Sports stats



MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Update

April 14, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


REAL SALT LAKE TO HOST PORTLAND TIMBERS ON SATURDAY AT RIO TINTO STADIUM

Real Salt Lake will return home on Saturday, as it hosts Portland Timbers in a rematch of the 2013 Western Conference Final series. Saturday's match kicks at 7:30 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium and will be broadcast live on CW30, ESPN 700 AM and 102.3 La Gran D FM.

Real Salt Lake continued its unbeaten start to the 2014 season on Saturday, tying 2-2 at Philadelphia Union. RSL is now the only unbeaten team remaining in MLS. Western Conference leaders FC Dallas were the only other undefeated side entering the weekend's matches, but the Texas team lost 3-2 to Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday night. Real Salt Lake has performed well on the road to start the season, despite allowing late equalizing goals in two of its road matches. The Claret-and-Cobalt has claimed a total of six points from its first four road matches of the season.

RSL is 1-0-1 at home this year, drawing LA Galaxy 1-1 in its home opener on March 22 and beating Toronto FC 3-0 on March 29 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Real Salt Lake has a successful history against the Portland Timbers, posting a 4-1-3 all-time regular season record against the Pacific Northwest side. The Claret-and-Cobalt and Portland met a total of six times in 2013, with RSL posting a 4-0-2 mark across all competitions. RSL drew the Timbers 3-3 on Aug. 21 in Portland, won 4-2 on Aug. 30 at Rio Tinto Stadium and drew 0-0 on Oct. 19 at formerly named JELD-WEN Field. The teams also played in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinal on Aug. 7 at Rio Tinto Stadium, with RSL topping the Timbers 2-1. RSL beat Portland in the 2013 Western Conference Final series, beating Portland 4-2 at home on Nov. 10 before winning the return leg 1-0 at Portland on Nov. 24 to take the series 5-2 on aggregate.

RSL had a very diverse attack against Portland last year, with nine different players scoring and seven different players assisting in the Utah side's six matches against the Timbers in 2013. RSL MF Javier Morales led the way for RSL with three goals, followed by Saborio and FW Robbie Findley with two goals each, while FW Devon Sandoval, MF Luis Gil, DF Chris Schuler, DF Nat Borchers and MF Cole Grossman all had one tally against the Cascadia club. Beckerman, Javier Morales and FW Joao Plata lead the way for RSL in assists against Portland, with three helpers each; MF Ned Grabavoy, Gil, Findley and Saborio all have one assist against Portland.

Real Salt Lake was hit with an early season injury bug, but the Claret-and-Cobalt will look to have the majority of its starting players back this week. RSL will hope to have veteran GK Nick Rimando available for Saturday's clash after he missed the last two regular season matches due to a knee injury picked up on international duty. RSL MF Sebastian Velasquez made his first appearance of 2014 against Philadelphia Union last Saturday, subbing on in the second half. Velasquez had been suffering from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first five matches of the 2014 season. The Claret-and-Cobalt will also hope to have Plata available; the speedy Ecuadorian has been sidelined from a hamstring injury suffered in RSL's 1-1 draw with LA Galaxy on March 22.

Tickets to the Portland match can be purchased at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at www.RealSaltLake.com/Tickets or over the phone at 801-727-2700.

REAL SALT LAKE CONTINUES UNBEATEN START TO 2014 WITH 2-2 DRAW AT PHILADELPHIA

Real Salt Lake stayed unbeaten in the 2014 season on Saturday, playing Philadelphia Union to a wild 2-2 draw at PPL Park.

RSL twice took the lead on Saturday, only to twice allow Philadelphia to equalize. Claret-and-Cobalt MF Luke Mulholland scored the opener in the sixth minute, finishing a rebound after Philadelphia GK Zac MacMath saved RSL FW Alvaro Saborio's penalty kick. Philadelphia FW Andrew Wenger made it 1-1 in the 55th minute, slotting home MF Vincent Nogueira's cross to pull the Union level. It looked like Captain Kyle Beckerman stole all three points for RSL with an 85th minute goal, but Union MF Maurice Edu had other ideas, heading home a 90th minute corner kick to make it 2-2.

Mulholland tapped home a saved Saborio penalty kick to put RSL ahead in the sixth minute. FW Olmes Garcia earned the PK, collecting a Saborio flick just inside the area before getting brought down by Philadelphia DF Austin Berry. Saborio couldn't convert his spot kick, with MacMath pawing away his effort near the right post. Mulholland raced to collect the rebound, ghosting in on the right side from his position behind several Philadelphia players before side-footing his 10-yard right-footed shot inside the far post.

