HERRIMAN, Utah Friday, June 24, 2022) – Real Salt Lake (8-4-4, 28 pts, 2nd West) remains home at its Rio Tinto Stadium fortress in this weekend’s Major League Soccer regular-season action, hosting Columbus Crew SC (4-5-5, 17 pts, 11th East) for an 8:00 p.m. MT kickoff as part of Saturday’s Fireworks celebration. Along with RSL’s Pride initiatives in-stadium Saturday, a capacity crowd is expected once again in Sandy, with RSL welcoming 20,000+ fans for a team-record eighth consecutive match to kick off its 2022 campaign. Tickets remain via www.RSL.com/tickets.
Saturday’s match will be broadcast locally via KMYU (12 over the air, 22 satellite and 643 HD on cable), with streaming on the KSL Sports App, as well as ESPN700 AM radio. Spanish-speaking fans can tune in on KBMG Latino 106.3 FM, La Gran D 102.3 FM and KTUB 1600 AM for the local radio broadcast.
RSL seeks to extend its unbeaten 6-0-1 mark at home this season, capturing 19 of a possible 21 points to vault Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s side near the top of the MLS table, firmly ensconcing the Claret-and-Cobalt in the thick of the MLS Supporters Shield race. Since the former U.S. World Cup star assumed the RSL helm, the Club is 10-2-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium, suffering back-to-back losses just once.
Not only was last week’s win Mastroeni’s 10th win at home as RSL’s head coach, the comprehensive 2-0 victory over San Jose marked the Utah side’s 150th all-time Major League Soccer home regular-season win (150-55-74 W-L-T) during its 18 MLS seasons. The win also put RSL’s all-time reg. season record one game above .500, at 213-212-137 (W-L-T), the first time RSL has achieved that milestone since midway through its 2020 campaign.
Real Salt Lake v. Columbus Crew
Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, UT
Saturday, June 25 at 8:00 p.m. MT
Game Notes for Saturday’s RSL v CLB Match Available Online
The Adobe PDF version of the 2022 MLS Game Guide in advance of Saturday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Columbus can be found here. Media members looking to receive the document as an attachment or have further questions are asked to please contact Meg Van Dyk in RSL Communications via email at meg.vandyk@rsl.com
2022 Records: Real Salt Lake (8-4-4, 28 pts, 2nd West); Columbus Crew SC (4-5-5, 17 pts, 11th West)
OTHER 2022 RSL NOTES:
SILVA STEPPING UP ON THE SCORESHEET, AND OFF AS WELL
Saturday’s 2-0 win over San Jose saw Acting Captain Marcelo Silva score his second goal of the season, both game-winners in shutout victories at home, both against California teams, both off set pieces (April 30 v LA Galaxy). Silva’s pre-game speeches have become stuff of legend, and he is quick to remind all that this is still Damir’s team, even during the injury absence.
DOUBLING DOWN ON DEFENSE
Critical to RSL’s recent run of form – winners in four of its last five overall matches – is the staunch defense and near-flawless Zac MacMath goalkeeping which has seen RSL concede just six goals in its last eight games, post four clean sheets and recording a 5-2-1 (W-L-T) mark over that span. Since the 0-6 loss on April 17 at NYCFC, the current run also sees RSL with a perfect 4-0-0 record at home, allowing just one goal at Rio Tinto Stadium, outscoring visitors 8-1, with seven unanswered goals being scored since an early 0-1 deficit to Austin back on May 14.
HOME SWEET HOME FOR MOST OF THE SUMMER
Last Saturday’s 2-0 win over San Jose kicked off a run of home opportunity for RSL, as three of five matches and five of seven overall from June 18 – July 23 occur at Rio Tinto Stadium, where the Claret-and-Cobalt has posted a 6-0-1 (W-L-T) mark at home this season, capturing 19 of a possible 21 points throughout the first one-third of the year. All seven of the “RioT” contests have witnessed crowds of 20,000-plus, RSL opening a season with seven consecutive sellouts for the first time ever. Last Saturday’s contest – which also kicked off a run of 10 games in a 56-day span – matched the Club record of seven consecutive sellout crowds at any point in a season, set July-Sept. of 2015 (various 2014 attendance marks compromised by the “Pass of All Passes” program inclusion).
