PORTLAND, Ore. (Friday, March 6, 2015) - Real Salt Lake kicks off its 2015 regular season on the road match Saturday, when it heads to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Portland Timbers at Providence Park, with TV coverage kicking off at 8:00 p.m. MT on KMYU (2.2 over air / 12 satellite / 643 Comcast). Friday's match will also be broadcast locally on ESPN 700 AM (pre-game at 7:30p MT / post-game at 10:30p MT) and 102.3 La Gran D FM.
Real Salt Lake enters 2015 seeking to extend its seven-season playoff streak, the longest active run in Major League Soccer. On the heels of five consecutive 15+ -win, 50+ -point seasons, Head Coach Jeff Cassar's team returns 19 players to the club roster from a year ago, including eight starters - despite an offseason of change that saw long-time veterans depart.
A pair of RSL icons - GK Nick Rimando and Captain Kyle Beckerman - rank 1st / 2nd amongst active players in several categories, including games played (Rimando 370, Beckerman 353), games started (Rimando 370, Beckerman 324) and minutes played (Rimando 33,453, Beckerman 29,076). The pair of U.S. Men's National Team standouts could attain various all-time league records this season, with Rimando 16 wins from matching Kevin Hartman's total of 180 (Rimando holds the all-time clean sheet lead with 115, compiled in 46 fewer matches than Hartman's 112). Beckerman already leads MLS in all-time fouls committed with 530 (1.5 per game), and could become the league's all-time caution leader with five yellow cards, joining former teammate Pablo Mastroeni at 81 in 360+ games.
RSL's all-time leading scorer, FW Alvaro Saborio, is just four multi-goal games and one hat trick from moving into the top five of either MLS all-time category, by virtue of his 60 reg. season goals in 113 career games (21 game-winners, 13 multi-goal performances, 3 hat tricks). Across all competitions, the Costa Rican international known as "Sabo" owns 78 goals in 139 games (reg. season, playoff, CCL & Open Cup), with 25 GWG and 16 braces.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake at Portland Timbers
- Coverage Begins: 8:00 p.m. MT at Portland Timbers
- TV: KMYU (2.2 over air / 12 satellite / 643 Comcast) - David James & Brian Dunseth
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (Pregame begins at 7:30 p.m. MT) - Bill Riley
- Spanish Radio: 102.3 La Gran D FM
- Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter Feed will provide match updates
Game Guide for Saturday's RSL-POR Match Now Available Online
Following is the link to the Adobe PDF version of the MLS Game Guide in advance of Saturday's contest between Real Salt Lake and Portland Timbers. If you have any problems obtaining the document, would prefer to receive it as an attachment, or are seeking more information on the match, please contact Media Services Director Matt Gaschk in the RSL Communications Department via email at mgaschk@RealSaltLake.com.
Click here to download the PDF version of the MLS Game Guide for Saturday's RSL-POR matchup
Saturday's match will be the first of three regular season meetings between Real Salt Lake and Portland, the clubs splitting the series a year ago, with RSL claiming a 1-0 win in the first meeting on April 19 at Rio Tinto Stadium. The Timbers enacted revenge in the second encounter, pulling off a 3-1 on June 7 in Utah that snapped RSL's 11-game unbeaten run against the Cascadia club. The teams drew 0-0 in the final meeting in October, leaving RSL unbeaten in 12 of the last 13 meetings overall, across reg. season, playoff and Open Cup play.
RSL History v. Portland Timbers FC
Real Salt Lake has a successful history against the Portland Timbers, posting an 8-2-4 mark across all competitions against the Pacific Northwest side. RSL has an even record on the road turf, posting a 2-1-2 across all competitions as the visitors. Real Salt Lake returns home after Saturday's match for 2015 regular season home debut, when it hosts the Philadelphia Union on Sat., March 14 at 7:30 p.m. MT. The RSL-Union match will be broadcast on free, over-the-air television via KMYU - coverage kicking off at 7:00 - ESPN 700 AM (6:30 pregame) and 102.3 La Gran D FM.
