Real Salt Lake

Match report

Vancouver Whitecaps moved further clear at the summit of Major League Soccer when they defeated Real Salt Lake 3-0 at America First Field on Sunday evening. The visitors opened the scoring inside the first nine minutes through Brian Michael White before Thomas Muller doubled the lead just after the half-hour mark. By then, the hosts were already looking disjointed, their passing rhythm broken by the early pressure.

Yadali Diaby added a third goal in the sixty-fourth minute, capping a performance that showed Vancouver's growing confidence this season. Real Salt Lake had their chances — three shots on target against six for the visitors — but couldn't convert the one big chance they created. The statistics tell a story of missed opportunities: 1.16 expected goals for the hosts against 2.21 for Vancouver.

And here's the thing about matches like this — the turning point comes in moments, not minutes. Real Salt Lake picked up bookings in quick succession after the break, T. Johnson and N. Caliskan both going into the referee's notebook within ten minutes. The discipline issues compounded their problems on the pitch.

Vancouver made changes to see out the game, bringing on substitutes including Ryan Priso and Emmanuel Sabbi when the result was already slipping away from the hosts. Real Salt Lake's manager had options too, introducing Kofi Henry and Saba Lobjanidze in the fifty-ninth minute, but the momentum had shifted long before the substitutions arrived.

The result leaves Vancouver top with forty-nine points from twenty-five games, four beats above their nearest challengers. Real Salt Lake remain in twelfth place with twenty-nine points, now five points from safety with only four matches remaining. They cannot afford another slip if they want to avoid the drop.

Prepared from match data

Key numbers

Possession, % 47 – 53

Shots on target 3 – 6

Shots off target 6 – 9

Expected goals 1.16 – 2.21

⚽ 9' B. White — Goal ⚽ 29' T. Muller — Goal 🟨 49' T. Johnson — Yellow card ⇄ 50' R. Priso — Substitution 🟨 52' J. Badwal — Yellow card ⇄ 59' K. Henry — Substitution ⇄ 59' S. Lobjanidze — Substitution 🟨 59' N. Caliskan — Yellow card ⇄ 62' E. Sabbi — Substitution ⚽ 64' Y. Diaby — Goal ⇄ 65' A. Hezarkhani — Substitution ⇄ 65' C. Guske — Substitution 🟨 66' T. Blackmon — Yellow card 🟨 72' M. Guilavogui — Yellow card ⇄ 73' S. Solans — Substitution ⇄ 80' T. Johnson — Substitution ⇄ 81' B. White — Substitution 🟨 81' Y. Diaby — Yellow card ⇄ 87' Y. Diaby — Substitution 🟨 90+1' E. Ocampo — Yellow card

Match events

9' 0:1 Vancouver Whitecaps Goal B. White assist: O. Larraz
29' 0:2 Vancouver Whitecaps Goal T. Muller assist: Y. Diaby
49' 0:2 Vancouver Whitecaps Yellow card T. Johnson
50' 0:2 Vancouver Whitecaps Substitution R. Priso off: M. Laborda
52' 0:2 Vancouver Whitecaps Yellow card J. Badwal
59' 0:2 Real Salt Lake Substitution K. Henry off: S. Junqua
59' 0:2 Real Salt Lake Substitution S. Lobjanidze off: D. Marczuk
59' 0:2 Real Salt Lake Yellow card N. Caliskan
62' 0:2 Vancouver Whitecaps Substitution E. Sabbi off: R. Gauld
64' 0:3 Vancouver Whitecaps Goal Y. Diaby
65' 0:3 Real Salt Lake Substitution A. Hezarkhani off: T. Booth
65' 0:3 Real Salt Lake Substitution C. Guske off: E. Eneli
66' 0:3 Vancouver Whitecaps Yellow card T. Blackmon
72' 0:3 Real Salt Lake Yellow card M. Guilavogui
73' 0:3 Real Salt Lake Substitution S. Solans off: J. Shokalook
80' 0:3 Vancouver Whitecaps Substitution T. Johnson off: S. Adekugbe
81' 0:3 Vancouver Whitecaps Substitution B. White off: R. Elloumi
81' 0:3 Vancouver Whitecaps Yellow card Y. Diaby
87' 0:3 Vancouver Whitecaps Substitution Y. Diaby off: B. Caicedo
90+1' 0:3 Vancouver Whitecaps Yellow card E. Ocampo

