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Tonight’s match not only marks the return to the fold for a pair of RSL players that have been away on international duty, but also a return to old stomping ground for four players with ties to the area.
Nick Rimando and Luis Silva both won trophies with D.C. United – Rimando in the 2004 MLS Cup and Silva in the 2013 U.S. Open Cup. Rimando has been back to RFK Stadium on several occasions, but this will be the first time back for Silva, who came to RSL in a trade for Alvaro Saborio late last month.
In addition, RSL’s roster features Crofton, Maryland native Kyle Beckerman and an Oakton, Virginia product in John Stertzer, who also played collegiately at the University of Maryland. Both are expected to have healthy cheering sections of family and friends at the match.
Old Friends, New Enemies
It wasn’t long ago that Alvaro Saborio and Fabian Espindola formed one of the more lethal scoring duos in Major League Soccer. Together, they scored 65 goals for the Claret-and-Cobalt from 2010-2012 as RSL went a combined 47-26-25 in those three seasons before Espindola was traded to the New York Red Bulls prior to the 2013 season.
Now, the duo has reunited in the black and red of D.C. and already has notched a goal apiece together in a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Union last week. It will take a team effort to slow the tandem down, but with RSL’s recent defensive track record, the back line feels up to the task.
An Unexpected Journey
When the 2015 MLS schedule was released, the month of August for Real Salt Lake wasn’t too daunting. It included the club’s final regular season match against an Eastern Conference foe and then a trio of contests against the Cascadia clubs of the Pacific Northwest before finishing the month on the road against FC Dallas. Now, after adding the CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage matches to the calendar and reaching the semifinal of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the month hasn’t only gotten congested, but has also become the busiest travel month of the season.
All told, the club will travel a total exceeding 10,000 miles just to play the first four matches of the month. That includes nine total flights for matches in D.C., Guatemala, Vancouver and Kansas City before the first home match of the month on August 15 against the Portland Timbers.
Continued Success
In the month of July, Javier Morales notched three goals and two assists and Sebastian Jaime added three goals and one assist across all competitions. During that month, RSL went 4-1-1, with two wins in the Open Cup and two good home wins to close out the month against Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo.
If that Argentine duo can keep the pace in August, it will undoubtedly be a good month for the club.
