Real Salt Lake are currently third in the Western Conference, but they still have a great shot at landing the top spot heading into the playoffs if they come out with a win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. The Whitecaps are out to regain the fifth and final playoff spot they lost to the Portland Timbers last week.
All told, it should be an excellent match in Vancouver, Canada. For more on the game, read on, and if soccer is your game don’t miss our preview of the Sporting Kansas City vs. New England Revolution match this weekend.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Real Salt Lake can clinch a seventh-consecutive MLS Cup playoff appearance with at least a draw on Saturday. However, a win would give them 52 points and propel them back into the conversation for the Western Conference lead currently held by the Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders with 54 points apiece. Meanwhile, this is near to a must-win game for Vancouver. Though they are just one point behind Portland with five games to go, they have the tougher schedule: the Timbers play the lowly San Jose Earthquakes twice in the final weeks of the season.
Betting on Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake are coming off a 5-1 destruction of the Colorado Rapids on September 19. However, the dominant win came at Rio Tinto Stadium, where Real plays really well. It’s been an entirely different story away from home. Real Salt Lake have lost five of their last eight games on the road.
Still, Real may enjoy more success on the road this time around. Leading goal scorer Joao Plata has scored in back-to-back games, one against the Western Conference-leading Seattle. An in-form Plata will be even more dangerous playing in front of attacking midfielder Javier Morales, who is firing on all cylinders with four goals and four assists in his last six games.
Meanwhile, the Claret and Cobalt have the ability to shutdown Vancouver’s offense if they can play out their possession-based game. Their talent-rich midfield of Morales, team captain Kyle Beckerman, Luke Mulholland and Ned Grabavoy offer a solid wall of protection for their backline, while also extending toward the attack when the opportunity presents itself. Mulholland has six goals and five assists this season and Grabavoy provided the assist in Plata’s equalizer against Colorado on Friday.
With so much at stake, you can expect Real to put pressure on Vancouver’s shaky defense right from the outset of this one. The attacking duo of Plata and Morales should be able to find the gaps shown by Portland in a 3-0 win over the Whitecaps, while the midfielders extend to maintain possession in the attacking half.
The Claret and Cobalt have tied their last two meetings with Vancouver this season.
Betting on Vancouver Whitecaps
So much for bringing back the stars in a high-stakes match. Despite centerback Andy O’Brien and captain Pedro Morales returning to the starting lineup after resting them in the previous match, the ‘Caps still took a disappointing 3-0 loss against the Portland Timbers on September 20 to fall out of the fifth and final playoff spot in the West. Vancouver has now lost back-to-back games for the first time since April.
O’Brien committed four fouls in the match, while their leading goal scorer Morales failed to deliver on two shots while creating six other scoring opportunities for his teammates. Second-year striker Erik Hurtado was ineffective as he was caught offside once and failed to score on his three shots.
The ‘Caps now head home for a tough match against Real Salt Lake having failed to score in five of their last seven matches. Though they’ll be playing against a higher-ranked team, they may have much more success against the Claret and Cobalt. Real Salt Lake have conceded in 10 of their last 11 matches, and three times in two meetings against Vancouver.
Sebastian Fernandez and Nicolas Mezquida both scored against Real Salt Lake while Steven Beitashour had an assist in a 2-2 tie on April 26. Striker Darren Mattocks also scored on a penalty in a 1-1 tie between the two teams on July 19.
The ‘Caps may choose to field a similar lineup which had some success against the MLS Cup contenders. Should Fernandez and Mattocks start up top as targets in the box, Morales will be in position to make some creative plays and timely crosses from the midfield to exploit Real Salt Lake’s weakness to aerial attacks.
Writer’s Prediction
Real Salt Lake take the full three points, but it won’t come easy as the ‘Caps find ways to score. Create a betting account now and cash in on the MLS as the postseason draws near.
