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RSL announces home opener; Vancouver Whitecaps to make Utah their home until they can return to Canada

The team will open at home May 1, while the Whitecaps will play home games at Rio Tinto Stadium to start the 2021 season.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The stadium is empty minutes before the match was supposed to start as the game between Real Salt Lake and LAFC was postponed after teams in sports leagues across the country boycotted scheduled games to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake, RSL and LAFC followed suit, along with the rest of MLS, on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020.

  | March 10, 2021, 9:01 p.m.
| Updated: 10:08 p.m.

Real Salt Lake finally has some dates for the 2021 season.

The team opens 2021 on the road against Minnesota United on April 24 at 6 p.m., a week after the majority of Major League Soccer stats the season. RSL will play its home opener May 1 against rival Sporting Kansas City at noon.

MLS said in a press release that the remainder of the schedule will be released in the coming weeks.

RSL has opened the regular season on the road each of the last three seasons. All those games have been draws.

In related news, the club announced that the Vancouver Whitecaps will make Utah their home for the start of the season due to travel restrictions between the United States and Canada. The Whitecaps will play home games at Rio Tinto Stadium and train at America First Field, both of which are located in Sandy.

“We are fortunate to have the facilities and infrastructure in place to successfully host the club and look forward to the opportunity to ensure that the Whitecaps can feel at home in our city and our stadium,” RSL interim president John Kimball said in a news release.

The Whitecaps open their season against the Portland Timbers on April 18 at 8 p.m. at Rio Tinto.

The other two Canadian clubs — Toronto FC and CF Montreal — will start their seasons in Florida.