MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Kicks off 12th Major League Soccer Home Campaign Saturday

March 11, 2016 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah - Real Salt Lake opens up the home portion of its 12th MLS campaign tomorrow against Western Conference rival Seattle Sounders FC. Saturday's contest kicks off at 2:00 p.m. MT, as Head Coach Jeff Cassar's team seeks to improve upon the club's unbeaten 4-0-7 all-time record in MLS home openers.

RSL is unbeaten in its last five games played on Utah soil against Seattle, and has won four consecutive matches against the "Rave Green" at Rio Tinto Stadium. Tickets are still available for Saturday's contest - which will feature a Stadium-wide "tifo" display just prior to kickoff, so fans are implored to arrive early - at www.RSL.com/tickets or at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, which is open on the venue's West Side until 6:00 p.m. Friday night and will reopen Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m.

Saturday's game will be televised in Utah via KMYU (English, David James & Brian Dunseth) or heard via RSL flagships ESPN700 AM (English, Bill Riley & Brian Kamler) & 102.3 FM / 1600 AM (Spanish, Fernando Hortal & Nelson Moran). Pre-game coverage airs live locally on ESPN700 AM at 1:00 p.m. MT with hosts Jeremy Horton & Spencer Warne, while KMYU's three-hour window kicks off at 1:30 p.m. MT live from the RioT.

How to Follow Real Salt Lake @ Orlando City SC - 2016 MLS Opener

- Coverage Begins: 1:30 p.m. MT

- TV: KMYU (2.2 air / 12 satellite / 643 Comcast HD) - David James & Brian Dunseth

- English Radio: ESPN 700 AM (1:00 p.m. MT) - Bill Riley, Brian Kamler, Jeremy Horton, Spencer Warne

- Spanish Radio: 102.3 La Gran D FM / 1600 AM - Nelson Moran & Fernando Hortal

- Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter feed provides updates

2016 REAL SALT LAKE NOTES -

RSL v. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC - Sat., March 12, 2016 - 2:00 p.m. MT

EARLY-SEASON ROAD WARRIORS: Saturday's match is just one of four home MLS matches for RSL prior to June 18 of this year, as Head Coach Jeff Cassar's club kicks off the MLS season with three of its first four games, and nine of first 13, away from home for the deepest glut of road games in RSL's 12 seasons ... The club's run of five straight away games from May 7 to June 2 is the longest in RSL history ...

RIO TINTO STADIUM FIELD RENOVATION IN MAY: The main impetus on RSL's early-season / road-heavy slate is due to a May 1 - June 15 field replacement at the world-class Sandy venue ... An exact replication of the base and field surface is planned, as RSL has played 159 games at home since the Oct. 9, 2008 opener ...

RIOT AT THE RIOT IN BACK HALF OF SEASON: However, following the field renovation and the league-wide Copa America break in early June, RSL will play four of its next five and six of its next eight at home, leading into the annual MLS All-Star Break in late July ... RSL also sees another late-season stretch of six out of eight at home from late August to late October, prior to the season finale at Seattle on Oct. 23 ...

PLATA BRACE PACES RSL ATTACK: RSL FW Joao Plata tallied both goals in the club's 2-2 season-opening draw at Orlando last Sunday, the diminutive Ecuadoran's second multi-goal game for RSL in his 75 MLS appearances with the Claret-and-Cobalt, and the team's first road brace since Plata found the back of the net twice in May, 2014, at Dallas ... Plata actually has all three of the club's 2016 goals, including his score in RSL's 1-1 home draw against Mexican power Tigres in the CONCACAF Quarterfinal on March 2 at home ...

PHILLIPS OUT SATURDAY: RSL DF Demar Phillips will serve a one-game suspension Saturday against Seattle, following his pair of yellow cards and subsequent ejection in the 22nd minute last week at Orlando ... The Jamaican international is expected to return to availability next week at Portland ...

SUNNY #127: RSL MF Sunny on Sunday became the club's 127th player to have appeared in an MLS match for the Claret-and-Cobalt in the team's first 12 seasons ... FW Juan Manuel Martinez, a.k.a. Burrito - who will presumably make his 10th MLS and 15th overall appearance on Saturday - last season became the 61st RSL player to score a goal for the club in its 11 years with his debut goal at Houston last September ...

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