SANDY, Utah (Friday, April 1, 2016) - Real Salt Lake has signed Real Monarchs DF Emilio Orozco and MF Andrew Brody to Short Term Agreements making them available for the club’s Saturday MLS contest at Sporting Kansas City due to Extreme Hardship.
With suspensions affecting this weekend's availability for RSL Captain Kyle Beckerman and DF Jamison Olave (both receiving red cards in the March 19th 2-2 draw at Portland), as well as Argentine FW Juan Manuel Martinez (MLS Disciplinary Committee suspension for late tackle on March 19 at Portland), Head Coach Jeff Cassar must also deal with injuries to MF Javier Morales (broken ribs), FW Emery Welshman (hip flexor), FW Olmes Garcia (ankle), MF Omar Holness (shoulder), DF Boyd Okwuonu (concussion), DF Phanuel Kavita (knee) and MF Fito Ovalle (personal), amongst other issues.
These absences make RSL eligible for Extreme Hardship, which exists when an MLS club has fewer than 15 total players available or when an MLS club with three goalkeepers on its roster, has fewer than two goalkeepers available. In cases of Extreme Hardship, clubs may sign players, 25-years-old or younger, from their USL affiliate (on loan) to a Short Term Agreement (up to four-day contracts) for MLS league season games only. MLS clubs may sign a player to a maximum of four Short Term Agreements each season (maximum of 16 days). During such time, the player may play in any U.S. Open Cup games, CONCACAF Champions League games, and exhibition games.
RSL continues its 12th MLS campaign Saturday against Western Conference rival Sporting Kansas City in a battle pitting two of Major League Soccer's three unbeaten sides, returning to the site of MLS Cup 2013 heartbreak Saturday at 6:30 p.m. MT. Cassar's team seeks to improve upon the club's currently unbeaten 1-0-2 (5 points) mark at what is now known as Children's Mercy Park - RSL posting clean sheets in a pair of 0-0 road draws in each of its last two MLS regular-season visits - while seeking to erase the memory of its 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinal loss at KC, conceding twice in the final 10 minutes and suffering a red card for FW Olmes Garcia in the 1-3 decision. In MLS Cup 2013, RSL suffered an epic shootout loss at Kansas City in frigid conditions, the 20-round tiebreaker ultimately decided when Lovel Palmer's blast hit squarely off the crossbar to give the home side exhilaration.
Saturday's game will be televised in Utah via KMYU (English, David James & Brian Dunseth) or heard via RSL outlets ESPN700 AM (English, Bill Riley, Jay Nolly, Spencer Warne & Trey Fitz-Gerald) & La Gran D 102.3 FM / Juan 1600 AM (Spanish, Fernando Hortal & Nelson Moran). Pre-game coverage airs live locally on ESPN700 AM at 5:30 p.m. MT, while KMYU's three-hour window kicks off at 6:00 p.m. MT live from Kansas City, Kansas.
Transaction: Real Salt Lake signs Real Monarchs DF Emilio Orozco and MF Andrew Brody to Short Term Agreements on April 1, 2016 making them available for the club’s MLS contest at Sporting Kansas City due to Extreme Hardship.
