MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Weekly Update

Published on September 26, 2006 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SALT LAKE CITY (Tuesday, September 26, 2006) - Real Salt Lake (10-13-6, 36 pts., 5th West) hits the road this week, as the team's push for the 2006 MLS playoffs continues this Saturday in Kansas City, against the 4th place team in the Eastern Conference, Kansas City Wizards (9-13-4, 34 pts.). First kick for the critical match is 6:30 p.m. MT and can be seen live on Direct Kick. KSL 5 TV will carry the game on a five-hour tape delay, with the broadcast beginning at 11:30 p.m. MT. Ryan Hatch and Robin Fraser will be calling the game on KSL. Sports Radio 1280 The Zone will have the radio broadcast, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with "First Kick", the pre-game show of Real Salt Lake with Spencer Checketts and Brian Dunseth.

RSL BATTLES BACK, BUT COMES UP SHORT VS. HOOPS: RSL comes into the game on Saturday on the heels of a 1-2 loss at the hands of FC Dallas last Saturday at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The Hoops came out of the gates in a hurry, capturing both of their goals within the game's first 15 minutes, and RSL could never fully recover.

The first strike came off the head of Dallas FW Carlos Ruiz, who slammed home a perfectly timed header past RSL GK Scott Garlick from a Greg Vanney free kick in only the game's ninth minute. The goal was Ruiz's 11th of the season and his third in the two-game home and home series between the Hoops and RSL.

The Hoops struck again only five minutes later, as 21-year old rookie Kenny Cooper caught Garlick out of position and sent in a bending shot from the left side of the field that found its way into the back corner of the goal. Cooper now has 10 goals on the season, only one behind Ruiz for the team lead.

RSL battled back valiantly in the second half, highlighted by FW Jeff Cunnigham's league leading 16th goal of the season in the games 48th minute. Rookie DF Willis Forko picked up his first Major League Soccer point with a beautiful assist on the goal, but RSL would never find the equalizer and were left to watch FC Dallas celebrate becoming the first team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff spot.

With the loss, RSL fell to 10-13-6 (36 pts.) and remain three points behind the Colorado Rapids (11-12-6, 39 pts.) in the race for the fourth and final Western Conference playoff spot. FC Dallas moved to 15-10-4 (49 pts.) and for the second consecutive year, clinched a playoff spot with a win on their home field against RSL.

KANSAS CITY ON THE HORIZON: RSL come into Saturday's match at Kansas City facing a situation where the team must capture points in order to remain afloat in the Western Conference playoff race. The Wizards are also in the middle of a playoff race of their own, clinging to a two point lead over the New York Red Bulls. RSL Head Coach John Ellinger knows that despite Kansas City's up and down season, this game will be a battle for his squad:

"People tend to forget how talented Kansas City is. I know they have not had the type of season that most people expected out of them, but they have been hit with injuries and lost a lot of players to World Cup duty. When you look at their roster, there are a lot of names that jump out at you. Josh Wolff and Eddie Johnson are two of the more talented forwards in the country, and Scott Sealy has played very well for them this season. Nick Garcia is out for them on Saturday, but they have plenty of depth in the back. They are just getting healthy and trying to find some continuity heading into the playoffs, so we will have to be on top of our game to come away with the three points that we need. They need this game almost as much as we do, so I anticipate a hard fought match with playoff like intensity. Having Carey (Talley) back in our lineup will be a big lift; we missed his intensity and leadership last week at Dallas. I am confident that our group will respond; we all know how important this game is for our playoff chances."

First kick for the match is 6:30 p.m. MT and can be seen live on Direct Kick. KSL will carry the broadcast on a five hour delay, beginning at 11:30 p.m. MT. Sports Radio 1280 The Zone will carry the game live, with coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. MT with "First Kick", the pre game show of Real Salt Lake.

WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE TIGHTENS FOR STRETCH RUN: With only three games remaining for each Western Conference team, the race for the final three Western Conference playoff spots is still wide open. Only FC Dallas (15-10-4, 46 pts.) has clinched a spot in the postseason, as the Hoops now own a comfortable ten-point lead over newly-minted second-place CD Chivas USA (10-7-12, 42 pts.). On Saturday, the Houston Dynamo (10-8-11, 41 pts.) fell into third place by virtue of their 1-1 draw at Columbus, combined with Chivas' 1-0 home win over the current fourth place squad, the Colorado Rapids (11-12-6, 39 pts.)

Despite last week's loss at Chivas, Colorado remains three points ahead of RSL, which could be eliminated from playoff contention Saturday with a loss at Kansas City COMBINED with wins by Houston (vs. D.C. United) and Colorado (at New England) AND a Chivas win or draw "at" Los Angeles. Real Salt Lake (10-13-6, 36 pts.) remains right in the thick of things, currently stands fifth in the West, but only six points out of second place and five points behind Houston with three games remaining. The Los Angeles Galaxy (9-14-6, 33 pts.) are still alive, just three points behind RSL and owning a home schedule to round out the Western Conference standings. The top four teams in each conference qualify for the MLS playoffs.

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS (entering games of Saturday, Sept. 30, 2006)

Team GP W L T Pts GD

FC Dallas 29 15 10 4 52 +8

Chivas USA 29 10 7 12 42 +7

Houston 29 10 8 11 41 +3

Colorado 29 11 12 6 39 -11

Real Salt Lake 29 10 13 6 36 -4

Los Angeles 29 9 14 6 33 -5

Remaining Schedule for Western Conference teams:

Date RSL DAL HOU COL CHV LAG

9/30 @KC @CLB DC @NE @LAG CHV

10/7 HOU LAG @RSL NY @KC @DAL

10/14-15 @CHV @LAG COL @HOU RSL DAL

Head-to-head records among Western Conference teams (1st tiebreaker):

FCD CHV LA HOU COL RSL

FCD -- 1-2-1 1-1-0 1-2-1 3-0-1 3-1-0

CHV 2-1-1 -- 1-1-1 1-1-2 2-0-2 1-0-2

LA 1-1-0 1-1-1 -- 1-2-1 0-3-1 2-2-0

HOU 2-1-1 1-1-2 2-1-1 -- 2-1-0 2-1-0

COL 0-3-1 0-2-2 3-0-1 1-1-1 -- 2-1-1

RSL 1-3-0 0-1-2 2-2-0 1-2-0 1-2-1 --

Tiebreakers TBD for RSL vs. Houston (10/7) and Chivas (10/15) RSL loses tiebreaker against Colorado Rapids RSL tiebreaker with LA Galaxy determined by end-of-season goal differential

Other Western Conference playoff notes:

FC Dallas - plays at Columbus

FC Dallas will clinch home-field advantage for the Western Conference Championship IF:

FC Dallas defeats Columbus OR Chivas USA loses and Houston fails to win

Chivas USA - plays "at" Los Angeles Galaxy

Chivas USA will clinch a playoff spot IF:

Chivas USA wins vs. Los Angeles AND Real Salt Lake fails to win against Kansas City

Houston Dynamo - hosts D.C. United, 8:30 p.m. ET

Houston will clinch a playoff spot IF:

Houston defeats D.C. United AND Real Salt Lake fails to win against Kansas City

Colorado Rapids - play at New England

Colorado will clinch a playoff spot IF:

Colorado defeats New England AND Real Salt Lake loses to Kansas City

Real Salt Lake - plays at Kansas City

Real Salt Lake cannot clinch a playoff spot on Saturday, but could be eliminated by a loss to Kansas City COMBINED WITH Houston and Colorado wins AND a Chivas win or draw. Since Colorado owns the tiebreaker with Real Salt Lake, RSL must capture four more points over the final three games than Colorado in order to move past the Rapids in the standings.

