Young RSL Side Falls 1-0 at Vancouver in 2026 MLS Season Opener
MLS Real Salt Lake

Young RSL Side Falls 1-0 at Vancouver in 2026 MLS Season Opener

Published on February 21, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


VANCOUVER, B.C., Canada - Real Salt Lake (0-1-0, 0 points, 14th West) fell 1-0 on the road to the defending Western Conference Champion Vancouver Whitecaps FC (1-0-0, 3 points, 1st West) in its opening match of the 2026 MLS campaign, undone by a 57th-minute strike despite a composed and energetic performance from the young, homegrown-heavy starting XI that featured five RSL Academy Homegrown products and three players making their Club and League debuts.

Heading into the Club's first competitive match and first MLS game of the 2026 campaign, Real Salt Lake Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni unveiled an Academy-driven starting XI, handing MLS and RSL debut starts to 17-year-old Luca Moisa and Eden, Utah native Zach Booth. Teenage attacker Aiden Hezarkhani also earned his first-ever start for the Claret-and-Cobalt, highlighting a starting lineup that featured five RSL Academy homegrowns; including two Utah-born players.

Between the posts, captain Rafael Cabral opened his sophomore season with the Club, providing veteran leadership behind a dynamic and energetic group. On the right flank, 18-year-old FW Zavier Gozo looked to carry momentum into his second professional season after a breakout 2025 campaign, continuing to cement his role as one of the Club's brightest young talents.

Real Salt Lake opened its first MLS match of the 2026 season on the front foot, immediately pressing into the attacking third. Just minutes in, Hezarkhani earned a dangerous foul in a promising area, though the opportunity could not be converted. RSL controlled the tempo early, consistently winning second balls and turning that pressure into a handful of corner kicks that kept Vancouver pinned deep.

Vancouver nearly broke through in the 16th minute, when a strike from outside the 18-yard box rattled the base of the right post. The rebound fell dangerously in the area before being cleared over the crossbar, allowing RSL to escape unscathed. One minute later, Australian striker Ariath Piol found himself with a golden opportunity at an acute angle after the Vancouver goalkeeper ventured off his line, but his attempt to open the scoring drifted wide.

In the 37th minute, 17-year-old Moisa delivered a perfectly weighted ball out wide to Alex Katranis, who whipped in a dangerous cross back post to Piol for what appeared to be the breakthrough goal. The celebration was short-lived, however, as a dubious flag went up for offside, keeping the match scoreless.

RSL entered the locker room level after an impressive first-half performance, highlighted by the composure and energy of its homegrown standouts, who helped set the tone in a tightly-contested opening 45 minutes.

Heading into the second half, Real Salt Lake came out determined to find the breakthrough. In the 52nd minute, 18-year-old Gozo created space with a sharp first touch inside the 18-yard box, cutting onto his left foot and unleashing a shot that rolled just past the far post, millimeters away from an opening score.

Vancouver struck first five minutes later. In the 57th minute, Tate Johnson delivered a driven ball into the penalty area that deflected off an RSL defender and fell to Aziel Jackson. Jackson reacted quickest, finishing from close range to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.

Chasing the equalizer, the Claret-and-Cobalt pushed numbers forward and continued to apply pressure in the final third. In the 87th minute, Gozo found himself with a late opportunity to level the match, but his attempt was denied by the Vancouver goalkeeper, preserving the one-goal lead.

Despite suffering its first loss of the season, RSL showcased resilience and composure throughout the night. The performance marked an encouraging debut for the Club's homegrown core against the reigning 2025 MLS Cup finalists, signaling a promising foundation for the campaign ahead.

GOAL SCORING SUMMARY: VAN 1: 0 RSL

VAN: Aziel Jackson (Tate Johnson) 57': Vancouver broke the deadlock in the 57th minute when Tate Johnson delivered a driven ball into the penalty area that deflected off an RSL defender, falling kindly to Aziel Jackson. AZ reacted quickest, finishing from close range to give Vancouver a 1-0 lead and secure the opening goal of the match.

RSL: NOTES FROM VAN 1: 0 RSL

- MF Zach Booth, MF Luca Moisa, and rookie Sergi Solans each made their RSL and MLS debuts, while MF Aiden Hezarkhani earned his first-ever RSL start in Saturday's season opener

- Solans' appearance off the bench makes him the 230th all-time RSL debutant in the Club's 22-year MLS history

- Five RSL Academy homegrowns (Glad, Gozo, Booth, Moisa, Hezarkhani) appeared in the starting XI, including Utah natives Gozo and Booth, marking one of the most Academy/Homegrown-heavy lineups in Club history

- On March 23, 2019 vs. LAFC, RSL made league history by starting six Academy products: Donny Toia, Brooks Lennon, Erik Holt, Tate Schmitt, Aaron Herrera and Sebastian Saucedo

- RSL kicks off its home campaign next Sat., Feb. 28 at America First Field in Sandy, against long-time rival Seattle Sounders FC ... Tickets for the 5:30p MT kickoff are available at www.RSL.com

- A midweek injury epidemic hit RSL at Wednesday's training session, as MF Diego Luna (knee), DF Lukas Engel (knee) and FW Victor Olatunji (eye) missed today's match and hope to return for Saturday's match in Utah

- Four RSL newcomers still await their P-1 visa paperwork to be processed, as DP FW Morgan Guilavogui, D/M Juan Manuel Sanabria, MF Stijn Spierings and DF Juan Jose Arias hope to be available for possible selection

- RSL has now dropped each of its last three road openers, falling 0-4 at San Jose last year and 0-2 at Miami in 2024 prior to tonight

- During the Pablo Mastroeni era, RSL has won three of its previous four home openers, dropping the 2024 Utah kickoff to St. Louis

LINEUPS:

Real Salt Lake (3-4-3): Rafael Cabral ©; DeAndre Yedlin (Philip Quinton, 85'), Justen Glad, Sam Junqua; Zavier Gozo, Luca Moisa (Pablo Ruiz, 72), Noel Caliskan, Alex Katranis; Zach Booth (Sergi Solans, 59'), Ari Piol (Jesús Barea, 85'), Aiden Hezarkhani (Dominik Marczuk, 72')

Subs not used: Mason Stajduhar, Tyler Wolff, Griffin Dillon, Ruben Mesalles

Head Coach: Pablo Mastroeni

Vancouver Whitecaps FC (4-2-3-1): Yohei Takaoka; Mathias Laborda, Ralph Priso, Tristan Blackmon, Tate Johnson; Sebastian Berhalter, Andres Cubas (Jeevan Badwal 87'); Emmanuel Sabbi (Edier Ocampo, 68'), Thomas Müller ©, Aziel Jackson (Kenji Cabrera, 68'); Brian White

Subs not used: Isaac Boehmer, Oliver Larraz, Sebastian Schonlau, Rayan Elloumi, Jean-Claude Ngando, Mihail Gherasimencov,

Head Coach: Jesper Sorensen

Stats Summary: VAN / RSL

Shots: 13 / 10

Shots on Goal: 5 / 2

Saves: 1 / 2

Corner Kicks: 7 / 5

Fouls: 15 / 15

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:

RSL: Zavier Gozo (Yellow Card - 33')

VAN: Emmanuel Sabbi (Yellow Card - 50')

RSL: Sam Junqua (Yellow Card - 75')

RSL: Alex Katranis (Yellow Card - 76')

VAN: Andres Cubas (Yellow Card - 82')

Check out the Real Salt Lake Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from February 21, 2026


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