COLUMBUS, Ohio. (Saturday, June 30, 2012) – Real Salt Lake (10-6-2, 32 points, West #2) dropped its third consecutive MLS match and suffered its fourth loss out of five games across all competitions, with an 0-2 loss Saturday night at Crew Stadium. The match kicked off an hour late following a massive power outage that affected 300,000+ people across Central Ohio, including Crew Stadium, which saw power restored only three hours prior to a scheduled 8:00 p.m. ET kick.
RSL allowed a pair of first-half goals en route to the setback, which snapped a four-game road unbeaten streak, the second-longest in club history. Crew MF Tony Tchani slammed home a pass from teammate Emilio Renteria in the 16th minute, collecting a ball eight yards out for the eventual game-winner. The Tchani goal also snapped the RSL road shutout streak at 331 minutes, also the second-longest in club annals.
As the half came to a close, Crew icon Eddie Gaven found the back of the net on another sloppy mess in the box, as a Chris Birchall corner kick was redirected to the top of the six-yard box by Josh Williams, eluding the RSL defense. The 44th-minute strike provided the final margin, the fifth goal of the year conceded in either first or second-half stoppage time.
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Real Salt Lake Match Notes – CLB 2 : 0 RSL
- Real Salt Lake’s record of 10-6-2 (32 points) through 18 games is second only to its 2010 start and its 4-3-2 road mark is the best in the team’s eight-year history, surpassing the 3-4-2 road mark during its record-setting 2010 season … With 14 points away from home already this year, RSL remains just five points away from establishing a new standard of success …
- Tonight’s road result snapped RSL’s unbeaten run away from home at five games, the second-longest run in the club’s eight-year history, trailing only the nine-game unbeaten road streak from August, 2010 to April, 2011 … RSL extended its scoreless streak away from home to 330 minutes, trailing only the 344-minute run in the Fall of 2010 over a span of four games …
- A trio of RSL regulars missed tonight’s match, as Captain Kyle Beckerman served a one-game suspension for caution accumulation, while DF Jamison Olave (R calf) and MF Ned Grabavoy (adductor strain) remained in Utah due to injury … With tonight’s caution-free performances, MF Javier Morales and FW Alvaro Saborio see their yellow-card accumulation totals adjusted … Saborio is no longer in yellow card peril, while Morales needs to go without a yellow Wednesday against Seattle to avoid a suspension … RSL FW Fabian Espindola picked up his fourth yellow of the season tonight, meaning that the Argentine striker must go RSL’s next three games – Wednesday v SEA, Saturday v POR and July 14 at SJ – in order to earn the MLS “Good Behavior Incentive” …
- Only DF Tony Beltran and FW Alvaro Saborio have appeared in all 18 MLS games for RSL this year, with Beltran the team’s 2012 minutes leader (1603) …
- Real Salt Lake continues this week’s stretch of three games by welcoming 2011 MLS Cup Playoff opponent Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday, July 4 at Rio Tinto Stadium. A handful of tickets remain for that night’s 8:00 p.m. MT kickoff, a rematch of last November’s Western Conference Semifinal, and can be purchased at www.RealSaltLake.com or by calling (801) 727.2701. Three days later, RSL plays host to another Cascadia club, Portland Timbers FC, the Saturday, July 7 match kicking off at 7:00 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium …
COLUMBUS CREW 2 : 0 REAL SALT LAKE
SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012
COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM
Goals by Period 1 2 F
Columbus Crew 2 0 2
Real Salt Lake 0 0 0
Scoring Summary: CLB – Tchani (Renteria) 16’
CLB – Gaven (Williams) 44’
Misconduct Summary: CLB – Vukovic (had foul) 37’
RSL – Espindola (dissent) 57’
RSL – Steele (foul) 65’
CLB – George (foul) 82’
Lineups:
Columbus Crew (4-4-2) – Andy Gruenebaum; Sebastian Miranda, Julius James, Josh Williams, Nemanja Vukovic; Tony Tchani (Kevan George 70), Chris Birchall, Danny O’Rourke (c), Eddie Gaven; Aaron Schoenfeld (Milovan Mirosevic 52), Emilio Renteria (Justin Meram 79)
Substitutes Not Used: Matt Lampson (GK), Eric Gehrig, Bernardo Anor, Olman Vargas
Real Salt Lake (4-1-2-1-2) – Nick Rimando; Terukazu Tanaka (Luis Gil 73), Nat Borchers (c), Chris Wingert, Tony Beltran; Yordany Alvarez, Jonny Steele, Will Johnson, Javier Morales; Fabian Espindola (Paulo Junior 62), Alvaro Saborio (Emiliano Bonfigli 61)
Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Reynish (GK), Kenny Mansally, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Sebastian Velasquez
Referee: Jorge Gonzalez
Referee's Assistants: Daniel Belleau, Matthew Nelson
4th Official: Sorin Stoica
Attendance: 19,674
Time of Game: 1:50
Weather: Cloudy and 85 degrees
www.RealSaltLake.com / www.RioTintoStadium.com / www.ESPN700Sports.com
