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TSN Soccer Play-by-Play Announcer and Analyst

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The Vancouver Whitecaps are on top of Major League Soccer's Western Conference after seven matches of the season, but they head to face Real Salt Lake on Saturday knowing a big improvement is necessary after producing their poorest performance of the season in a 1-0 defeat at San Jose a week ago.

The Form:

The Whitecaps have 13 points from seven matches and were unbeaten in five games before the loss at San Jose. They have won two of their first three matches on the road, taking maximum points at Chicago and Orlando. The goal at San Jose was the first the 'Caps have conceded on the road this year. Real Salt Lake are yet to lose this season. They have played five matches, winning three and losing two and have been strong defensively with three shutouts so far.

The Big Question:

Was San Jose a one-off? All signs point to the performance against the Earthquakes being a blip on the radar for this young Whitecaps team. It was at the end of a three-game week with a depleted squad. That's no excuse, of course - teams that want to be in the top three in the West must be good enough to deal with those situations and still come away with points - but after a week at home and now getting some players healthy again, we will get a much better idea of exactly what this team is capable of when we see how they perform at Rio Tinto. They need to be better in possession and carve out more opportunities going forward.

The Lineup:

Pedro Morales is suspended following his controversial red card in the loss at San Jose (Listen to this week's TSNFC podcast for more on that decision), so it is likely Mauro Rosales will come straight back into the starting lineup after recovering from injury. Rosales was forced off at halftime in the win at Chicago in mid-March, but has been in full training this week and is available at the perfect time. 

The Whitecaps looked flat against the 'Quakes and failed to register a shot on target. The return of Rosales could provide a spark  and I would also expect Nicolas Mezquida to come back into the XI on the right side of Carl Robinson's attacking trio. Add to that a recall for young Canadian Russell Teibert, alongside Matias Laba, and the Whitecaps should have a bit more bite in the midfield this week.

The Opposition:

In his second year as head coach, Jeff Cassar has changed the Real Salt Lake formation. The famous RSL diamond midfield has been replaced by a 4-3-3 formation as he puts his stamp firmly on the team. Salt Lake's leading scorer last year, Joao Plata, has started the season on the sidelines as he recovers from injury. The Ecuador international fractured his foot in January. 

There are still some very familiar faces in the RSL squad with United States internationals Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman key figures in the team - they both started for the U.S. in the 2-0 win over Mexico on Wednesday. The Whitecaps will need to stop the creative influence of Javier Morales. The Argentine is now 35, but he has been as influential as ever during he opening weeks of the season and has two goals and three assists so far.

Head to Head:

The Whitecaps tied both of their visits to Rio Tinto Stadium last year with a dramatic late comeback snatching a 2-2 draw in April, and a 1-1 draw in July. They then came from behind to win 2-1 at BC Place in September. However, that was their first win against RSL since 2012 and Vancouver are yet to taste victory in Utah.

Where to Watch:

Vancouver Whitecaps at Real Salt Lake is live on TSN1 on Saturday night at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. Join me with Jason deVos and Perry Solkowski for the broadcast.