Philadelphia equalized early in the second half, with Wenger pulling the Union level in the 55th minute. Philadelphia caught RSL on the break, with Nogueira collecting a ball in transition on the right side before hitting an excellent cross to an open Wenger in the left side of the box. The 2012 MLS SuperDraft No. 1 pick made no mistake with the chance, collecting with his chest and slotting home past an onrushing RSL GK Jeff Attinella.

Beckerman gave RSL the lead in the 85th minute. Substitute MF Sebastian Velasquez - making his 2014 debut - started the play, wriggling past a couple of Philadelphia defenders and finding RSL MF Javier Morales in the right side of the area. Morales slipped past Berry and got to the end line, eventually cutting the ball back to the center of the box. Beckerman ran onto it unmarked, powering a 10-yard right-footer inside the far post with his first touch.

Unfortunately, RSL couldn't hold its late lead, allowing Edu to equalize in the 90th minute. Maidana curled a corner kick in from the left side that Edu got on the end of, brilliantly flicking a header from the penalty spot off the far post and in.

REAL SALT LAKE FEATURES HEAVILY IN U.S. YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM CALL-UPS; ACADEMY TO PARTICIPATE IN GENERATION ADIDAS CUP THIS WEEK

Real Salt Lake DF/MF Jordan Allen and FW Benji Lopez were called to the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team last week for the Dallas Cup tournament. The tournament kicked off yesterday and will run through April 20 in Dallas, Texas. With the two players called up, Real Salt Lake is tied for the most players from a single club named to the U-20 squad.

The U-20s opened tournament play against River Plate yesterday, defeating the Argentine side 3-2 with RSL's Allen providing two assists. The Americans will take on German U-19 side Eintracht Frankfurt on Monday afternoon. Live streams of select Dallas Cup matches can be found at http://www.dallascup.com/.

Making its fifth all-time appearance at the prestigious competition and its first since 2010, the U-20's will compete in Bracket C of the Gordon Jago Super Group along with U-19 sides from Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany, River Plate of Argentina and UANL Tigres of Mexico. Only one American side has won the Super Group since 1990, the win coming in 2006.

...

Real Salt Lake Homegrown Player Justen Glad, and Real Salt Lake-Arizona Academy Players GK Christian Herrera and MF Sebastian Saucedo were recently named to the U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team roster for a 10-day training camp that wrapped up yesterday. The training camp was held at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, Calif., and featured two friendlies against Canada and Mexico. The Americans pulled off a 2-1 win over Canada on April 8 which featured an opening goal from Glad. The U.S. then fell to Mexico 4-3 a few days later, with a second half goal from Saucedo. With the three call-ups, the RSL-Arizona Academy sent the second-most players from a single club.

Glad, Herrera and Saucedo have guided the RSL-Arizona U-16 Academy team to the top of the U-15/16 Western Conference with a 17-2-2 record, qualifying them for the Academy playoffs. The RSL-Arizona U-16 Academy team is reigning U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy U-16 champions.

After the April camp, the U-18's will next assemble in May for the Lisbon International Tournament in Lisbon, Portugal.

...

The 2013-2014 Generation adidas Cup kicked off today in Frisco, Texas which will run through Sunday, April 20. The Real Salt Lake-Arizona Academy team joins eight other MLS sides and three international squads - Stoke City (England), Flamengo (Brazil), and CD Guadalajara (Mexico) - in the tournament's International Division. The winner of the International Division will be crowned champions on Sunday at Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas.

The Real Salt Lake-Arizona Academy begins group play tomorrow, taking on English side Stoke City at 7:00 p.m. MT.

MLSsoccer.com will stream six matches live throughout the week, including the two semifinals on Friday, April 18, and the final on Sunday. A full schedule and live stream information can be found at http://www.mlssoccer.com/generationadidascup/2013 .

RSL APPROACHING 12,000 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS

Thanks to the passion of our fans, Real Salt Lake is rapidly approaching an extension of its record-setting PRIDE season ticket holder total, closing in on the 12,000 Season Ticket Holder milestone.

To honor this monumental event, we're celebrating "RSL's 12,000th Man." While the RSL Family encompasses every person who ever cheers on the Claret-and-Cobalt, the PRIDE signifies those who have made the commitment to become a season ticket holder and be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Tickets to all of RSL's MLS regular season home matches and three additional bonus matches are included in the Real Salt Lake Season Ticket Package. Season Ticket Holders also have a variety of other benefits, including exclusive access to RSL's annual "Meet the Team" event and a discount at the Real Salt Lake Team Store. RSL Season Tickets are currently on sale and available for purchase at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at www.RealSaltLake.com/Tickets or over the phone at 801-727-2700.

REAL SALT LAKE INJURY REPORT

DOUBTFUL: FW Robbie Findley (R knee tendon repair), FW Joao Plata (L hamstring strain), GK Nick Rimando (L knee MCL strain), MF Luis Gil (Non-specific soft tissue injury)

Check out the Real Salt Lake Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from April 14, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central