REAL SALT LAKE TO OPEN HOME STAND WITH SATURDAY MATCH AGAINST CHICAGO FIRE
Real Salt Lake (6-5-2, 20 points, West #2) will open up a four-game MLS home stand on Saturday night, when it will take on the Chicago Fire (2-7-1, 7 points, East #8) at 7:00 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Saturday’s match will be broadcast live on CW30, ESPN700 and 102.3 La Gran D FM/1600 AM. CW30 will air the 30-minute Ford Postgame Show immediately after the match; ESPN700 will air an hour-long pregame show before the game and will broadcast an hour-long postgame following the contest.
Chicago is the only team in MLS to have a winning record against RSL in Utah, with the Claret-and-Cobalt posting a 2-3-2 record against the Fire in the Beehive State. Real Salt Lake is 3-6-6 in regular season play against the Fire, playing Chicago to a scoreless draw at Toyota Park in the sides’ last meeting on May 9, 2012.
REAL SALT LAKE FINISHES THREE-GAME ROAD TRIP WITH 2-1-0 RECORD
Real Salt Lake posted a 2-1-0 record on its recently wrapped three-game road trip, beating the New England Revolution 2-1 on May 8, falling 3-2 at the Montreal Impact on May 11 and beating Chivas USA 4-1 at the Home Depot Center on Sunday.
RSL jumped all over Chivas USA from the opening whistle on Sunday, getting a fourth minute goal from MF Ned Grabavoy to take an early lead before tacking on three second half goals through FW Joao Plata, FW Robbie Findley and Grabavoy. The win moved the Claret-and-Cobalt into second-place in the Western Conference, four points behind first-place FC Dallas.
RSL TO HOST ATLANTA IN US OPEN CUP 3RD-ROUND ACTION AT RIO TINTO STADIUM ON MAY 28
Real Salt Lake learned on Tuesday night that it will host the NASL Atlanta Silverbacks in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third-round at 7:30 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium next Tuesday, May 28. Atlanta advanced to the third-round by beating the NPSL Georgia Revolution 3-2 in suburban Atlanta in second-round action oon Tuesday night.
The May 28 U.S. Open Cup match is included in the Real Salt Lake 2013 season ticket package as Bonus Game A. RSL “PRIDE” Season Ticket Holders can purchase additional seats to the match for $10. Tickets to the general public are currently on sale and can be purchased at www.RealSaltLake.com/Tickets, at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office or over the phone at 801-727-2700.
Real Salt Lake was bounced out of the 2012 Open Cup in the third-round, losing 3-1 to the NASL Minnesota Stars – now Minnesota United FC – in front of a record-setting crowd of 17,212 at Rio Tinto Stadium on May 29, 2012. The Claret-and-Cobalt’s best Open Cup finishes came in 2006 and 2011, when the Utah side advanced to the Quarterfinals of the tournament.
REAL SALT LAKE RESERVES FALL 3-2 AT CHIVAS USA
The Claret-and-Cobalt conceded in the eighth, 23rd and 28th minutes before pulling goals back in the 53rd and 91st minutes. MF David Viana and DF Abdoulie Mansally scored for the Claret-and-Cobalt Reserves, which lost MF John Stertzer to a right shoulder dislocation in the 20th minute of the match. The RSL Reserves next play on Sunday, June 2 against the San Jose Earthquakes Reserves at 11:00 a.m. MT at America First Field in Sandy.
RSL LEARNS POTENTIAL US OPEN CUP 4TH-ROUND OPPONENTS FOR POSSIBLE JUNE 12 HOME GAME
U.S. Soccer on Wednesday announced all potential U.S. Open Cup fourth-round pairings and sites. Should RSL beat Atlanta in the third-round on Tuesday, it will host either the San Jose Earthquakes or USL Charleston Battery at 7:30 p.m. on June 12 at Rio Tinto Stadium. The Battery will host the Earthquakes in the Open Cup third-round at Blackbaud Stadium on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to take on the winner of the RSL-Silverbacks matchup in the fourth-round.
REAL SALT LAKE MF ENZO MARTINEZ RETURNS FROM SHORT-TERM LOAN TO CAROLINA
Real Salt Lake MF Enzo Martinez returned from a short-term loan to the NASL Carolina RailHawks over the weekend, watching RSL’s 4-1 win over Chivas USA from the Home Depot Center on Sunday before playing the full 90 minutes in the RSL Reserves’ 3-2 loss to the Goats on Monday.
Martinez played in three games for the RailHawks, coming off the bench in each match to play a total of 74 minutes. The second-year player out of the University of North Carolina scored in his first match, rifling a 25-yard bomb into the back of the net to give the RailHawks a 2-2 tie at Minnesota United FC. Martinez played 34 minutes against RSL’s Open Cup opponent Atlanta in Carolina’s 2-0 loss at the Silverbacks on Saturday.
RSL ANNOUNCES LOCAL TRYOUT DETAILS FOR RSL-ARIZONA ACADEMY
Real Salt Lake has announced the local tryout schedule for its RSL-Arizona Academy U-16 and U-18 teams. The tryouts will be held at Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah and will be open to players born between 1995 and 1998.
The full RSL-Arizona Academy staff and RSL Head Scout Andy Williams will be on hand to evaluate the talent on-hand during the tryouts. Players who perform well may be invited back to participate in RSL’s youth development program, possibly including an invitation to join the RSL-Arizona residential academy.
TICKETS FOR CONCACAF GOLD CUP DOUBLEHEADER AT RIO TINTO STADIUM ON SALE
Rio Tinto Stadium will host a CONCACAF Gold Cup doubleheader on July 13, with the U.S. taking on Cuba and Costa Rica facing Belize in Group Stage action. Tickets to the twin-bill are on sale now at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at www.RioTintoStadium.com/events/gold-cup.php or over the phone at 801-727-2700.
Rio Tinto Stadium is the only venue in the country that will host the U.S. Men’s National Team twice this summer, with the Stars-and-Stripes playing a World Cup Qualifier against Honduras at the Sandy venue on June 18 before the Gold Cup doubleheader in July.
REAL SALT LAKE INJURY REPORT
Following is the Real Salt Lake injury report for Saturday’s MLS match against the Chicago Fire:
OUT: DF Rich Balchan (L shoulder surgery), MF John Stertzer (R shoulder dislocation)
QUESTIONABLE: FW Olmes Garcia (R adductor strain), MF Cole Grossman (concussion), FW Alvaro Saborio (R quad strain)
