Style points won鈥檛 be top of mind for the Vancouver Whitecaps when they face Real Salt Lake on Friday night.
Snapping a three-game Major League Soccer losing streak is all the Whitecaps care about when they host Salt Lake at BC Place Stadium.
鈥淭he main thing here is we need to win, pretty or ugly, just win,鈥� said captain Kendall Waston.
It鈥檚 only the ninth game of the season for Vancouver, but Waston didn鈥檛 hesitate to label the match a must-win.
鈥淢ust-win, yes of course,鈥� said the big Costa Rican defender. 鈥淣othing else.
鈥淚n our mind only three points and that鈥檚 it.鈥�
The Whitecaps suffered the worst defeat in their MLS history when they were throttled 6-0 by Sporting Kansas City last weekend at Children鈥檚 Mercy Park. Forwards Yordy Reyna and midfielder Efrain Juarez were handed red cards during a melee in the 40th minute when Vancouver was already trailing 3-0.
Midfielder Felipe said the Whitecaps are facing a test of pride.
鈥淣ow it鈥檚 not about the beautiful soccer,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about how much we care about this team, how much we show personality next game.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what good teams do. It鈥檚 a wakeup call. Play ugly and win. The most important thing is to get three points.鈥�
After a promising start to the season Vancouver (3-4-1) has tumbled down the table and now sits in the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference standings with 10 points.
Both Real Salt Lake and the L.A. Galaxy have 10 points from 3-3-1- records but have played one less game.
Salt Lake beat Vancouver 2-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium two weeks ago.
Head coach Carl Robinson has faced criticism this season for playing a bland, unexciting style that has failed to produce goals.
The Whitecaps have been outscored 10-1 over during their losing streak and 17-8 on the season. Vancouver鈥檚 minus-nine goal differential is the worst of any team in the league.
Felipe said now isn鈥檛 the time to be thinking about artistic merit.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not about putting on a good show,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about winning. You can play ugly and win three points. That鈥檚 what soccer is about.
鈥淲e played well in Salt Lake and we didn鈥檛 win. We had other games where we played ugly and we won. In the end nobody is going to remember if we played beautiful or not. It鈥檚 what we do to get three points.鈥�
Midfielder Jordon Mutch is expected to return to the lineup after missing several games with a hamstring injury. He said all teams navigate choppy waters during a season.
鈥淭his happens with every team, it doesn鈥檛 matter what league you are in,鈥� said Mutch, who is on a one-year loan from Crystal Palace of the English Premier League. 鈥淵ou have these sorts of results.
鈥淚t鈥檚 how you bounce back. The season is 10 months, it鈥檚 not three weeks. I鈥檓 sure we will be fine.鈥�
Real Salt Lake is coming off a 3-0 win at home over the Colorado Rapids. Goalkeeper Nick Rimando knows Vancouver is going to be motivated.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a big game,鈥� Rimando told the Salt Lake website. 鈥淲e are going to be ready for them to have some hunger.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not good to lose the way they did in Kansas City, so we expect them to have some fire in them.鈥�
The Whitecaps have played five of their eight matches on the road, but home hasn鈥檛 always been comfortable. After winning their opening game, Vancouver is 0-1-1 and hasn鈥檛 scored a goal at home.
The Whitecaps were booed off the field by their fans following a 2-0 loss to Los Angeles FC April 13.
鈥淭he fans should be mad,鈥� said Felipe. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 their job. It鈥檚 also time to support us in the difficult moments. It鈥檚 easy in tough moments to scream at us and say things about us.鈥�
Jim Morris, The Canadian Press
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