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MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Posts 4-1 Win Over Columbus, Advances To Champions League Semifinals

March 2, 2011 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, March 1, 2011) - Real Salt Lake captured another piece of Major League Soccer history Tuesday night in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 15,405 at Rio Tinto Stadium via a 4-1 victory over the Columbus Crew in the second and decisive leg of their CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal Series. The 4-1 result, which gave RSL the aggregate series win by the same margin, allowed the Utah side to become the first MLS squad to advance to the Semifinal Round of the regional club championship.

The scoreless draw in the opening leg last Tuesday was put well in the rear-view mirror in the early stages tonight, as both teams came out looking for the goal - or goals - that would secure advancement into the tournament's "Final Four." However, only Real Salt Lake would be rewarded for its attacking efforts in the opening half, as FW �lvaro Sabor�o's opening salvo in the 23rd minute capped off a wonderful build-up through the middle of the field, as did MF Javier Morales' first of the evening 13 minutes later, allowing RSL a 2-0 cushion - and just a bit of breathing room - at the half.

That two-goal advantage was short-lived out of the locker room, as Crew striker Andres Mendoza finished off some nice interplay for the visitors around the area just four minutes into the second stanza, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats for most of the half. It would be Morales once again taking the advantage to two goals in the 77th minute, as his finish off a FW Paulo Jr. dish would allow the home side to breathe a little easier. If the Argentine's second of the night was the nail in the coffin, then Andy Williams' free kick in the dying moments was the cherry on top, the curling, 22-yard bomb giving the midfielder a deserved goal to go along with his pair of assists on the evening.

Real Salt Lake Match Notes

* Real Salt Lake will now turn its focus to Thursday's second leg of the Quarterfinal series between CD Saprissa (Costa Rica) and CD Olimpia (Honduras), in which Saprissa will carry a 1-0 aggregate lead into their away leg in San Pedro Sula (6:00 p.m. MT, live on Galavision). RSL will host the winner of that Central American showdown in Sandy for the first leg of the CCL Semifinal series on Tuesday, March 15. Tickets for that contest are now available online at www.RealSaltLake.com, over the phone at 801-727-2700, or in person at the Rio Tinto Stadium Box Office, Monday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. MT.

* Center back Chris Schuler made a surprise start on the RSL backline for the suspended Nat Borchers, the second-year man out of Creighton playing a sturdy 90 minutes alongside Jamison Olave. The minutes were Schuler's first since suffering a broken bone in his right foot during a training session late last September.

* Both Borchers and fellow defender Tony Beltran will be available for selection for the March 15 contest after sitting out of tonight's affair due to red cards received in the opening leg at Columbus. In fact, RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis will have his full complement of players available when the Semifinal series kicks off in Sandy in two weeks' time.

* The opening goal by Sabor�o gave the RSL target man his seventh goal of the competition in six appearances, placing him third on the CCL's 2010/11 goal-scoring chart. Only the Cruz Azul duo of Javier Orozco (12) and Emanuel Villa (8) have more tallies in the competition than RSL's 28-year-old Costa Rican international.

* While assists are not kept in the official statistics by CONCACAF, tonight's pair of helpers by Williams raised his team-high count in the category in CCL play to five.

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Major League Soccer Stories from March 2, 2011


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