Three things to watch as RSL faces Vancouver Whitecaps

Real Salt Lake has yet to put together a convincing run of games, and this match won't make a difference there.

A loss on Wednesday to LA Galaxy has the team in a bit of a bind, but they'll have an opportunity to start reasonably fresh against Vancouver Whitecaps tonight at a new BC Place.

1. Forward arrangements: Jeff Cassar is still feeling out how this system will function best with its forwards, and that's almost certain to continue. But who gets the start? Is Joao Plata ready? Is Sebastian Jaime going to be a surprise player? What about Olmes Garcia or Devon Sandoval? There are so many questions, and we have so little time. (We have plenty of time.)

2. Combination play: As Real Salt Lake looks to push forward and really set things in motion with a tactically compelling midfield, how does that come into being? Does Luis Gil fit into it in a meaningful way? Will he play a deeper role, or can he pick his head up and really play creatively? Do we stop complaining once Javier Morales is back, and does that man get the start?

3. How's the pairing of Aaron Maund and Elias Vasquez look? Those two have trained together certainly, but if memory serves, they haven't played a match together outside of that 4-0 loss to New England Revolution. And certainly, the defense wasn't fully to blame for that match, but it also wasn't a huge help, either.

How will that affect things? Can Vasquez and Maund get on the same page? It's particularly interesting because Maund did look reasonable against LA Galaxy, and Vasquez has looked good outside of that loss.

And finally: Watch the turf. It was just finalized last night — a little insane, we think, but let's see how it goes. Will it be bouncy in a particularly interesting way?