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Real Salt Lake Hosts Portland Timbers for Final Home Match of 2021 Regular Season

November 2, 2021 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


HERRIMAN, Utah - Real Salt Lake will host the Portland Timbers on Wednesday, November 3 for its final home match of the 2021 regular season in what is expected to be a pivotal match in the Club's push for the playoffs and the overall Western Conference playoff picture.

The Club will recognize former captain and legend Kyle Beckerman prior to kickoff. Beckerman retired at the end of the 2020 MLS regular season and has since taken up the position of Head Coach for Utah Valley University's Men's Soccer program. The Club will honor him at midfield prior to kickoff. Beckerman will be available for photos and autographs at the U of U Health Plaza beginning at 6:30 p.m. MT.

Wednesday's match will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN2. ESPN 700 will carry the English radio broadcast and Spanish-speaking fans can tune in on KBMG Latino 106.3, La Gran D 102.3 and KTUB 1600.

Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers

Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah

Wednesday, November 3 at 8:00 p.m. MT

Records: Real Salt Lake (13-13-6, 45 points, 8th in West); Portland Timbers (15-13-4, 49 points, 4th in West)

Head-to-Head: Real Salt Lake has a 8-11-7 all-time record against Portland, with a 6-5-2 record at home. RSL last hosted Portland on October 14, 2020, during which it defeated the Timbers 2-1 thanks to goals from Damir Kreilach and Douglas Martinez.

Stories to Watch:

The Road to Playoffs

With just two games remaining, Real Salt Lake currently sits in eighth place just below the playoff line with 45 points. Just five points separate fourth place and ninth place, with RSL still in the race for one of the final positions.

Unlike the teams directly above and below, RSL has two games to play while most of the remaining teams have just one, meaning RSL has a chance at six points as opposed to three points like the teams vying for the final four positions. RSL is one of only two teams left jostling for a place in the playoffs that still has a positive goal differential, meaning should it tie another team based on points, RSL will receive the higher seed.

The Path to History

Last Saturday, midfielder Albert Rusnák became the first player since Jeff Cunningham to hit double digits in goals and assists when he recorded his ninth and tenth goal of the season against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday to go along with his previously recorded 11 assists. Fellow midfielder Damir Kreilach is right at his heels, as he recorded his ninth assist of the season on Rusnak's first goal, putting him one assist away from also reaching double digit marks in both categories having scored 15 goals on the year. Should Kreilach hit double digits he and Rusnak will become the first tandem in RSL history to achieve such a record in the same season.

Connections: Midfielder Nick Besler was selected fifth overall by the Portland Timbers in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft and spent two seasons with the club's USL Championship side before coming to Utah via Real Monarchs prior to the start of the 2017 season. On the other hand, Portland goalkeeper Jeff Attinella appeared in 29 matches for Real Salt Lake from 2013-16. Forward Rubio Rubin was born and raised just outside of Portland in Beaverton, Oregon.

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