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MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Update

June 2, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


REAL SALT LAKE TO FACE COLUMBUS AT CREW STADIUM ON WEDNESDAY

Real Salt Lake continues its road schedule this Wednesday, taking on Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium at 5:30 p.m. MT. Wednesday's match will be broadcast live on CW30, ESPN 700 and 102.3 La Gran D FM.

Real Salt Lake was handed its first defeat of the 2014 season on Saturday, falling 4-0 to Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field. Saturday's loss ended Real Salt Lake's 12-game unbeaten start to the season, leaving the club tied for the MLS record with the 1996 and 2010 LA Galaxy and 2000 Kansas City Wizards. RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar's 12 undefeated games, tied him for the longest unbeaten start to a managerial career in MLS history with 1996 LA Head Coach Lothar Osiander. Real Salt Lake now posts a 6-1-6 record through its first 13 matches of the season with a total of 24 points. Despite the loss, the Claret-and-Cobalt remain second in the league and Western Conference, now five points behind leaders Seattle Sounders FC, which has a game in hand on RSL.

Wednesday will prove to be a tough test for Real Salt Lake, which will be playing its second road game in five days. The Claret-and-Cobalt will also have to take into account that its hosts Portland Timbers three days later for its third match in seven days. Real Salt Lake has to battle through its toughest stretch of the season without Captain Kyle Beckerman and veteran GK Nick Rimando who were both named to the U.S.'s final 23-man World Cup roster. Claret-and-Cobalt FW Alvaro Saborio, was expected to be named to Costa Rica's final roster but fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot while practicing with the Costa Rican national team at its pre-World Cup training camp last Thursday. Saborio is expected to be out 3-4 months and will not participate in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Wednesday's contest will be the first and only regular season meeting between Real Salt Lake and Eastern Conference foe Columbus Crew. The two sides met once last year on August 24, 2013 at Rio Tinto Stadium, with the home side recording a resounding 4-0 win over Columbus. The rout saw a brace from Captain Kyle Beckerman and goals from FW Devon Sandoval and MF Luis Gil.

RSL has struggled historically against Columbus, posting a 5-10-1 regular season record against the Crew. That mark is RSL's worst regular season record against any MLS club. While RSL has struggled against the Crew in the regular season, it has done well against the Crew in elimination games topping the Crew in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs and the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals.

Columbus enters Wednesday's match with a 4-5-4 record to start the season. The Crew currently sit in sixth-place in the Eastern Conference with a total of 16 points. Columbus is coming off a disappointing 3-2 loss to Toronto FC last Saturday, allowing two goals in the final 10 minutes of play to fall on the road.

RSL won't return home until Saturday, June 7 when its hosts Portland Timbers at 8:00 p.m. at Rio Tinto Stadium. An extremely limited amount of tickets remain to Saturday's match; they 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 UNBEATEN RUN COMES TO AN END WITH 4-0 LOSS AT SEATTLE

Real Salt Lake (6-1-6, 24 points, West #2) lost its first match of 2014 on Saturday, giving up three second half goals to fall 4-0 at Seattle Sounders FC (9-3-2, 29 points, West #1). Saturday's loss ended Real Salt Lake's 12-game unbeaten start to the season.

Seattle went ahead in the 42nd minute, when MF Gonzalo Pineda buried a penalty kick after a questionable PK decision by referee Ricardo Salazar. The Sounders poured things on in the second, with MF Marco Pappa scoring in the 55th, FW Chad Barrett scoring in the 62nd and FW Obafemi Martins topping things off in the 90th.

Salazar whistled RSL DF Aaron Maund for a questionable penalty kick in the 40th. Maund was called for the dubious PK after going shoulder-to-shoulder with Seattle MF Lamar Neagle near the end line in the left side of the box. Pineda buried the ensuing spot kick in the 42nd minute, slotting it just out of the reach of diving RSL GK Jeff Attinella and inside the left post.

Pappa made it 2-0 in the 55th, bending home a gorgeous free kick after DF Brad Evans was fouled outside the box. The Guatemalan international curled his 25-yard effort up and over the RSL wall and inside the near post from just right of center.

Seattle made it 3-0 just seven minutes later, punishing RSL with a quick counter following a turnover. Martins started the play, stripping a Claret-and-Cobalt player near midfield and playing Neagle in behind. Neagle dribbled into the box and cut a pass across to Barrett, who chipped over an onrushing Attinella, off of a backtracking Maund, and in.

RSL had its best chance of the game in the 70th minute, when FW Olmes Garcia banged an effort off the post. MF Javier Morales created the chance, chipping a ball to Garcia in the right side of the area. The Colombian striker ran onto the ball at the top-right corner of the six, smashing a volley past Frei and off the woodwork.

Attinella made two big stops in the 72nd and 73rd minute, stopping Martins on a point blank attempt before getting a hand to a Neagle shot to push it off the post.

Martins added a fourth for Seattle in the 90th minute, tapping home a low ball from substitute FW Kenny Cooper to make it 4-0.

Real Salt Lake will return to action on Wednesday, taking on Columbus at 5:30 p.m. MT at Crew Stadium. Wednesday's match will be broadcast live on CW30, ESPN 700 AM and 102.3 La Gran D FM.

RSL FW ALVARO SABORIO OUT 3-4 MONTHS AFTER UNDERGOING SUCCESSFUL FOOT SURGERY

Real Salt Lake has announced that FW Alvaro Saborio will be out 3-4 months after undergoing successful foot surgery on his right fifth metatarsal on Monday. RSL Team Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Andrew Cooper performed Monday's surgery at a Sports Med Utah facility at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center.

"I'm pleased to say that Alvaro's surgery went very well this afternoon," Cooper said. "We inserted a screw and injected some bone marrow around the fracture site to promote healing. I expect him to get back to 100 percent once the fracture fully heals."

The Costa Rican international, fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot while practicing with the Costa Rican national team at its pre-World Cup training camp last Thursday. Saborio will not participate in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Saborio was named to Costa Rica's preliminary World Cup roster on May 14. Costa Rica will participate in Group D at next month's World Cup, facing off against Uruguay on June 14, Italy on June 20 and England on June 24. The top two teams from the group will advance to the tournament's Knockout Stage.

RSL's all-time leading scorer, Saborio has 32 international goals in 93 career caps. The 32-year-old striker had six goals and two assists in 10 games for RSL prior to departing for Costa Rica two weeks ago.

RSL GK JEFF ATTINELLA UP FOR MLS SAVE OF THE WEEK

Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Jeff Attinella has been nominated for MLS Save of the Week!

Attinella is up for the award for his great save on Obafemi Martins' point-blank attempt in the 72nd of RSL's 4-0 loss at Seattle. His big stop is up against a penalty kick save from San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch along with three stops from defenders. Houston Dynamo left back Corey Ashe slid full stretch to clear a Kamani Hill shot off the goal line, while FC Dallas center back Matt Hedges used his head to deny Steven Lenhart and the New England Revolution's A.J. Soares got back in time to stop Marco Di Vaio.

This is the third time Attinella has been nominated for MLS Save of the Week this year. The Florida native took home the award for week 11 for his double save on Colorado's Kamani Hill and Dillon Serna in RSL's 2-1 win over the Rapids.

RSL has three Save of the Week wins this season, with regular goalkeeper Nick Rimando taking home the honor in both of the first two weeks of the year along with Attinella in week 11.

Voting for Save of the Week runs until 12:59 a.m. MT on Friday morning. Click here to vote for Jeff!

RSL CAPTAIN KYLE BECKERMAN FEATURES FOR USMNT IN 2-1 WIN AGAINST TURKEY

Real Salt Lake Captain Kyle Beckerman made his first appearance in the U.S.'s World Cup Send-Off Series, entering the match at the start of the second half in the Americans' 2-1 win over Turkey. RSL veteran GK Nick Rimando did not make an appearance, remaining on the bench throughout the game.

The USMNT put in an improved performance, but not without its defensive scares, after a lackluster 2-0 win over Azerbaijan last week. U.S. Defender Fabian Johnson got the Americans going in the first half, nicely finishing a left-footed shot in the 26th minute. Michael Bradley assisted on the play, sending a sublime chip pass over the Turkish back line to the feet of Johnson. U.S. Captain Clint Dempsey, who missed last week's match due to groin soreness, doubled the lead in the second half, cleaning up a poor clearance in the box in the 52nd minute. Turkey, however, was able to prevent the clean sheet, converting a penalty kick in the last minute of play.

Klinsmann implemented a 4-4-2 formation again with a diamond midfield - RSL's specialty. Beckerman made his appearance at the start of the second half, taking the place of midfielder Jermaine Jones in the holding position at the bottom of the diamond. Beckerman put in a solid performance, protecting the back line, maintaining possession and continued to display his excellent passing accuracy. Beckerman will hopefully get another shot to make his case for a starting role when the U.S. takes on Nigeria this weekend.

Beckerman, Rimando and the rest of the USMNT's final World Cup roster will play its final match of their Send-Off Series on Saturday, June 7, facing Nigeria at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. The match kicks at 2:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

The U.S. will travel to Brazil following its friendly against Nigeria. The Americans will begin World Cup play on June 16, taking on Ghana in the Group G opener. The U.S. will then play Portugal on June 22 before facing Germany in the Group Stage finale on June 26.

REAL SALT LAKE INJURY REPORT

OUT: MF Jordan Allen (R knee injury), Alvaro Saborio (R fifth metatarsal fracture), Robbie Findley (R knee tendon repair)

DOUBTFUL: Joao Plata (L hamstring)

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