By. Carson Lantz
Real Salt Lake finally returns to action after having a break last week, which felt like an eternity for many. This time around, they’re taking on Western Conference foe from up north, the Vancouver Whitecaps. Unfortunately, Salt Lake is headed to Vancouver, Canada, for this matchup at the well-known BC Place stadium, which is the home of the Whitecaps. This matchup head-to-head is even, as both teams have 13 wins versus one another through 31 matches played. The leading goal-scorer in this matchup is former Salt Lake captain, Damir Kreilach, as he has a total of 7 goals. This match should prove to be a good battle as Vancouver is off to a hot start, sitting in 2nd in the West, and Salt Lake is looking to flip their season around after losing 2 out of 4 matches to start the 2024 MLS season.
Pablo Masteroni’s starting eleven: Zac MacMath in goal, Andrew Brody and Alexandros Katranis as the outside backs, Justen Glad and Brayan Vera as the center-back pairing, Braian Ojeda and Emeka Eneli as the midfield pairing, Fidel Barajas and Bode Hidalgo lined up as the wingers, Chicho Arango as the false nine, and then Anderson Julio as the lone striker. Masteroni had his team lined up in a 4-2-3-1 but shifted a lot to a 4-4-2.
Vanni Sartini starting eleven: Yohei Takaoka in goal, Mathisa Laborda, Ranko Veselinovic, and Tristan Blackmon are the back three center backs, Javian Brown and Ryan Raposo as the wing backs out wide, Pedro Vite and Alessandro Schopf as the midfielder pairing, and then a dangerous front three of Damir Kreilach, Brian White, and Ryan Gauld. Vanni had his team lining up in a 3-4-3.
The first half was a very underwhelming start from Real Salt Lake. For sure it could’ve gone either way as both Salt Lake and Vancouver had chances to score, but in the possession side, the teams were deadlocked at 50/50 possession, neither dominating with the ball. Vancouver looked more comfortable starting off, being fine with RSL putting pressure on them early; that didn’t change their game plan at all as they soaked up all the pressure and attacked with patience. That patience would pay off as Vanni Sartini’s side broke Salt Lake’s defense with striker Brian White slotting a ball right to Damir Kreilach’s feet. Damir would comfortably slot the ball past Zac MacMath putting Vancouver up 1-0 in the 33rd minute. That would be all really for the first half action. Salt Lake had 6 shots but couldn’t manage to test Takaoka at all, with 0 of those being on target. The first-half whistle would be blown, and Real Salt Lake would head to the locker room down a goal. Let’s see if Masteroni can bring his team together to turn things around.
Real Salt Lake had a wake-up call as they took control of the game from Vancouver in the second half. Vancouver’s grip on the game slowly faded away at the start of the second half as Salt Lake came out looking eager to come away with all three points. Some noticeable changes made after halftime was the formation change; Salt Lake lined up in a 4-4-2 but saw it change to a 3-4-2-1. This change would prove to be a big one as players like Fidel Barajas thrived as he was moved central to play attacking midfielder. The game plan hardly changed besides the tactical formation change, so Salt Lake kept up hard pressure playing very high up while the defense sat back to cover the counter.
In the 70th minute, Fidel Barajas took a wonderful touch to lay off the ball to striker Anderson Julio, whose strike finally found the back of Vancouver’s net, to draw things level for Real Salt Lake. It took a while, but Salt Lake found a way back into this game. It only took six minutes for another goal to happen, and yet again it was Salt Lake finding the back of the net. Alexandros Katranis attempted to whip in a cross that found its way into Yohei Takaoka’s net as it flew right over his head into the goal, giving Real Salt Lake a 2-1 lead over the Whitecaps in the 76th minute, and Fidel Barajas picked up another assist. Whatever Pablo Masteroni had to say at halftime had to have an impact on how Salt Lake played in the second half, which they absolutely dominated. Vancouver looked defeated and couldn’t find a way back into this game as Katranis put a dagger into their hearts, ruining all hope of coming away with three points. Real Salt Lake would triumph and leave Canada with all three points, getting their second win of the 2024 MLS season, while also handing Vancouver Whitecaps their first loss in their MLS season.
Real Salt Lake’s next match is March 30th versus yet again Western Conference opponent Saint Louis City, but this time these two sides will match up at America First Field in Sandy, Utah.
Player Spotlight:
Bode Hidalgo – Hidalgo found himself starting at his natural position of winger in this game versus Vancouver, after playing consistently as an outside back for the past year. Hidalgo stuck out to me as he seemed more confident in the attack and getting more involved; in my eyes, he seemed more confident in his ability as a winger, but don’t get me wrong because I love Hidalgo as an outside back. For a large portion of the match, Salt Lake heavily relied on playing through Hidalgo’s side of the field, with him and fellow teammate Chicho Arango linking many times to try and create a goal-scoring chance. Hidalgo’s pace and movement on and off the ball proved to be key, as opponent Ryan Rapose had a hard time covering Hidalgo all game. I’ve been impressed with some of Bode Hidalgo’s performances and keen to see him develop his game even more.
Fidel Barajas – Barajas finally got his first start of the season with teammates Diego Luna and Andres Gomez out for international duty; Barajas snuck his way into the starting eleven. Fidel
Barajas didn’t disappoint; he provided two great assists, with his first being a lovely placed through ball to Anderson Julio. All it took was one start to show the world what he is capable of, and now in the upcoming game, Pablo Masteroni will have a hard time deciding who to start versus Saint Louis. Fidel Barajas is only 17 years old and has represented both Mexico and the United States of America at the youth level; this performance is just the start of a race to get Barajas to commit to either country.