TEN-MAN REAL SALT LAKE DROPS 1-2
DECISION TO SEATTLE
58th-minute
Ejection to Olave Sends RSL to First Home MLS Loss in More Than Two Years
SANDY, Utah (Saturday, May 28, 2011)–Real Salt Lake saw its MLS-record 29-game home unbeaten streak snapped tonight with a 2-1 loss at the hands of Western Conference rival Seattle Sounders FC (5-4-5, 20 pts.) Saturday night in a game that saw all three goals scored after the 58th-minute ejection of RSL DF Jamison Olave.
In the cold and rain uncharacteristic of Memorial Day Weekend in Utah, Real Salt Lake (5-2-2, 17 pts.) saw goals by Sounders DF Patrick Ianni and FW Lamar Neagle back the home side into the corner. RSL MF Nelson González pulled one goal back in the 87th minute off teenager MF Luis Gil’s first career assist, but Head Coach Jason Kreis’ team suffered its first Rio Tinto Stadium loss in MLS play since May 16, 2009.
Throughout the first 58 minutes, Real Salt Lake enjoyed the majority of the possession and was stoned on several occasions by legendary Seattle GK Kasey Keller, who made five saves on the evening. The return from injury by FW Fabian Espíndola provided the guile and danger that had gone missing on the RSL attack in recent weeks, yet it was 2010 MLS Defender of the Year Jamison Olave’s takedown of Sounders FC FW Mike Fucito that changed the complexion of the game, with referee Mark Kadlecik adjudicating in his fourth career MLS game that Olave was the last defender and denied Fucito an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The Olave red card was just the second card of the evening.
Real
Salt Lake Match Notes
- Real Salt Lake GK Nick Rimando saw his team’s defensive dominance come to an end, as RSL allowed as many goals tonight – two – as it had in the previous eight games this year. Ianni’s goal in the 71st minute snapped Rimando’s shutout streak at 409 minutes, marking the third-longest such run in RSL history (behind his 568- and 567-minute streaks from last season).
- The 87th minute goal by Argentine MF Nelson González was his second career goal in his 14th MLS appearance, his first coming last July 31 in a 3-0 home win over D.C. United. The score by González snapped RSL’s goal-scoring drought at 271 minutes, the team’s last tally coming by Will Johnson in the 87th minute against Chivas USA prior to scoreless draws the last two weeks vs. Houston and at Dallas.
- The red card ejection for DF Jamison Olave was the first for the imposing Colombian since Sept. 19, 2009 at Houston, and only the second red card for RSL this season (MF Will Johnson on April 9 at New England, 87th minute). All-time, RSL now has 29 red cards in its 193-game MLS history, playing a total of 569 minutes a man down and suffering a -7 goal differential in that span.
- Two RSL players – FW Ávaro Saborío (Costa Rica) and FW Arturo Alvarez (El Salvador) missed tonight’s game due to national team duty for 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. MF Will Johnson departs Sunday to report to his Canadian National Team, while GK Nick Rimando will remain with RSL during the Gold Cup despite being named to the United States team, yet can be called into action at any time. The 2011 Gold Cup runs from June 5-25 at various U.S. venues.
- Real Salt Lake will seek to kick off another dominant home streak one week from tonight, as the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps FC make their inaugural Rio Tinto Stadium visit next Saturday, June 4. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. MT.
- Tickets for the contest against Vancouver remain available and can be purchased online at www.RealSaltLake.com, over the phone at 801-727-2700 or in person at the Rio Tinto Stadium Box Office, Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. MT and on gameday beginning at 10:00 a.m.
POST-GAME QUOTE SHEET
REAL SALT LAKE 1 : 2 SEATTLE
SOUNDERS FC
SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD
COACH JASON KREIS
Overall thoughts
on the game:
“I was real pleased with the way we fought and our aggressive mindset to open up the second half, the way we continued to fight when we were down a man and down two goals. All in all, it’s one of those times as a coach that I’m happy with the fight and the spirit and very disappointed with the result.”
On the end of
RSL’s 29-match home undefeated streak:
“All good things must come to an end, I guess. I’m not quite sure how to feel about it right now, I’ve been so focused on all of the small things going on with our team lately. In some strange way I’m pleased with a lot of the play, with the fight of the guys, with the mindset to keep going and never quit.”
On the late goal
from Nelson González:
“When Nelson [González] comes in to the game like that, down a man, as bright as he was and scores a goal – it will be hard to leave him off the lineup next week.”
On Jamison Olave’s
straight red card:
“[Jamison] Olave has been doing a much improved job in the disciplinary column for the past year and half now. Last year I thought he had a real strong year, this year he’s been spot on. A different referee tonight and that’s a yellow card.”
REAL SALT LAKE
DEFENDER NAT BORCHERS
On how the game went
after the red card to Jamison Olave:
“I think we were disappointed to give up that first goal. I think the red card was even more disappointing. I don’t think it’s a red card personally and I think it’s a pretty tough call.”
On the positive
things that Real Salt Lake can take out of the match:
“The positive is that we did come back and we showed fight. We showed that we are not a team that gives up and that’s always how we’ve been, that’s how we are going to continue to be the rest of the season.”
REAL SALT LAKE
MIDFIELDER NED GRABAVOY
On the red card shown
to Jamison Olave:
“I don’t really know what to think about it. It doesn’t look like (Mike Fucito) necessarily has the ball under control yet and (Nat) Borchers was pretty close, enough to make a play or at least try to hold him.”
On whether this is a
low point for Real Salt Lake this season:
“For sure; it kind of feels like we can’t get a bounce to go our way. We keep saying and trying to do the right things and the guys are putting the work in. The effort is good, but it’s obviously got to get better at this point.”
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMID
On getting the full three
points:
"We came in here last time and gave up a goal at the end, and we came close to doing that again. Being able to hold on was good, but we didn't make it easy on ourselves."
On the play of
goalkeeper Kasey Keller:
"[Kasey Keller] came up huge because they were throwing everything forward and with the rain it was a little bit slippery. They were definitely putting balls in the box and putting pressure on us. We didn't do a good job pushing out sometimes, but Kasey did well."
On the first road win
at Rio Tinto Stadium for any squad since May 2009:
"It is something we're proud of and something we talked about before the game. We wanted to try and be the team that ended the streak, and it was something that was a goal for us as we went into the game."
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
MIDFIELDER LAMAR NEAGLE
On scoring his first
career MLS goal:
"You always remember your first goal. It's defiantly nice. I've had a couple of goals in the Reserve League, but nothing like that."
On being able to hold
on late:
"We always want to go up a couple goals and have that insurance. We've had a couple leads and lost a couple leads so we definitely knew we needed to keep going at it and not just pack it in. I got my chance and I took it."
On getting the tough
result:
"(The win) ended their streak and hopefully we are at the start of our own streak right now."
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
GOALKEEPER KASEY KELLER
On hanging on for the
full three points:
"We did everything we could to try and throw it away, but we didn't, so it was great. A lot of credit, it was nasty conditions. RSL is a very good team and they put us under an extreme amount of pressure in the last 10 minutes."
On bouncing back from
Wednesday’s loss against FC Dallas:
"We were obviously disappointed after the loss the other day at home, so this is a good way to put that out of our minds. (Rio Tinto Stadium) is a tough place, and they hadn't lost at home in 29 games so it's obviously a very difficult place to play. We're proud to be the ones to break that streak."
On RSL’s relentless
finish to the match:
"Real Salt Lake never quits, and that's a lot of credit to them. They kept coming and they got their goal and almost snuck another one at the end. Like I said, I'm proud of our guys to hold on and keep those three points in difficult conditions."
