Budweiser Man of the Match: Gershon Koffie
Referee: Juan Guzman
Attendance: 17,480
Scoring:
47' - RSL - Luis Gil (Joao Plata, Nick Rimando)
71' - RSL - Javier Morales (Joao Plata, Sebastien Velasquez)
Match Stats:
Shots: Real Salt Lake - Vancouver
Shots on Goal: Real Salt Lake - Vancouver
Saves: Real Salt Lake - Vancouver
Fouls: Real Salt Lake - Vancouver
Offsides: Real Salt Lake - Vancouver
Corners: Real Salt Lake - Vancouver
Cautions:
18' - VAN - Nigel Reo-Coker
79' - RSL - Chris Wingert
87' - VAN - Gershon Koffie
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Joe Cannon; 12.Young-Pyo Lee, 40.Andy O'Brien, 16.Johnny Leveron, 4.Alain Rochat (29.Tom Heinemann 75'); 13.Nigel Reo-Coker ©, 28.Gershon Koffie; 14.Daigo Kobayashi, 7.Camilo (23.Kekuta Manneh 67'), 31.Russell Teibert; 26.Corey Hertzog (11.Darren Mattocks 74')
Substitutes:
18.Brad Knighton, 2.Jordan Harvey, 19.Erik Hurtado, 27.Jun Marques Davidson
Real Salt Lake
18.Nick Rimando; 2.Tony Beltran, 6.Nat Borchers, 28.Chris Schuler, 17.Chris Wingert; 5.Kyle Beckerman, 21.Luis Gil (26.Sebastien Velasquez 54'), 11.Javier Morales, 20.Ned Grabavoy (23.Khari Stephenson 80'); 49.Devon Sandoval, 8.Joao Plata (16. Carlos Salcedo 89')
Substitutes:
45.Josh Saunders, 7.Lovel Palmer, 13.Olmes Garcia, 29.Kenny Mansally
REAL SALT LAKE vs VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
RIO TINTO STADIUM, Sandy, Utah
May 4, 2013 (WEEK 10, MLS Game #85)
6 p.m. PT (Sportsnet Pacific - TEAM 1410)
Real Salt Lake conclude their homestand with a key Western Conference match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL are still looking for back-to-back wins on the season, coming off a 2-0 loss to the LA Galaxy at home last weekend. Whitecaps FC haven’t won in six league matches, coming off a 2-2 home draw with FC Dallas, though they advanced to the final of the Canadian Championship at midweek.
DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)
REFEREE: Juan Guzman. AR1 (bench): Matthew Kreitzer; AR2 (opposite): Kevin Klinger; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal
MLS Career: 24 games; FC/gm: 25.3; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 8; pens: 4
DISABLED LIST: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Lovel Palmer … VAN: Nigel Reo-Coker
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (6 meetings): Real 2 wins, 6 goals … Whitecaps FC 2 wins, 7 goals … Ties 2
AT SALT LAKE (3 meetings): Real 2 wins, 4 goals … Whitecaps FC 0 wins, 1 goal … Ties 1
FUTURE MATCH: 9/28: Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Real Salt Lake, 4 p.m. PT (TSN2, RDS2)
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. A Camilo Sanvezzo penalty kick in the 84th minute canceled out a goal from RSL’s Olmes García earlier in the second half, leaving the teams in a 1-1 draw April 13 at BC Place.
- Real are unbeaten vs. Vancouver at Rio Tinto Stadium, with two wins in three all-time meetings there.
- Whitecaps FC are unbeaten at home vs. RSL, with wins in their first two meetings at BC Place before the draw earlier this season.
- Coaches record: Jason Kreis vs. VAN: P6 W2 L2 D2 … Martin Rennie vs. RSL: P4 W1 L1 D2
LAST MEETING (MLS):
4/13: VAN 1, RSL 1 (Camilo 83 – García 66)
- Real Salt Lake took the lead in the 66th minute through a sensational goal from Olmes García. Collecting a pass from Javier Morales outside the area on the left, García curled an effort into the top right corner of Joe Cannon’s goal.
- But the equalizer came seven minutes from the end. RSL defender Nat Borchers slipped and handled a ball in the box, and referee Drew Fischer pointed to the spot. Camilo sent RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando the wrong way on the penalty, hitting the ball into the bottom left of the goal.
- VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC (4-2-3-1): Joe Cannon - Lee Young-Pyo, Brad Rusin, Andy O'Brien, Alain Rochat - Nigel Reo-Coker, Jun Marques Davidson - Daigo Kobayashi (Kekuta Manneh 73), Russell Teibert, Camilo Sanvezzo (Tommy Heinemann 89) - Corey Hertzog (Darren Mattocks 63).
- REAL SALT LAKE (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Chris Schuler, Nat Borchers, Lovel Palmer - Luis Gil, Kyle Beckerman (Yordany Alvarez 31), Ned Grabavoy - Javier Morales (Khari Stephenson 79) - Joao Plata (Olmes Garcia 56), Alvaro Saborio.
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake saw their two-game winning streak at Rio Tinto Stadium put to an end, dropping a 2-0 decision to the LA Galaxy on Saturday evening. RSL sits in a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference with 11 points from 9 games.
LAST MATCH
- The Galaxy put the game away in the opening quarter-hour. After just six minutes, Mike Magee beat Real fullback Tony Beltran to a spot just outside the six-yard box and deftly headed a ball sent in from a free kick by Juninho past a helpless Nick Rimando.
- In the 13th minute, Charlie Rugg doubled the Galaxy lead. After some quality hold-up play from Marcelo Sarvas, the midfielder sent the ball out to the right side to Hector Jimenez, who hit a hard one-time bullet across the middle to a streaking Rugg, and he hammered home the ball from close range for his first professional goal.
- RSL head coach Jason Kreis made two changes to the team that held out for a 1-0 victory against Chivas USA at Rio Tinto Stadium. Kyle Beckerman came into midfield in place of Yordany Alvarez, and Joao Plata started up top for Alvaro Saborio.
- REAL SALT LAKE (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Chris Schuler, Nat Borchers, Lovel Palmer (Devon Sandoval 62) - Luis Gil (Sebastian Velasquez 73), Kyle Beckerman, Ned Grabavoy - Javier Morales - Olmes Garcia, Joao Plata (Yordany Alvarez 63).
TEAM NEWS
- The loss to the Galaxy was the first at home this season for Real, who conclude a three-game homestand with the visit by Vancouver.
- “We have not strung together two wins this year,” said head coach Jason Kreis. “For me, it’s that we are finding our way a little bit. Unfortunately, I felt that when we’ve had a good performance, we have had a drop off immediately after. That comes from guys just feeling a little too comfortable with what they did, and thinking that they have arrived a little bit.”
- When RSL have scored the first goal this season, they are 3-0-1. When they have conceded first, they are 0-4-1.
- “Maybe it is a tactical thing we hash out between us, or maybe we change a style of play for the first 15 minutes,” said defender Tony Beltran. “But it needs to be better because that was where we lost the match.”
- Added midfielder Ned Grabavoy: “It's frustrating to lose at home, to start that way. At that point, we are just fighting uphill the whole time. To give up a first one is immature from a pretty mature group. We can't give away a second one because that pretty much locks things down for them.”
- Álvaro Saborío did not feature in the match after suffering a strain to his right quadriceps in training before the LA match, and will out for several weeks.
- Olmes Garcia, who started his second consecutive match in attack, suffered a groin strain in the LA match but should be available for the Vancouver contest. As well, Robbie Findley – who has played just 27 minutes since suffering an injury that forced him out early in the March 30 game vs. Seattle – should be available for selection.
- “It’s difficult if we don’t have a target to play to up front. Someone like Sabo, someone who is going to stay central for us the majority of the time,” said Kreis. “Garcia worked extremely hard and was dangerous all night. Plata had moments where he was dangerous, but they were playing so wide of each other in the first half that there was very few times that we could play to a forward in a dangerous position, to hold the ball up for us and to get more numbers involved in the attack. Tactically there is still a lot to learn from those guys.”
- For the final half-hour, Kreis left on Garcia as a lone out-and-out striker, bringing on Yordany Alvarez for Joao Plata.
- “I wanted to see if we could get somebody that would be in wide attacking positions that would open up the midfield a little bit,” said Kreis. “I wanted to see if we could free up Javier and Kyle’s role a little more in the center and I thought the answer to that would to bring (Yordany) in to sit and he actually proved to be a little dangerous in the attacking third. It’s just trying to do different things … I think it’s drastic measure time.”
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC had their winless run extended to six matches, despite a late comeback for a 2-2 draw with FC Dallas on Saturday afternoon at BC Place. Whitecaps FC sit in a tie for seventh place in the Western Conference with 9 points from 8 matches.