RIOT DECADE OF DOMINANCE
Currently, RSL owns an MLS-best regular season home record of 130-36-56, 446 points since 2009 (includes one “road” match against RioT tenant Vancouver in 2021). With a 6-0-1 home mark in 2022, and a glut of home matches to flip the road-weary early-season 2022 MLS schedule for Mastroeni & Co., perhaps a dominant home Summer of Soccer is in order for the Claret-and-Cobalt.
In Sandy, Utah, RSL has enjoyed a prominent home-field advantage – posting a dominant 152-44-47 (Win-Loss-Draw) record across all competitions at home (2.08 points per game for a 0.723 win pct.) – since opening its permanent Rio Tinto Stadium venue in Sandy on Oct. 8, 2008, more than 13 years ago.
In 2021, RSL earned a 9-4-4 home record and set a new Club mark for most consecutive home wins, earning seven straight victories. Rio Tinto Stadium will host seven home matches in 11 games over 10 weeks between May 14 – July 23, including the Rocky Mountain Cup vs. Colorado on July 9 and hosting rival Sporting Kansas City on July 17 as the club looks to build upon its league-best regular season home mark and retain the Rocky Mountain Cup for the 13th time in 18 seasons. With back-to-back home games June 18/25, RSL becomes the 28th and final MLS side with home games in such close proximity.
FACES MAY CHANGE, BUT SONG REMAINS THE SAME
Despite innumerable injuries suffered and squad rotations that have forced Mastroeni and staff to utilize 28 players in MLS action already this year (MF Diego Luna made his 2022 MLS debut back on June 4 at Vancouver, while FW Jefferson Savarino made his 2022 debut on May 28 at home, with DF Chris Kablan made his RSL/MLS debut nearly four weeks ago at Montreal), the Claret-and-Cobalt have demonstrated wit, guile and resiliency, continuing its 2021 trends of scoring goals after the 80th minute and rescuing points from a losing position, setting the MLS standard each of the last two years.
Including loanee DF Chris Kablan, eight players have now made their RSL debuts this season, including Bundesliga loanee Sergio Cordova & MLS free agents Scott Caldwell and Johan Kappelhof, Homegrowns Jaziel Orozco & Bode Hidalgo, MLS SuperDraft pick Jasper Löffelsend and Monarchs college free agent Pierre Reedy, a roster hardship addition prior to April 2 at Colorado.
RSL Captain Damir Kreilach, FW Rubio Rubin, GK David Ochoa, DF Justen Glad, DF Aaron Herrera – each of whom played key roles in last year’s postseason run – have missed significant time through the first third of 2022. DF Erik Holt & M/F Joni Menendez – each of whom suffered injuries during or after the March 26 match at Kansas City (along with DF Johan Kappelhof & Löffelsend) – have also missed extensive time, but returned to full, uninhibited training in recent weeks, with Holt appearing multiple times for the Monarchs in MLS NEXT Pro action.
RECORD UNBEATEN RUN VERSUS SINGLE OPPONENT MATCHED
With the 3-0 win back on May 28 over Houston, RSL matched a Club-record 10-game unbeaten run against a single opponent. RSL’s active unbeaten streak against the Dynamo is now at 10 games, including February’s 0-0 road draw to open 2022. RSL owns a 5-0-5 (W-L-T) mark against Houston dating back to 2017; the Claret-and-Cobalt also created 10-game unbeaten runs against Philadelphia (4-0-6 from 2010-17) and Portland (7-0-3 from 2011-14, incl. playoffs).
