Robbo rang the changes in all areas, with Jordan Harvey coming back in to the left back role after his suspension, the only one in defence.
Midfield DPs Matias Laba and Pedro Morales were rested for this one, with Mehdi Ballouchy coming in for his first MLS start in over a year, Gershon Koffie returning to DM and Nicolas Mezquida taking on the number 10 role.
Mezquida was joined by his fellow Uruguayan Sebastian Fernandez, as the Caps hoped to rekindle some of the electric play they showed preseason. Omar Salgado also came back into the starting line-up, making his first MLS start since May 2012, whilst Darren Mattocks pushed up to be the lone striker, as an out of form Erik Hurtado dropped to the bench.
The Whitecaps had to weather an early storm, but weather it they did.
RSL pushed hard in the opening stages and Caps keeper David Ousted had to fly across his goal in the third minute to turn a Javier Morales free kick around the post.
The home side kept the pressure on and were causing some confusion and scrambles in the Caps' box but they could find no way through and soon ran out of ideas.
As the half went on, it was the Whitecaps who came into their own and they had several chances to take the lead but wasted them all.
Mattocks used his speed to get past Nat Borchers, but drilled a low shot just past the right post in the 38th minute, then a minute later Fernandez should have put the Caps ahead by fired wildly over from ten yards out.
With four minutes of the half remaining Koffie's low, long range drive got the narrowest of deflections to send it just wide of the right post, in what was to prove to be the last real action of the half.
Vancouver would have gone into the break happy not just to be still level but knowing that this game was there for the taking with their makeshift side.
RSL came out with more urgency again at the start of the second and Devon Sandoval headed a Joao Plata cross wide left three minutes in.
Again the Caps held firm and started to turn the game in their favour, but it no clear cut chances created.
Both teams made substitutions to try and get something going and Morales fired a dipping free kick just over from the edge of the Caps box in the 70th minute.
The game was finely poised but it was Vancouver who took the lead.
Borchers won the ball with a great tackle on Mattocks in the box but the ref pointed to the spot in the 71st minute and the Jamaican picked himself up to drill the ball home low into the left corner.
RSL were aggrieved at the decision and a stramash broke out in the middle of the park which led to Fernandez and recent sub Laba picking up yellows, but there should also have been ones issued to RSL's Morales and Beckerman, which would have been a second for the latter.
The home side turned that anger they felt to the good and drew themselves back level with nine minutes remaining.
Once again it was the Capkiller Plata that did the damage, burying a cross low into the net from the corner of the box.
RSL now had their tails up and pushed for the winner, putting the Whitecaps defence under some pressure.
Again they held firm but as the game went into stoppage time, Robbie Findlay raced clear and onto a long ball but Ousted came out quick and bravely put his face in the way of the ball and the rebound bounced off the RSL sub and over the bar.
Neither side could grab the winner and in the end both will feel kind of happy and kind of disappointed at the same time with a share of the spoils.
Vancouver are left once again to rue their missed chances. With an ever tightening playoff race in the West, the importance of these misses and the points lost as a result may soon prove to be crucial.
FINAL SCORE: Real Salt Lake 1 - 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 20,265
SALT LAKE: Nick Rimando; Tony Beltran (Olmes Garcia 78), Chris Schuler, Nat 'The Beard' Borchers, Chris Wingert; Kyle 'That Hair Must Stink' Beckerman, Luis Gil (Luke Mullholland 57), Ned Grabavoy, Javiar Morales; Joao Plata, Devon Sandoval (Robbie Findlay 58) [subs: Jeff Attinella, John Stertzer, Cole Grossman, Aaron Maund]
VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Carlyle Mitchell, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Gershon Koffie, Mehdi Ballouchy (Matias Laba 63), Sebastian Fernandez (Pedro Morales 78), Nicolas Mezquida, Omar Salgado (Erik Hurtado 65); Darren Mattocks [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Andy O'Brien, Russell Teibert, Kekuta Manneh]
** Post game reaction to follow **