LAST MATCH
- FC Dallas took the lead nine minutes in. A Michel corner curled right to the goal line where Kenny Cooper came crashing in as Whitecaps defender Andy O’Brien tried to clear, and the ball deflected off O’Brien and redirected back and across the line.
- The lead was doubled in the 47th minute. From near the halfway line, Michel lofted a free kick that Vancouver defender Brad Rusin headed the ball backward into his own area, and FCD center back raced to meet it, poking it past goalkeeper Joe Cannon from close range.
- But Whitecaps FC pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute. Following a flurry of activity in the Dallas box which involved a fine reflex save by Dallas goalkeeper Raul Fernandez on a Camilo attempt, the ball landed at Kekuta Manneh’s feet and he rifled a shot inside the near post.
- The rookie followed that up with a surging run three minutes later, gliding past three Dallas defenders before centering across goal to Camilo, whose effort deflected off FCD defender Jair Benitez from close range, giving Fernandez little chance to react as the ball curled inside the near post.
- Dallas saw their odds of escaping with a late win go down considerably when Jackson lashed out at Alain Rochat in the 77th minute, immediately earning a straight red from referee Ricardo Salazar.
- Whitecaps FC head coach Martin Rennie made four changes to the team that lost 2-0 to FC Dallas in Frisco. Gershon Koffie, Daigo Kobayashi, Camilo Sanvezzo and Darren Mattocks all came into the team, in place of Matt Watson, Erik Hurtado, Tommy Heinemann and Russell Teibert.
- VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC (4-2-3-1): Joe Cannon - Lee Young-Pyo, Brad Rusin, Andy O'Brien, Alain Rochat - Gershon Koffie, Jun Marques Davidson (Kekuta Manneh 54) - Nigel Reo-Coker, Daigo Kobayashi (Tommy Heinemann 70), Camilo Sanvezzo - Darren Mattocks
TEAM NEWS
- Whitecaps FC saw their winless streak extended to six games despite coming back for the late draw with FC Dallas.
- “In the end, I can’t believe we didn’t win that game. We had some fantastic chances. I know we’ve got a good team. I know we’ve got good players. I know that the quality will come. We’ve got young players and sometimes they will miss chances here and there,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Martin Rennie.
- 18-year-old Kekuta Manneh, the fourth overall selection in this year’s SuperDraft, scored his first professional goal and added his first assist in bringing Whitecaps FC back from a two-goal deficit vs. FC Dallas.
- “He’s got the world at his feet, and that’s not blowing wind up his backside. I think he’s a very exciting talent and he demonstrated today what he is capable of,” said defender Andy O’Brien. “He should be very proud about himself tonight.”
- Whitecaps FC scored more than one goal in a game for the first time in league play since March 9, when they defeated the Columbus Crew 2-1 at BC Place.
- Whitecaps FC did allow two goals for the fourth time in their last six MLS contests, all over the span of their winless run.
- “We just have to do better in both boxes. Defensively, maybe we are giving up too much space, a little lapse in concentration and they can go up 2-0. Offensively we’ve had a tremendous amount of chances again today and in every game,” said defender Brad Rusin. “One of these games I’m sure we’ll get three or four goals. I have a lot of belief in the guys and I’m sure one of those games is coming.”
- There was an expectation Kenny Miller would be able to overcome a hamstring injury and play in the Canadian Championship semifinal second leg vs. FC Edmonton, but he suffered a setback.
- “He looked good, he was training well, he trained on Saturday, looked excellent,” Rennie said. “He would have started [Wednesday's] game, and then just felt it again. It’s a strange one because it’s not like a pull or a bad one. So we really think that he’s going to be back very soon but we were hoping that he would be back for this game and he’s not going to be.”
- On Wednesday, Whitecaps FC advanced to the Amway Canadian Championship final for the third consecutive year, defeating FC Edmonton 2-0 at BC Place and winning their semifinal series 5-2 on aggregate. After FCE went a man down, a long-range effort from Corey Hertzog gave Whitecaps FC the lead just before the hour, and an own-goal from Shaun Saiko sealed the tie.
- Here’s the Whitecaps FC team: Brad Knighton; Greg Klazura, Andy O’Brien, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Gershon Koffie, Jun Marques Davidson, Camilo Sanvezzo (Kekuta Manneh 61’), Russell Teibert; Tom Heinemann (Erik Hurtado 74’), Darren Mattocks (Corey Hertzog 46’)