Los Angeles Galaxy - hosts Chivas USA, 10:30 p.m. ET

In order to make the playoffs,

LA must win its three remaining games AND one of the following must occur: Houston loses its three remaining games OR Chivas loses its two remaining games (after losing to LA this Saturday) OR Colorado earns no more than two points in its three remaining games

The regular season ends on Sunday, Oct. 15, and the MLS Cup Playoffs begin on Saturday, Oct. 21. The third and fourth place teams from each conference host Conference Semifinal games on Oct. 21 or 22 against the second and first seeds, respectively. The return-leg games of those Conference Semifinal series will be played on Oct. 28 or 29, hosted by the higher-seeded team. For the Conference Championships, the highest remaining seeds will host a single match on Nov. 4 or 5.

MLS Cup 2006 will take place live on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 12 from Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The remaining MLS schedule follows and is available at www.MLSnet.com. Playoff schedule is tentative and subject to change.

All Times Mountain:

Saturday, October 21, 2006

MLS Cup Playoffs - Conference Semifinal Game 1 - TBD

MLS Cup Playoffs - Conference Semifinal Game 1 - TBD

Sunday, October 22, 2006

MLS Cup Playoffs - Conference Semifinal Game 1 - TBD (ESPN2)

MLS Cup Playoffs - Conference Semifinal Game 1 - TBD (ABC)

Saturday, October 28, 2006

MLS Cup Playoffs - Conference Semifinal Game 2 - TBD

MLS Cup Playoffs - Conference Semifinal Game 2 - TBD

Sunday, October 29, 2006

MLS Cup Playoffs - Conference Semifinal Game 2 - TBD at D.C. United, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)

MLS Cup Playoffs - Conference Semifinal Game 2 - TBD

Saturday, November 4, 2006

MLS Cup Playoffs - Conference Championship - TBD

Sunday, November 5, 2006

MLS Cup Playoffs - Conference Championship, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)

Sunday, November 12, 2006

MLS Cup at Pizza Hut Park, 1:30 p.m. (ABC)

HARRIS, ST. KITTS & NEVIS FAIL TO ADVANCE: In the Caribbean round of pre-qualifying for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, RSL FW Atiba Harris and the St. Kitts & Nevis National Team finished 1-1-1 in round-robin group play, but failed to advance to the next round. Last Wednesday, Harris led his Sugar Boyz squad by equalizing in the 60th minute when Harris hammered a shot into the back of the net from about just outside the six-yard box. On Friday, the team defeated Anguilla, 6-1, in a game Harris started and played 75 minutes. On Sunday, the island nation dropped a 0-1 decision to Antigua & Barbuda as Harris saw his 89th minute penalty kick saved, forcing the team to finish third in its group and fail to advance. The Digicel Cup is the Caribbean Qualification to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup™ that will take place in the USA from June 6-24.

FIDDLER'S ELBOW/SALT LAKE PIZZA & PASTA TO HOST RSL AWAY GAME WATCH PARTY: Real Salt Lake fans from all across the Wasatch Front are invited to Fiddler's Elbow/Salt Lake Pizza & Pasta (1063 East, 2100 South, Sugarhouse) for another Real Salt Lake away game watch party! Don't miss out on the action this Saturday as Real Salt Lake looks to continue the team's quest for the 2006 MLS playoffs against the Kansas City Wizards. First kick for the critical match is 6:30 p.m. MT. Be sure to arrive early to ensure good seating! "First Kick", the official pre-game show of Real Salt Lake on Sports Radio 1280 The Zone will be broadcasting live, on-site starting at 5:30 p.m. MT.

Fiddler's Elbow is a pub/restaurant where you must be 21 year old to gain entrance, while Salt Lake Pizza & Pasta is a family friendly environment. Both entities share the same ownership and are located in the same building.

Check out the Real Salt Lake Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from September 26, 2006


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