Real Salt Lake opens season with 1-0 road loss to Vancouver

SANDY — Scheduling the reigning Western Conference champions in the opening match of the season would be difficult for anybody.

To do so with a limited roster as Real Salt Lake did Saturday night after a Wednesday training session added three players to the injury report would only add to the difficulty.

Aziel Jackson's goal in the 57th minute was the difference as Vancouver held off visiting Salt Lake 1-0 in an MLS season opener for both clubs at BC Place in British Columbia, Canada.

"It was never going to be easy — and that's why I'm so proud of this performance," RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said after the match. "I understand what it is to play in these circumstances ... and we didn't get everything right. But that will come with time.

"We had three teenagers on the field, and it was all about expectations," he added. "Are we going to play Vancouver off the park at BC Place? That wasn't expected. But did we compete the right way, create opportunities to score a goal or two or three, and did we defend well? I thought we did that."

Indeed, playing without talisman Diego Luna (knee), striker Victor Olatunji (eye) and designated player Morgan Guilavogui (visa) put the visitors up against a tough place in the 2026 lid lifter. But a Salt Lake side that featured first-time starters and RSL Academy products Zach Booth, Luca Moisa and Aiden Hezarkhani also held the 'Caps to a scoreless draw through 45 minutes.

That would've been well against an attack spearheaded by German superstar Thomas Muller, the former Bayern star who seven goals and three assists in seven matches last year in his first season in Major League Soccer.

But Jackson opened the scoring in the 57th minute, finding the back of the net with a left-footed strike into the bottom corner to put the hosts up 1-0 in the 57th minute.

Yohei Takaoka in the Whitecaps' defense did the rest, making two saves on 10 shots faced to keep the shutout.

The visitors managed just two shots on target in 90 minutes, or one through the 89th minute when Zavier Gozo's right-footed attempt was saved by the 29-year-old Japanese international.

But in the context of a squad with as many as six positions that were unsettled as little as 24 hours before kickoff, Vancouver's 13-10 shot differential — or even 5-2 edge in shots on goal — seem minor.

With that in mind, Mastroeni tasked the young side with one key ideal: be brave, and play free. And with a few hiccups against strong competition, that was the case.

"I feel like the whole team, we were like a family out there today. I felt like we all had each other's backs," said Hezarkhani, who even stepped up to take a free kick in the heat of battle. "Things didn't go our way, but I think it was a strong performance — and it's something we can build off of."

Any inconsistencies in the final third can be mended, improved or added upon over the 34-match season that will include a lengthy break for the World Cup in the summer. A loss is never ideal, and Mastroeni didn't sugarcoat the lack of a result.

But with as many as six players who didn't know their status before Friday, the club will return to the Wasatch Front with some positives.

"Starting with that alone, I thought it was a fantastic performance — and then being on the road against last year's Western Conference champs," Mastroeni said. "I couldn't be more proud of the effort; the three guys that got their starting debuts in Aiden, Luca and Zach — wonderful performances, full of grit, full of fight, and some really good quality amongst that."

Of the five injuries, only midfielder Emeka Eneli is considered more than short-term. Olatunji, Luna, and center backs Kobi Henry and Lukas Engel are day-to-day with varied injuries, Mastroeni said.

Mastroeni also noted that progress has also been made on the club's visa procurement, particularly for Guilavogui, Juan Manuel Sanabria and Juan Jose Arias.

Real Salt Lake returns home next Saturday to host Seattle Sounders FC (5:30 p.m. MST, Apple TV).

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