REAL SALT LAKE WEEKLY UPDATE
Mon. – Sun., April. 23 - April. 29, 2018
SANDY/HERRIMAN, Utah (Monday, April 23, 2018) – Real Salt Lake claims victory in the first leg of the Rocky Mountain Cup while Real Monarchs SLC prepares to open its new home in Herriman. Utah Royals FC gets set to host the defending NWSL champions while the RSL Academy returns from Northern California after a double game weekend. Here’s what you need to know at the club this week:
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake (3-3-1, 10 points) scored three goals in the final minutes of the match to sprint past the 10-man Colorado Rapids and take the first match in the Rocky Mountain Cup 3-0.
FW Joao Plata, MF Damir Kreilach and MF Albert Rusnák each scored while GK Nick Rimando earned his 199th career MLS victory with the shutout, his second clean sheet of the season. The win was RSL’s third straight at Rio Tinto Stadium and came after Colorado had goalkeeper Tim Howard sent off in the 20th minute.
On the play, Real Salt Lake sprung into the attack and FW Jefferson Savarino was left with just Howard to beat. In rushing to defend the shot outside the box, Howard deflected the ball with his arm, drawing the ejection. RSL would go on to outshoot Colorado 11-7 in the first half, but Zac MacMath was up to the task and kept the match scoreless going into halftime.
The second half saw more dominance from RSL, with the home side holding an 18-5 shot advantage in the final frame. However, it wasn’t until a penalty in the 82nd minute that Real Salt Lake finally claimed the lead. Referee Joseph Dickerson went to video review on a scuffle in the box to determine that Tommy Smith handled the ball and Dickerson awarded the penalty. Plata hammered the PK past MacMath for his third goal of the season and RSL was off to the races. In the 89th minute, Rusnák sent a long ball over the top to Kreilach on the left side of the box. He took a touch and ripped a shot inside the far post for his first MLS goal to make it 2-0. Finally in second-half stoppage time, Rusnák stepped over a free kick from 25 yards out on the right side and curled an immaculate shot around the wall and inside the near post, catching MacMath leaning the wrong way to make it 3-0.
RSL goes back on the road to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC for the second time this month after posting a 2-1 win at Rio Tinto Stadium on April 7. Friday’s rematch kicks off from BC Place at 8:30 p.m. MT.
Real Salt Lake’s training schedule for the week is as follows:
Tues., April 24 – 11:00 a.m. MT – Training at America First Field
Wed., April 25 – 11:00 a.m. MT – Training at America First Field
Thurs., April 26 – Travel to Vancouver
Fri., April 27 – 8:30 p.m. MT – Kickoff at Vancouver Whitecaps FC from BC Place
If you plan on attending a training session / game and are requesting access, please contact RSL Director of PR Matt Gaschk at (253) 250-3239 / mgaschk@rsl.com a day in advance for arrangements.
Real Monarchs SLC
Real Monarchs SLC
(4-1-0, 12 points, West 3) fell to the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-0 in the lone match against an Eastern Conference opponent this season. The loss is the first in 2018 for the Monarchs. RSL Academy GK
David Ochoa
made his professional debut against Tampa Bay, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in goal.
The first half saw both teams pick and choose its times to push forward as tight defense was of the essence for both sides. The Rowdies found the breakthrough when midfielder Joe Cole tapped the ball into an open goal after 40 minutes to secure the 1-0 lead for the Rowdies going into halftime.
The Monarchs pressed for the game’s equalizer in the second half but surrendered a historic Georgi Hristov goal in the 70th minute to steepen the climb towards a comeback. The goal solidified the victory for the Rowdies, handing the Monarchs its first loss of 2018.
Up next for the Monarchs is another historic night in the club’s history as it opens the new 5,000 seat Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on April 30 in the inaugural ‘Saints-and-Sinners/I-15’ Rivalry match against Las Vegas Lights FC. Kickoff for the Grand Opening match in Herriman is set for 7:00 p.m. MT and tickets can be purchased by going to RealMonarchs.com/Schedule.
