MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake game notes

Published on October 13, 2006 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


REAL SALT LAKE @ CD CHIVAS USA

Saturday, Oct. 15, 2006 (WEEK 29) - 5 p.m. MT (FSN-UT; FSC)

@ THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.

TV Info:

DirecTV: 791

Dishnet: 464

KU BAND

AMC 5, Tr. 15A

Uplink: 14434.5(H)

Downlink: 12134.5(V)

RSL ends the season in the same venue against the same opponent with which 2006 began, visiting expansion brethren CD Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center ... RSL currently occupies fifth place in the West, on the outside looking in, as fourth place Colorado enters the weekend with a two-point lead over RSL ... The Rapids are at Houston Saturday night, and will clinch 4th place in the West with a win or tie ... However, a Dynamo win gives RSL a chance to clinch the #4 seed with a win Sunday against Chivas ... RSL loses the tiebreaker with COL due to the head-to-head series result (RSL 1-2-1 vs. Rapids) ...

With last week's draw at home vs. HOU, RSL is now 2-3-3 in its last 8 games, after winning four in-a-row ... Since going 3-9-4 in the first 16 games of 2006, RSL is 7-4-4 since the season's midpoint, and 5-3-3 since the All-Star Break ...

11TH HOUR QUALIFICATION: RSL could become the 13th team to attempt to qualify for the MLS postseason in their final game of the season, as 11 previous teams have accomplished that feat from 1996-2005 ... On Saturday, KC and NY will battle for the East's #4 playoff berth ... MLS teams have compiled an 8-1-2 record when facing elimination, including the only previous head-to-head "play-in" game, in 1996 between Columbus (with RSL's John Ellinger an assistant coach) and New England ... The list, by date:

9/21/1996* CLB 1-0 @ NE (Ellinger CLB asst. coach)

9/25/1997 NE 2-1 @ DAL (Keegan 88th-min. GWG)

10/9/1999 MIA 2-0 @ COL (Wynalda clinches 1st Fusion berth)

9/9/2000 NE 4-3 v. MET (Franchino GWG sends NE thru)

9/20/2002 KC 1-1 @ COL (Klein goal leads KC in OT tie)

9/21/2002 NE 3-0 v. MET (Twellman PK, Harris brace)

9/22/2002 CHI 2-1 @ CLB (Razov GWG sends Fire thru)

10/25/2003 DC 1-1 v. KC (OT tie gives DC edge)

10/16/2004 NE 2-1 v. CHI (Ralston GWG leads Revs)

10/16/2005 MET 2-0 @ CHV (Bradley, Guevara score)

10/14/2006*KC @ NY

10/15/2006 RSL @ CHV (if COL loses @ HOU on 10/14)

*head-to-head "play-in" game

Nearly one year ago to the day that RSL hopes to follow in their footsteps, New York qualified for the postseason by traveling to The Home Depot Center on October 16 and walking away with a 2-0 road win to clinch the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs ...

A week after securing the first playoff berth in the club's short history, Chivas USA could head into their season finale with a chance to take second place in the Western Conference and home-field advantage in a potential semifinal series against Houston Dynamo. However, if that's the case, then Real Salt Lake will have seen their playoff dreams dashed - that would mean a Colorado Rapids win Saturday in Houston, and Real would be eliminated. However, if Dynamo win Saturday, then RSL must defeat Chivas to sneak into the postseason in the final game of the 2006 season. A draw in Houston, and Real's playoff hopes are also over, while Chivas will go into the finale knowing they will be taking on Dynamo in the conference semifinals.

REFEREE: Brian Hall. SAR (bench): Chris Strickland; JAR (opposite): Nate Clement; 4th: Abbey Okulaja

MLS Career: 82 games; FC/gm: 32.6; Y/gm:4.0; R: 13; pens: 32

MLS 2006: 11 games; FC/gm: 30.7 (avg: 28.9); Y/gm: 3.9 (avg: 3.64); R: 3 (MLS: 43); pens: 1 (MLS: 41)

Games involving Chivas USA: P6 W1 L4 T1; FC/gm: 28.2; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 2; pens: 0

Games involving Real: P7 W3 L3 T1; FC/gm: 26.4; Y/gm: 2.9; R: 3; pens: 2

INJURY REPORT: CHIVAS USA - OUT: DF Carlos Llamosa (L thigh strain); FW Juan Francisco Palencia (R knee

sprain); MF John O'Brien (R patella tendonitis); MF Mike Muñoz (R ankle surgery), MF Ramón Ramírez (L knee MCL

surgery), FW Estuardo Sánchez (L foot surgery); MF Carlos Borja (R knee MCL tear); QUESTIONABLE: MF Johnnie

Garcia (L ankle sprain); PROBABLE: FW Ante Razov (R adductor strain); MF Juan Pablo García (L adductor strain);

FW Drew Helm (R shoulder separation) ... REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: DF Paul Broome (L ankle internal derangement);

