PORTLAND, Ore. (Tuesday, February 14, 2017) – Real Salt Lake ’s 2017 preseason wraps up its second leg Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. MT in Portland, where RSL faces new Western Conference expansion side Minnesota United FC in the third and final preseason contest as part of the Timbers’ Preseason Tournament. RSL drew 3-3 last Thursday night with host Portland, while drawing 1-1 on Sunday with Vancouver Whitecaps – both RSL results seeing the club come from behind. Minnesota settled for a 2-2 draw Sunday against Portland, three days after settling for a 1-1 draw in Thursday’s opener against Vancouver.
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Wednesday evening’s 6:00 p.m. MT kickoff against Minnesota – which can be viewed LIVE on www.RSL.com – is the fifth of at least six live streams in this 2017 Real Salt Lake preseason, the club’s 13th in Major League Soccer.
(please request 2017 media accreditation by clicking on the following link – http://www.rsl.com/rsl-season-credential-application -- for photo/media passes to RSL and Monarchs games at Rio Tinto Stadium)
RSL FW Jordan Allen converted the late equalizer in the 83rd minute, taking a diagonal chip from FW Joao Plata over the top of the Whitecaps defense to get in alone and coolly slot a right-footed half-volley into the back of the net. The sequence began when MF Luke Mulholland won the ball in midfield and played MF Albert Rusnák, who switched fields from right to left, giving Plata time and space to set up Allen. A complete recap of the match, with game highlights, can be found here: http://www.rsl.com/post/2017/02/12/real-salt-lake-keep-unbeaten-preseason-intact-1-1-draw-against-vancouver .
Plata, Mulholland and MF Omar Holness all netted goals last Thursday night for RSL in its tourney opener against the Timbers, storming back for the draw against the hosts after falling behind 3-1 in the 52nd minute. For up-to-date news, information and compelling video content from RSL’s preseason, please visit www.RSL.com regularly in the run-up to the club’s March 4 season opener at Rio Tinto Stadium against Toronto FC (2:30 p.m. MT kickoff).
RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar’s current roster boasts the return of nine of 11 starters and a core of 16 players overall from last year’s side, which qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. Eleven new players arrive for 2017, including highly-touted offseason signings Rusnák, M/F Luis Silva, homegrown signing MF Jose Hernandez and MLS veterans FW Chad Barrett and DF David Horst. RSL’s 2017 roster combines four players – GK Nick Rimando, Captain Kyle Beckerman, DF Tony Beltranand DF Chris Wingert – who are now in their 10th or 11th seasons with the club, along with eight players who have matriculated to the MLS side from the club’s Academy. Beltran’s 224 MLS reg. season appearances with RSL mark the most for only one team by an active league player.
Five Real Salt Lake representatives – DF Justen Glad, D/M Danny Acosta, FW Sebastian Saucedo and FW Brooks Lennon, along with Academy product Aaron Herrera – traveled earlier this week with the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team, led by head coach Tab Ramos, to the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, the largest representation from one club. The regional tourney later this month doubles as the team's 2017 World Cup qualifying tournament, running from this Friday until March 5 in Costa Rica. CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament for this Summer’s FIFA World Youth Championships. The U.S. seeks qualification out of a regional group that includes Panama, St. Kitts, and Haiti, with the games played in Costa Rica this Sat., Feb. 18 (U.S. v. Panama, 2:00 p.m. MT), Tues., Feb. 21 (U.S. v. Haiti, 3:30 p.m. MT) and Fri., Feb. 24 (U.S. v. St. Kitts & Nevis, 3:30 p.m. MT).
REAL SALT LAKE 2017 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Preseason Segment #1 – Casa Grande / Tucson, AZ
Tuesday, Jan. 31 – RSL 1 : 0 NY Red Bulls – Allen 83’ (Velazco) – ARCHIVED on RSL.com
Friday, Feb. 3 – RSL 1 : 1 San Jose – OG 18’ (Bernardez) – ARCHIVED
Preseason Segment #2 – Portland Timbers Preseason Tournament @ Portland, OR
Thursday, Feb. 9 – RSL 3 : 3 Portland Timbers – Plata 43’; Mulholland 54’; Holness 67’ – ARCHIVED
Sunday, Feb. 12 – RSL 1 : 1 Vancouver Whitecaps – Allen 83’ (Plata, Rusnák) – ARCHIVED
Wednesday, Feb. 15 – RSL vs. Minnesota United FC – 6:00 p.m. MT – LIVE on RSL.com
Thursday, Feb. 16 – Return to Utah
Preseason Segment #3 – Southern California
Sunday, Feb. 19 – Travel from SLC to Irvine, Calif.
Tuesday, Feb. 21 – RSL v. LA Galaxy at Carson, Calif. – 1:00 p.m. MT – LIVE on RSL.com
Friday, Feb. 24 – RSL v. Alashkert (Armenian Premier League Champion) – time/site TBD
Saturday, Feb. 25 – Return to Utah
Sat., March 4 – RSL v. Toronto FC – 2:30 p.m. MT – 2017 MLS Opening Weekend
A group of 10 Real Monarchs players along with several members of the USL club’s technical staff – including new Head Coach Mike Petke and Assistants Mark Briggs and Matt Glaeser – spent the Arizona portion of preseason with RSL, prior to the USL club’s training camp report this weekend in Sandy, UT. Today’s Monarchs preseason kicked off with new assistant coach Jamison Olave, the former MLS Best XI member and Defender of the Year w/ RSL and New York Red Bulls. The Monarchs 2017 USL schedule was released last week; please visit www.RSL.com/Monarchs for dates, times, opponents and ticket information for the club’s third USL campaign, which kicks off at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, April 1.
Season Tickets for both Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs' 2017 campaigns are now on sale; please visit www.RSL.com/tickets/royalty or call 844.Real.Tix for more information, including “Crown Club” discounts for those who pledge loyalty to both Claret-and-Cobalt professional sides. The Rio Tinto Stadium box office is open Mon.-Fri., 10a-6p; more information can be found online at www.RSL.com/Tickets . Current or interested RSL Royalty Season Ticket Members can purchase extra tickets at preferred pricing or gain assistance via the Fan Relations Hotline at 801-727-2702.
Coming in late Summer, 2017, the Real Monarchs / RSL training center opens in Herriman, Utah, approximately 20 minutes southwest of Rio Tinto Stadium. The $60 million facility will serve as the daily training home beginning in 2018 for both of the club's professional teams – RSL (MLS) and Real Monarchs (USL) – while centralizing the club's U-18, U-16 and future U-14 development academy youth selections. The Herriman facility will provide adjacencies for an on-site charter school opening this Fall, with STEM disciplines (Science/Technology/Engineering/Math) for nearly 300 boys and girls.
In mid-November in North Logan, Utah, RSL Owner Dell Loy Hansen broke ground on the first of a half-dozen regional training centers across Utah and Arizona to be built in the next 2-3 years. Each $5 million RTC houses a classroom, as well as an indoor and outdoor field, dedicated to fulfilling a curriculum dedicated to the club's vision and mission for youth soccer training and education, and the continued development of both recreational and competitive pre-Academy (ages 7-12) initiatives across Utah and Arizona.
