2015 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP – ROUND OF 32
PREGAME FACTS AND INFO SHEET
REAL SALT LAKE v. SOUNDERS 2
TUES., JUNE 16, 2015 – 8:00 pm MT on ESPN700 + 102.3 LaGranD / 1600 AM
0 – all-time RSL goal differential in its 10 seasons of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play, the team scoring – and conceding – 35 goals … RSL actually has a +2 goal difference in the Open Cup proper with a 6-6-0 record, outscoring opponents 23/21 … But only has a 2-4-1 mark in MLS “play-in” games from 2007-10, scoring 12 goals while conceding 14 …
1 – goals scored in opening 15 minutes for RSL this year, after accumulating a league-leading total of 10 in 2014 … The club’s first of 2015 came when Jordan Allen found Alvaro Saborio in the 13th minute of the club’s 2-1 W at Chicago …
4 – more wins than losses at home against minor-league teams in this tournament, as RSL owns an all-time 5-1-0 mark on Utah soil against USL/NASL teams in LHUSOC play, outscoring the minnows 16-8 … RSL lost at home to Minnesota Stars (NASL) in 2012 – a game the club bought to bring to Utah – and lost away to Minnesota Thunder (USISL) in its first-ever LHUSOC match, prior to losing away to Atlanta Silverbacks last season …
5 – number of RSL games recently missed by RSL #SwissArmyKnife Jordan Allen, who has spent the last 4 weeks in Auckland, New Zealand, representing the USA in the FIFA Under-20 Youth World Championship … Expecting a deep run from the U.S., RSL played 4 league games (1-2-1) and tonight’s Open Cup match between his post-Montreal departure and last night’s return for the U-20 quarterfinalist …
7 – consecutive playoff berths for RSL from 2008-14 (the longest active run in MLS), during which time the club has averaged 1.58 points per game) … RSL also owns a league-record 5 consecutive seasons with 15+ wins and 50+ points, matching LA’s active run from 2010 to present …
8 – home games from May 23 to July 24, as RSL comes home to its Rio Tinto Stadium fortress for 8 home games in 10 total matches (8 MLS games, 1 US Open Cup) from the 2-0 NYCFC win back on May 23 through July 24 … Should RSL win its Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match tonight, Thursday morning’s draw will determine the time and place for the USOC Fifth Round on June 30/July 1 …
9 – consecutive seasons in an RSL uniform for GK Nick Rimando, MF Kyle Beckerman & MF Javier Morales … The longest-tenured RSL men also rank 1-2 amongst Major League Soccer’s active leaders in games/starts/minutes (Rimando: 383/383/34,633; Beckerman: 367/338/30,352) … Morales has either scored or assisted on nearly 25% of the club’s all-time 448 goals scored, with the Argentine “maestro” tallying 40 goals and 68 assists, despite missing most of the 2011 season …
11 – the number of currentRSL players potentially involved in national team call-ups this summer, as MF Jordan Allen (U.S. U-20 at FIFA Youth World Championship), DF Boyd Okwuonu (U.S. U-23s at Toulon tournament), MF Luis Gil (U.S. U-23s + full U.S. national team), GK Nick Rimando & MF Kyle Beckerman (full U.S. national team), FW Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica), DF Abdoulie Mansally (The Gambia), DF Demar Phillips (Jamaica), DF Elias Vasquez (Guatemala), DF Justen Glad (U.S. U-18s) and FW Sebastian Saucedo (U.S. U-18s) all could disappear for one or more games at a time …
12 – combined Open Cup titles won by current RSL employees, with 11 of them on the technical staff, and just one by a player – DF Abdoulie Mansally (2007 NE Revolution) … Club President Bill Manning earned an Open Cup title with the 1991 Brooklyn Italians (USASA) as the first to accomplish the feat, while Head Coach Jeff Cassar and assistant Ted Eck each won the title in 1997 with the Dallas Burn. Technical Director Craig Waibel won in 2001 with the LA Galaxy, while assistant Andy Williams was on the 2003 Chicago Fire side as a player, with assistant Daryl Shore a coach on the Fire championship sides in 2000, 2003 and 2006. RSL's newest assistant coach, Tyrone Marshall, won the Open Cup on three occasions as a player – in 2005 with the LA Galaxy and in 2009 and 2010 with Seattle Sounders … Additionally, a pair of RSL broadcasters – former DF Brian Dunseth (2002 Columbus Crew) and former MF Brian Kamler (1995 Richmond Kickers) – each won Open Cup titles …
14 – number of players on current RSL roster who advanced to the 2013 LHUSOC Final at Rio Tinto Stadium with the Claret & Cobalt, losing 0-1 to visiting D.C. United, one of the historically worst teams in Major League Soccer’s 20 years … Eight players – Capt. Kyle Beckerman, GK Nick Rimando, DF Tony Beltran, MF Javier Morales, FW Joao Plata, FW Alvaro Saborio, FW Olmes Garcia and FW Devon Sandoval all played in that game, while GK Jeff Attinella and DF Chris Schuler dressed but did not play … Four others – MF Luis Gil, DF Aaron Maund, MF John Stertzer and DF Abdoulie Mansally – were on the roster but did not make the 18 …
22 – players to have started a game for RSL this year in the club’s first 15 MLS games this season, as DF Justen Glad made his first XI debut May 30 in Vancouver … RSL boss Jeff Cassar has given 25 players minutes this year, meaning everyone on the roster except GK Lalo Fernandez, DF Phanuel Kavita & DF Boyd Okwuonu have seen MLS time … but Okwuonu – who impressed by starting in 4 of 5 U.S. U-23 games at Toulon in recent weeks – gets the starting nod tonight …
24 – age today for RSL FW Devon Sandoval, the New Mexico native known as “Big Dev” … The Man from the Land of Enchantment is tonight’s captain for the Claret-and-Cobalt, the first time wearing the armband for RSL’s all-time co-leader in Open Cup goals (3, all in 2013, tied with Kyle Beckerman, Andy Williams and Jason Kreis – pretty good company) …
26 – all-time PK denials by RSL GK Nick Rimando, who went 3-for-5 against opponents in his last six games – denying Rapids MF Dillon Powers on June 7 to preserve a home point … Opposing PK takers have seen their conversion rates now drop to 43-for-70 against Rimando all-time, including 22-for-40 with Nick in an RSL uniform … Amazingly, Rimando has stopped 9 of the last 13 PKs faced and 11 of the last 17 … #WalloftheWasatch indeed …
43 – wins when FW Alvaro Saborio scores in all competitions for RSL, the club recording a 43-6-13 mark all-time when the Costa Rican international finds the back of the net … RSL is only 22-37-26 when he plays and doesn’t score, but is 25-12-8 when he is unavailable due to suspension, injury or national team duty …
124 – players to have taken the field in MLS play for Real Salt Lake in last 11 seasons, now that 18-year old academy DF Justen Glad – who graduated from high school 10 days ago – made his debut May 30 in Vancouver …
367 – career MLS appearances for RSL MF Kyle Beckerman, allowing him to surpass former teammate Jeff Cunningham into sole possession of 4th place all-time, only 12 games away from becoming Major League Soccer’s all-time games played leader amongst field players … Beckerman trails Steve Ralston, Nick Rimando and Kevin Hartman in that category, while placing fifth in starts (338, three behind GK Joe Cannon and 34 behind Ralston) and minutes played at 30,328 (403 behind GK Joe Cannon, and 2,814 behind Ralston) …
$250,000 – prize money granted by U.S. Soccer to the winning team in the Open Cup, the 17 American-based MLS sides requiring five wins to earn that cash as well as a berth in the 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League …
