The MLS season is a long one and if there is one indication, it is the stark contrast between Real Salt Lake’s April meeting with Vancouver Whitecaps FC and their upcoming return tilt in Vancouver. Back in April, Real Salt Lake was seeking its first win of the year and the Whitecaps came in after seemingly finding their form a week earlier against the LA Galaxy.
With a scoreless match at halftime, the freezing rain of the first half changed to snow and the entire complexion of the game changed. The snow that came down and blanketed the field at Rio Tinto Stadium over the final 45 minutes made the match a memorable one for all parties as RSL sledded to a 3-0 win in its first victory of the Mike Petke era.
And while many of the faces may be the same, there is little to take from that game when Real Salt Lake prepared for the rematch as Petke and his team ready to take on the Whitecaps Saturday at BC Place.
“We won. 3-nothing,” Petke said when asked what he remembered of that game and what can be applied this week. “It’s completely different circumstances and completely different teams on both sides. There’s no snow in the forecast, so it’s going to be 100% a completely different game.”
RSL captain Kyle Beckerman had a similar reaction, but noted that while the two teams may be vastly different from the ones that took the field on April 8, they both have taken on the identities of their respective coaches – Petke with RSL and Carl Robinson with Vancouver. The former New York Red Bulls teammates now have their respective teams in contention for MLS Cup playoff berths with a hard-nosed, disciplined style of play.
“Their team takes the personality of their coach. Carl Robinson’s a fighter – a dig in and roll your sleeves up type of player,” Beckerman said. “Hopefully we can go in and execute our plan and come out of there with a result.”
While RSL was winless in its first five matches entering that fateful night in April, the club is currently 5-1-3 in its last nine matches, including a pair of dominating victories over the San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado Rapids that now puts RSL just two points out of a playoff spot.
Since facing Vancouver the first time around, the team has progressively moved toward its current run of form and has been clicking on both sides of the ball for the better part of the last two months. In outscoring the opposition 23-10 since starting the climb up the standings with a 6-2 win over the LA Galaxy on July 4.
With that first win over Vancouver, the wheels on the train of progress started down the tracks.
“We’ve just been trying to build and get better each day. That was a special one for him for sure. We were desperate to get that win for him and get the season going. In those terms I think there is something special,” Beckerman said. “We’re just trying to build and get back to being one of the elite teams in the league.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s match is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT with local television coverage on KMYU.
