SANDY, Utah (Friday, April 6, 2018) – Real Salt Lake resumes its 14th Major League Soccer campaign Saturday night with a 7:30 p.m. MT kickoff against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Rio Tinto Stadium to conclude an early-season stretch that sees the Utah side play three out of four games at home. Saturday’s match arrives exactly one year to the day after a memorable Mike Petke coaching debut for the club, as RSL took advantage of a second-half “Snowmageddon” for a 3-0 win that saw MF Albert Rusnák score his first-ever goal for the Claret-and-Cobalt.
RSL seeks to rebound from last week’s 1-3 loss at defending MLS Cup champion Toronto by welcoming the lone Western Conference Canadian side, Vancouver – which has won just once on Utah soil, back in 2015 – on Saturday. The Petke-led side returns home looking to emulate the bounce-back response seen following its previous loss, RSL winning 1-0 at home against CONCACAF Champions League semifinalist New York Red Bulls back on March 17 in a game that saw an early Rusnák penalty conversion bolster GK Nick Rimando’s 138th career clean sheet.
Following Saturday’s home match, RSL enters a six-week stretch from April 11 to May 26 that sees Petke’s club play five of seven games away. At the world-class Utah venue affectionately known as “The RioT,” RSL has enjoyed a prominent home-field advantage since building its permanent home in Sandy, boasting a dominant 106-27-44 mark in the world-class venue since opening in October, 2008.
Saturday’s broadcast coverage kicks off at 6:30p MT on ESPN700 AM and 7:00p MT on KMYU TV and the KSL digital streaming app, with David James and Brian Dunseth now joined by Samantha Yarock, RSL’s new pre- and post-game host and sideline reporter. Yarock, formerly of the Portland Timbers’ digital and TV properties and a former host on MLSsoccer.com, arrives in Utah with a wealth of experience in the sport, also extensively covering the NWSL Portland Thorns in recent years.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake v. Vancouver Whitecaps – Sat., April 7, 2018
- Coverage Begins: 7:00 p.m. MT
- Local TV: KMYU – David James & Brian Dunseth w/ Samantha Yarock
- Digital Streaming: KSL TV app / KSL.com
- English Radio: ESPN 700 AM (6:30 p.m. MT) – Bill Riley & Jay Nolly
w/ Tom Hackett & Spencer Warne (pre-/post-game)
- Spanish Radio: 104.7 /107.1 FM – Fernando Hortal, German Hortal & Carlos Artiles
Game Notes for Saturday’s RSL v. Vancouver game Available Online
The link to the Adobe PDF version of the Game Guide in advance of Saturday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Vancouver is available HERE.
