StubHub Center hasn’t exactly been a house of horrors for Real Salt Lake over the years.
Previously known as the Home Depot Center, RSL has performed very well at the Southern California home of the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA, posting an 11-15-3 all-time record at the Carson, Calif. facility. RSL went 1-1-0 at StubHub Center this regular season, beating Chivas USA 4-1 on May 19 and losing to the Galaxy 4-2 on Aug. 16in Carson.
Prior to the Aug. 16 loss at the Galaxy, RSL had won an astonishing five-straight games at StubHub Center, beating Chivas USA three times and the Galaxy twice. By comparison, RSL has won five-straight MLS games at home on just three occasions in the club’s nine-year history.
One potential reason for RSL’s success at StubHub Center: The team’s numerous Southern California connections. RSL has eight players with ties to SoCal, with goalkeeper Nick Rimando (Montclair), defender Tony Beltran (Claremont), midfielder Luis Gil (Garden Grove), defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe (Chino Hills) and forward Benji Lopez (San Diego) all hailing from the area and midfielder Ned Grabavoy, forward Robbie Findley and goalkeeper Josh Saunders all spending time with the Galaxy earlier in their careers.
Let’s hope the whole roster feels comfortable at LA in Sunday’s Western Conference Semifinal first leg. Kick is at 7:00 p.m. MT on ESPN.
