caromed off his toe and sidewinded past Zac MacMath off a long throw-in in the 31st minute.
It was the only goal of the first half, which also featured two yellow cards, as the Whitecaps held RSL without a shot on goal, despite conceding 60% of possession.
Justin Meram equalized in the 52nd minute, pulling one back off a switch from Pablo Ruiz moments after Sergio Cordova’s well-placed shot was miraculously saved by Vancouver goalkeeper Cody Cropper. But no matter, right? The match was level.
That is, until stoppage time, when Aaron Herrera’s last-ditch defending attempt resulted in a missed tackle, a second yellow card, and Ryan Gauld’s 92nd-minute penalty kick. The “Scottish Messi” calmly stepped up to the spot, buried the spot kick inside the right post, and within moments, the whistle had sounded on full time and the three points for the hosts to move Vancouver within one point of the playoff line in the West with the 2-1 win.
“We were there,” Meram said after the match. “We had chances to take the lead. I thought it was a great performance. We just had some unlucky plays happen.
“We have to pick each other up. We got away from the game a bit, but we’re fired up and ready to go again. Whenever you don’t win on the road, we have to hold our heads high. We put in a performance; we just got the short end of it tonight.
Should Vancouver’s opening goal have counted?
Immediately after Veselinovic’s squirrelly finish gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead, MacMath was up and frustrated at something with the play.
Could he have been calling for an illegal set piece? Between the manner of the throw and a toe that may or may not have on the line from Jake Nerwinski, there was certainly a question.
“I’m more concerned about not winning the first ball, and not tracking the second,” RSL analyst Brian Dunseth said at halftime. “It opened up the scoreline in the 31st minute, despite RSL getting their opportunities in the first 20-30 minutes.”
RSL held 59.6% possession before the break, but only managed two shots without a shot on goal (the Whitecaps, to be fair, only had two — including the goal). But that was more than enough for a first half where both teams combined for just three corner kicks and 0.7 expected goals (seriously, someone needs to explain xG to us, stat).
Feast or famine
One of the more unique streaks in Major League Soccer continued with Vancouver’s result — a win-or-lose streak between the two sides that dates back eight years.
That’s right; Real Salt Lake and Vancouver Whitecaps FC haven’t tied a match in 18 meetings, a streak that goes back to 2014. Of course, one of those came from RSL’s “road” win in 2021, when the Whitecaps “hosted” Salt Lake at the club’s temporary home of Rio Tinto Stadium while COVID-19 impacted travel across the United States and Canadian border.
Still … 18-straight? That’s something. And normally when there’s a loss — even one on the road — it helps that there’s a moment to turn around and focus, regroup and move on to the next one.
Except this one doesn’t have a “next one” for another two weeks, until June 18, when RSL hosts the San Jose Earthquakes.
That’s right; in a season known for short turnarounds, random games on international windows, and Open Cup interruptions, Real Salt Lake finally has a moment to breathe. That, or try to recover from an injury report a mile long, at times.
“Losses force you to reflect, both individually and as a collective,” RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “Now there’s a real sense of coming back and starting off on a good foot at home. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort, commitment and the football the guys have played in the last month.
“These losses force you to reset, force the concentration to be at the utmost as we get back to work. It’s a tough way to end the first part of the season, but we’ll bounce back.”
Diego’s debut, or ‘Luna in Vancouva’
Saturday’s match marked the debut of Diego Luna, the 18-year-old U-22 initiative signing just a few days removed from moving up from USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive on a league-record transfer fee.
The youngster didn’t see much time, entering the match in place of Cordova in the 88th minute. But training with the team and traveling to British Columbia, being the 28th player to feature in a competitive match for RSL in 2022, will only help down the road.
Plus, he played alright, winning a midfield duel in regulation before the stoppage-time hustle.
“A couple minutes to start off my career, to step on the field, and the atmosphere was pretty cool,” Luna said. “I just came in earlier this week, so I don’t really have much to say yet. The way we started was not how we wanted, but it happens to everyone. It was just cool being in that atmosphere and having all those fans, knowing that’s something I’ve dreamt of — to reach the top level in the United States. It was really cool running around and getting a couple touches in.”
Luna is a rising star in American soccer circles, with likely European dreams on the horizon and a probable spot on the United States’ team at the CONCACAF U-20 World Cup qualifying tournament in Honduras this summer.
But for now, he’s just another face in the RSL locker room — a room that has already accepted him as one of their own.
“Everything’s very positive in the locker room,” he said. “Right now, we’re upset because nobody wants to lose, but we pick our heads up for the next game. We don’t keep our heads down and take that to the next game; we move on and we get the three points next game.”