The Monarchs training schedule for the week is as follows:
Tues., April 12 – OFF
Wed., April 25 – OFF
Thurs., April 26 – 10:00 a.m. MT – Training at Zions Bank Training Center
Fri., April 27 – 10:00 a.m. MT – Training at Zions Bank Training Center
Sat., April 28 – 10:00 a.m. MT – Training at Zions Bank Training Center
Sun., April 29 – 10:00 a.m. MT – Training at Zions Bank Training Center
Mon., April 30 – 7:00 p.m. MT – Kickoff vs Las Vegas Lights FC at Zions Bank Stadium
Information regarding Real Monarchs SLC or the Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman can be found at RSL.com/Monarchs or RSL.com/Academy.If you plan on attending a training session / game and requesting access, please contact RSL Media Services personnel Taran Meyer at (801) 657-2161 / tmeyer@rsl.com a day in advance for arrangements.
Utah Royals FC
Utah Royals FC (0-1-3, 3 points) staged a dramatic comeback, but conceded a late goal and settled for a 2-2 draw with the North Carolina Courage on Saturday at Sahlen’s Stadium.
FW Katie Stengel and FW Brittany Ratcliffe scored their first goals of the season for the Royals after Utah fell behind in the opening minutes of the match, but Crystal Dunn scored in the 80th minute to force the draw.
North Carolina controlled the match in the first half and scored on their only first-half shot on goal. In the sixth minute, Merritt Mathias bombed a first-time shot from 25 yards out to find the top corner and a 1-0 lead. Utah’s first shot didn’t come until the 37thminute when DF Kelley O’Hara made an overlapping run to get a shot on goal, but it was saved without much threat.
The second half saw a turnaround for Utah as Royals FC took advantage of two misplayed balls from North Carolina to pounce on the lead. In the 52nd minute, Stengel outhustled the opposition and beat defender Abby Dahlkemper to head home a loose ball in front of net to equalize. Then Utah snagged the lead when Ratcliffe rocketed a shot from just outside the box after a missed clearance, finding the net for her first goal of the season for a 2-1 lead in the 66th minute. North Carolina pressured a ball played to GK Abby Smith in the 80th minute, though, and her clearance took a bad hop and fell into the path of Dunn who deflected into the net for the final 2-2 score line.
Royals FC returns to Rio Tinto Stadium for the first of four consecutive home matches. Utah will host the Portland Thorns on Saturday, April 28, before meeting the Washington Spirit (May 5), Orlando Pride (May 9) and Houston Dash (May 19). Tickets to the match against the Thorns can be purchased at UtahRoyalsFC.com/Tickets.
Utah Royals FC training schedule for the week is as follows:
Tues., April 24 – 9:15 a.m. MT – Training at America First Field
Wed., April 25 – OFF
Thurs., April 26 – 9:15 a.m. MT – Training at Rio Tinto Stadium
Fri., April 27 – TBD
Sat., April 28 – 1:30 p.m. MT – Kickoff vs. Portland Thorns at Rio Tinto Stadium
If you plan on attending a training session / game and are requesting access, please contact Utah Royals FC Director of PR Carla Haslam at (801) 435-6646 / chaslam@rsl.com a day in advance for arrangements.
Real Salt Lake Academy
The RSL Academy spent the weekend in Northern California where it played two matches, one against Silicon Valley Soccer Academy and the San Jose Earthquakes. The U-17s topped SVSA 5-1 on Saturday before falling to the Earthquakes 3-2 a day later. The U-19s topped both SVSA and the Earthquakes 8-1 and 3-0 respectively to continue its good run of form.
In the U-17s first match of the weekend, FW Julian Vasquez and MFs Luis Arriaga, Bryce Duke and Gabriel Sanchez all notched goals in the victory. Against the Quakes Sanchez scored another while MF Zackery Farnsworth notched a goal in the loss.
For the 19s, RSL was led by a hat trick from FW Sebastian Soto as MFs Juan Obeso scored two goals and Glademir Mendoza, Jonathan Alexis Castro and DF Lyes Mezine all scored in the emphatic 8-1 victory.
Against San Jose the U-19s saw goals from Soto, Mendoza and MF Diran Bebekian while GK Jacob Jackson started and played the full 90 minutes in goal to earn the shutout victory.
Highlighting the initiatives of the RSL growth pyramid this weekend was RSL Academy GK David Ochoa as he made his professional debut against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in goal for the Monarchs.
The RSL Academy now looks ahead to an April 28 matchup against DeAnza Force at the Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman with the 17s kicking off at 11:00 a.m. MT before the 19s at 1:30 p.m. MT.
The Zions Bank Real Academy Campus in Herriman - located at 14788 South Academy Parkway (3718 West) - MUST be entered off of Mountain View Corridor, just West of the Facility
