“If you believe then just stand up on your feet, and shout it out loud “Real!” Here at the riot, the battle hymn’s begun, we’re here for RSL!”
"Believe", the battle hymn of Real Salt Lake, is such a wonderful chant that some opposing supporters actually look forward to seeing RSL score, just to hear them sing.
By the ninth minute of Saturday's match, the Whitecaps had been serenaded twice; which just goes to prove that you should be careful what you wish for.
Joao Plata, the pintsized playmaker known as el mosquito, scored the opening goal in just the second minute.
Álvaro Saborío, Salt Lake's first ever designated player doubled the lead in the ninth minute, and the Whitecaps were faced with a difficult 81 minutes yet to play.
Vancouver battled back in the first half, trying to narrow the lead, but Salt Lake held the lead on the score sheet, in possession, and shots on target. Vancouver earned more corners, but for all four first half corners, they only managed a single shot on target.
The second half represented a complete reversal of fortunate. Vancouver outshot Salt Lake 13-5, 5-1 on target, and earned seven corners to Salt Lake's zero.
Erik Hurtado, Sebastián Fernández, and Nicolás Mezquida came on for the final third of the match, replacing Kekuta Manneh, Russell Teibert, and Kenny Miller.
With four minutes left on the clock, plus whatever stoppage time referee Kevin Stott had in store, Real goalkeeper Nick Rimando saved a Darren Mattocks shot, but Mezquida pounced on the rebound, sending it over the goalkeeper and up into the far corner of the netting.
As the man known as Nico rushed to collect the ball, Saborío picked up the ball while trying to push the Whitecap away with his other hand. He then dropped the ball behind him in a calculated bid to waste time.
Steve Maddess at Great Salt Lake before the match against Real Salt Lake.
But Mezquida would have none of that, and instead of complaining, he swiftly collected the ball and brought it back to the centre circle.
The fourth official signalled four minutes of extra time. At 93:44, Steven Beitashour won the ball from Saborío, feeding it to Fernández, who scored six seconds later.
Real Salt Lake had their chances. They failed to capitalise on them. They wasted time. They tried to kill off the game. But when you focus on wasting time rather than playing the game, sometimes you get burnt. And because of that, Vancouver returns home after having secured a valuable away point.
Next week, the Caps will line up against the San Jose Earthquakes at BC Place as the club continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary.