Real Salt Lake 0 vs Sporting KC 0
October 16, 2016; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake (12-11-10, 46 points); Sporting KC (12-13-8, 44 points)
Man of the Match: Nick Rimando earned career shutout number 129 against Sporting with 93 of those being earned in an RSL uniform. Making five saves on the afternoon, “The Wall of the Wasatch” made several top-class saves to preserve the shutout while also playing a ‘sweeper-keeper’ role by keeping his team organized defensively and cutting out entry balls into the box from Kansas City.
Telling Stat: 55.6. RSL won the possession battle yet again against a team who enjoys having their fair share of the ball. In a back and forth first half, both teams saw their chances come and go, but the second half favored RSL. RSL controlled the fast pace of the second half by working the ball around the field and probing the Sporting penalty area, but couldn’t find the back of the net. RSL now holds a 53.6 percent possession advantage over its opponents this year.
What You Missed: RSL trio Rimando, Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales celebrated a decade with the Claret-and-Cobalt before the match. Rimando was signed by RSL in February 2007 and has registered 93 regular season shutouts in an RSL uniform and has been one of the league’s most recognized goalkeepers for years. RSL’s captain, Beckerman has been the face of the club since his signing in July 2007, scoring 25 goals thus far for RSL. Signed in August 2007, Morales has been the midfield maestro for the Claret-and-Cobalt scoring 49 goals while providing 81 assists.
So What: RSL now sits in fourth place in the Western Conference with a single game left to play in the regular season. Having not clinched a playoff spot against Sporting, a win or a tie at Seattle Sounders on October 23 will guarantee them their spot. All that will be left then is for seeding to be determined. If RSL takes all three points against the Sounders, they will have the right to host a knockout round game on Oct. 26/27 having earned the fourth seed in the West. The game against the Sounders is slated to kick at 2 p.m. MT at CenturyLink Field in Seattle and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
