Salt Lake-Vancouver preview

Breaking into the win column has been a chore for both Real Salt Lake and the Vancouver Whitecaps in recent matches. They will try to turn things around when the two teams meet Wednesday at BC Place in Vancouver, B.C.

The Whitecaps have not won in their last two games and have not earned three points in three straight home contests. Things are no better for Salt Lake, which is coming off back-to-back home draws and is winless in its last three games overall.

Odds are favorable for Real to be the one who breaks their winless streak on Wednesday. Salt Lake (8-5-5) faces a Whitecaps team that has struggled all season with a porous defense. Vancouver has allowed 33 goals through 19 games -- the highest number among Western Conference teams.

The Whitecaps (7-8-4) made an effort to address their defensive shortcomings by signing a pair of defenders, David Edgar and Marcel de Jong, this week. Whoever gets the call in the defensive backfield will have the difficult task of slowing down Salt Lake's trio of potent strikers. Juan Manuel Martinez, Yura Movsisyan and Joao Plata have combined for 19 goals and nine assists in 18 MLS matches so far this season.

Vancouver presents quite a bit of danger on the offensive side of things as well. Pedro Morales has tallied six goals and five assists in 14 appearances for the Whitecaps. Morales could find a way to take advantage of Kyle Beckerman's absence in the Salt Lake midfield. Beckerman will sit out Wednesday's match because of yellow-card accumulation.

The Whitecaps have won three straight home matches over Salt Lake, but Salt Lake has the only road win for either team in the series -- a 1-0 result in 2013.