In a cold, often sloppy affair, the Vancouver Whitecaps returned to MLS action after Wednesday’s elimination from the CONCACAF Champions League, succumbing to the elements and hosts Real Salt Lake, 3-0.
Initially, the weather at Rio Tinto Stadium looked tolerable, as the Whitecaps introduced a side with several changes from their previous league match: Fredy Montero, Nicolas Mezquida, Marcel de Jong, Russell Teibert, Tony Tchani, Jakob Nerwinski, and Christian Dean all started, with David Ousted, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker, and Matias Laba proving to be the only hold overs.
As a result of the immense lineup shuffling, Carl Robinson lined up his starting eleven in a 3-5-2 formation.