MF Seth Trembly (L knee ACL tear); MF Christian Jimenez (L knee ACL tear); DOUBTFUL: DF Danny Torres (R foot

sprain)

SUSPENDED: none

WARNINGS:

FINED NEXT YELLOW CARD (caution limit suspensions do not carry over to postseason):

CHV: Tim Regan, Jesse Marsch ... RSL: Atiba Harris, Carey Talley, Andy Williams

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD

ALL-TIME (7 meetings): Chivas USA 3 wins, 14 goals ... Real 2 wins, 8 goals ... 2 draws

AT CARSON: (3 meetings): Chivas USA 3 wins, 9 goals ... Real 0 wins, 1 goal ... 0 draws

- This is the fourth of four meetings this season for last year's expansion clubs, and the second of two at The

Home Depot Center.

- A year ago, the two new league clubs split their season series, each maintaining form on their home grounds.

For Chivas, their two wins were historic. The 1-0 victory at The Home Depot Center on May 7 was the first in

club history. Then their 5-1 win on Victoria Street on July 9 was the biggest in the team's short life.

- Coaches record: Bob Bradley vs. RSL: P5 W1 L0 D4 ... John Ellinger v CHV: P7 W2 L3 D2

2006 (MLS):

4/2: CHV 3, RSL 0 (Razov 21, 65; Garcia 25)

7/4: RSL 0, CHV 0

7/26: RSL 3, CHV 3 (Cunningham 33; Talley 55; Williams 74 - Razov 2; Bornstein 59; Suarez 90)

- Chivas USA won the first meeting between the teams this season, then they played to draws in their last two

encounters, once on each ground.

- Last year's expansion teams opened their sophomore seasons against each other, with Chivas USA winning 3-

0 on April 1 at The Home Depot Center. The home side broke through after just 21 minutes. New signing

Claudio Suarez sent a ball over the top from midfield and Razov raced onto it before coolly finishing

- Four minutes later Juan Pablo Garcia doubled the lead with a magnificent goal. With his back to the goal some

25 yards out, he quickly turned and let loose a well-placed curling shot that sailed over Garlick and found the

left side netting.

- In the 66th minute, Razov completed his double. He collected the ball some 35 yards out from goal, shook

loose from a marker and unloaded a 25-yard laser beam past Garlick.

MLS GAME INFORMATION

- On July 4, the teams played to a scoreless draw at Rice-Eccles Stadium, as the rematch of the expansion

teams from a year ago petered out although RSL - flagged for offside 11 times on the night - had apparent

goals from Atiba Harris in the first half and Jason Kreis in the second ruled out when the linesman's flag went

up.

LAST MEETING

- Chivas USA scored the equalizer in second-half stoppage time to snatch a 3-3 draw on July 26 at Rice-Eccles

Stadium. It took Chivas just 90 seconds to open the scoring. Juan Francisco Palencia had a second chance at

a through ball, and chipped it over the RSL defense for Ante Razov to run onto, and alone on Scott Garlick he

knocked it through the 'keeper's legs for his league-leading 12th goal of the season.

- RSL pulled level in the 33rd minute. Chris Klein swung in a free kick from the right, and it wasn't headed clear,

falling to Jeff Cunningham. He chested down the ball and lashed home a volley inside the far side netting.

- Just after the break, Real pulled ahead with a stunning goal. Carey Talley took a pass some 40 yards from goal

and hit a wicked strike that rattled off the underside of the bar and into the upper right corner with Preston

Burpo's dive well late.

- But just four minutes later, Chivas pulled level. Jonathan Bornstein - though back in his left back role - took a

pass at the top of the area, turned and hammered home his third goal in the last two games.

- RSL again nosed in front with another highlight-reel goal. Cunningham played the ball into Kreis, who with two

defenders on his back laid it back for Andy Williams. He hit a bending shot with the outside of his right boot that

settled into the upper right corner for his first goal of the campaign.

- Yet Chivas had one more answer. Jesse Marsch ran onto a pass on the left side of the area, took it to the

byeline and pulled back a low cross into the six-yard box where Claudio Suarez steamed in to drive it into an

unguarded goal four minutes into stoppage time.

- Here's Ellinger's team (4-4-2): Scott Garlick - Kevin Novak, Nikolas Besagno, Douglas Sequeira, Willis Forko -

Chris Klein, Carey Talley, Mehdi Ballouchy, Andy Williams (Joey Worthen 82) - Jeff Cunningham (Atiba Harris

86), Jason Kreis. [Substitutes Not Used: Nick Armington, Chris Brown, Kenny Cutler, Jack Stewart, Jamie

Watson]

- Here's Bradley's team (4-4-2): Preston Burpo - Tim Regan (Drew Helm 89), Jason Hernandez, Claudio Suarez,

Jonathan Bornstein - Juan Pablo Garcia, Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Francisco Mendoza (Orlando Perez

46) - Juan Francisco Palencia

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