Statistics

47 Possession, % 53

3 Shots on target 6

6 Shots off target 9

1.16 Expected goals 2.21

1 Big chances 2

58 Attacks 67

6 Corners 7

13 Fouls 14

13 Free kicks 13

3 Offsides 0

2 Yellow cards 5

0 Red cards 0

9 Goal kicks 7

14 Throw-ins 15

All statistics

7/1164% Aerial duels 4/1136%

81 Backward passes 75

3 Blocked shots 6

24 Clearances 14

3/1225% Crosses 5/2124%

6/1346% Dribbles 1/520%

1.32 Expected assists 1.47

61 Failed passes 78

3 Goalkeeper saves 3

19 Interceptions 10

9 Key passes 14

29/4073% Long passes 25/5149%

87 Passes into the final third 126

230 Passes in the opposition half 269

230 Passes in own half 244

0.25 Shot accuracy 0.29

5 Shots from outside the box 9

7 Shots inside the box 11

12/1675% Tackles 12/1486%

448 Total passes 492

Line-ups

Starting XI
#	Player	number
1	Rafael Cabral	1
2	DeAndre Roselle Yedlin	2
3	Kobi Joseph Henry	3
8	Juan Sanabria	8
26	Philip Quinton	26
9	Morgan Bono Guilavogui	9
12	Saba Lobzhanidze	12
25	K. Guske	25
92	Noel Caliskan	92
22	S. Solans	22
39	Aiden Hezarkhani	39

Substitutes
#	Player	number
31	Mason James Stajduhar	31
29	Samuel Junqua	29
98	Aléxandros Katránis	98
6	Stijn Spierings	6
14	E. Eneli	14
11	Dominik Marczuk	11
13	Jason Chocaluk	13
18	Taylor Anthony Booth	18
70	Liniker Rodrigues	70

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Vancouver Whitecaps

Starting XI
#	Player	number
1	Yohei Takaoka	1
6	Ralph-William Johnson Priso-Mbongue	6
18	Edier Ocampo	18
28	T. Johnson	28
33	Tristan Blackmon	33
8	Oliver Larraz	8
11	Emmanuel Afriyie Mario Sabbi	11
13	Thomas Müller	13
59	J. Badval	59
77	Yadaly Diaby	77
24	Brian Michael White	24

Substitutes
#	Player	number
32	Isaac Boehmer	32
2	Mathías Nicolás Laborda Malseñido	2
3	Sam Adekugbe	3
23	A. Tsvetković	23
25	Ryan Stewart Gauld	25
70	Rui Modesto	70
7	Cheikh Tidiane Sabaly	7
14	B. Caicedo	14
19	Ryan Ellumi	19

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#	Team	P	W	D	L	Points
1	Vancouver Whitecaps	26	15	5	6	50
2	FC Dallas	27	13	8	6	47
3	San Jose Earthquakes	27	13	6	8	45
4	Houston Dynamo	27	13	5	9	44
5	St. Louis City SC	26	12	8	6	44
6	Los Angeles FC	28	11	8	9	41
7	Colorado Rapids	27	11	3	13	36
8	Los Angeles Galaxy	28	9	9	10	36
9	Seattle Sounders	26	9	8	9	35
10	Portland Timbers	27	9	5	13	32

Real Salt Lake — Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer

Match report

Key numbers

Match events

Statistics

Line-ups

Real Salt Lake

Vancouver Whitecaps

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Real Salt Lake

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