PREGAME FACTS AND INFO SHEET
REAL SALT LAKE @ COLORADO RAPIDS
SAT., JULY 11, 2015 – 7:00 pm MT on KMYU, ESPN700 & 102.3 LaGranD
1 – loss for RSL in 7 games played since June 1, during which time RSL has posted a 3-1-3 mark in MLS and Open Cup play, advancing to the Quarterfinals of the 102-year old tourney and sitting just 9 points out of first place in an extremely crowded Western Conference …
2 – road games in June/July, as RSL defends its Rio Tinto Stadium fortress for 8 home games in 11 total matches (8 MLS games, 3 US Open Cup) from June 7 through July 24 … A 9-man RSL lost at New York Red Bulls 17 days ago, 0-1, while the team heads to Denver tonight … RSL will host a USOC Quarterfinal against LA Galaxy on Tuesday, then Western Conference newcomers Houston and Kansas City on July 18 and 24 …
3 – Rocky Mountain Cups won by Colorado Rapids in the first decade of the competition, with RSL winning 7 of the last 8 seasons from 2007-14 (2013 the lone exception) … The 2015 award will come down to the final two tilts at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – tonight and Oct. 4 – after a 0-0 draw at Rio Tinto Stadium back on June 7 …
4 – goals scored in the last 5 games overall by RSL FW Sebastian Jaime, the first of his MLS career … Last year against Colorado at home, Jaime had a hand (foot?) in creating all five goals in the club’s 5-1 nationally-televised win over the Rapids, providing assists on two goals, starting plays with defensive work on two others and setting up a Joe Nasco own goal …
5 – players out for RSL in July due to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, as Captain Kyle Beckerman (USA), GK Nick Rimando (USA), all-time leading scorer Alvaro Saborio (CRC), centerback Elias Vasquez (GUA) and left back Demar Phillips (JAM) are missing, the group totaling 66 starts for the Claret-and-Cobalt this season …
6 – red cards for RSL in its first 19 MLS matches this season, as the June 24th 0-1 loss at NYRB saw both Javier Morales and Demar Phillips sent off on either side of halftime … That marked the 4th time in 397 MLS regular-season, playoff, Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League play that RSL was reduced to 9 men … The first time RSL fell down to nine was on Feb. 22, 2011 in a CCL game at Columbus, a 0-0 draw on a 22-degree frozen field, as both DF Tony Beltran and DF Nat Borchers were ejected, as was Crew FW Renteria … That match marked the 2nd time in 2015 RSL fell victim to a pair of reds, as both DF Jamison Olave and FW Sebastian Saucedo were tossed in an 0-1 home loss on April 18 to Vancouver … Olave and FW Fabian Espindola were each ejected in an April, 2011 loss at San Jose … RSL’s team record of 7 red cards was set in 2009, 2011 and 2013, as odd-numbered years have the Claret-and-Cobalt seeing red …
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 …
10 – 85+’ appearances in last 11 RSL games across all competitions for 4th-year centerback Aaron Maund, who only had 702 minutes for RSL entering the 2015 campaign … With the departure of Nat Borchers and Carlos Salcedo, as well as injuries to Chris Schuler and Jamison Olave, Maund has seized his chance in Jeff Cassar’s lineup this season …
11 – the number of current RSL 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 …
17 – games played by RSL since DF Chris Schuler last appeared back on April 5 … Schuler tweaked his meniscus in pre-game warmups on April 18 at home against Vancouver, forcing Elias Vasquez to start that match … The 6th-year DF out of Drake has often been considered on the edge of the U.S. Men’s National Team setup, but has not been able to stay healthy, as his 2014 total of 25 games started a career high …
26 – all-time PK denials by RSL GK Nick Rimando, who went 3-for-5 against opponents in his last eight 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 …
27 – wins when FW Alvaro Saborio is not available at all for RSL due to suspension, injury or national team duty, the club recording a 27-13-10 mark in those instances … RSL is 43-6-13 mark all-time when the Costa Rican international finds the back of the net, but only 22-37-26 when he plays and doesn’t score …
59 – number of players in RSL’s 11-year, 125-player history to have scored at least one goal for the Claret-and-Cobalt, now that FW Sebastian Jaime opened his MLS account June 21 against Kansas City … who will be #60?
91 – home wins since 2008, as RSL has amassed a 91-19-39 mark on home soil in all competitions in its last 149 home matches, during which it has outscored opponents by 160 goals (270-110) … RSL enters Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup match against LA Galaxy 73-14-36 in MLS reg. season games (222-91 goals), with a 6-1-1 CCL mark (17-5), 5-2-2 playoffs (11-4) and 7-2-0 in Open Cup (20-10) …
125 – players to have appeared in an MLS game for RSL in 11 seasons, as Jeff Cassar has given several players – Justen Glad, Phanuel Kavita, Boyd Okwuonu, Elias Vasquez, Demar Phillips, Sebastian Saucedo & Pecka – opportunities this season … 2nd-round draft pick Okwuonu gets his first-ever MLS start tonight, after making his debut 2 weeks ago in the final minutes against Columbus … 27 players have seen league minutes this year, meaning everyone on the roster except GK Lalo Fernandez (MF Fito Ovalle is on a season-long loan to the USL Monarchs) have seen MLS time …
420 – minutes trailing by RSL this season in MLS play, after staring up at an opposing lead for only 300 minutes in the entirety of 2014 … A year ago, RSL had 10 goals scored in the first 15 minutes of play, compared to just one this season …
7,500+ – air miles zig-zagging across the continent the first week of August for RSL, as the club plays at D.C. United on August 1, then goes midweek to Guatemala City to open CONCACAF Champions League play, finishing the week in Vancouver on August 8 … Should RSL advance on Tuesday in the Open Cup Quarterfinal, the club will then head to either Houston or Kansas City on August 11/12 prior to home games against Portland and Seattle on August 15/22 …
20,956 – Last Saturday night’s attendance at Rio Tinto Stadium, setting a new Real Salt Lake mark in its home venue, displacing the 20,801 record set May 23 against Jason Kreis and NYCFC …
$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 …
3,975,070 – combined households that RSL’s local TV syndication now reaches starting with last week’s addition of the Phoenix market, joining the entire Utah DMA and Boise, Reno and Las Vegas … Tucson and Albuquerque still pending for Sinclair/American Sports Network/KMYU …
