SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, August 27, 2019) – Real Salt Lake FW Jefferson Savarino has been called to the Venezuelan National Team for a friendly on Monday, September 9 against Colombia in Tampa, Florida.
Savarino will be available on Saturday when Real Salt Lake faces the Portland Timbers before joining his country ahead of the friendly match.
“Jefferson has shown his quality and it’s great to see him continue to get called in to Venezuela,” RSL General Manager Craig Waibel said. “It’s such a great reward for his continued hard work and development.”
Now in his third season with Real Salt Lake, Savarino scored on Saturday in a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids to give him seven goals and five assists in 22 matches this season, including four goals and four assists in his last eight matches. In 76 career MLS regular season matches, he has 20 goals and 21 assists, making him the fifth player in club history to record 20 goals and 20 assists in an RSL uniform, joining club legend Javier Morales (49 goals, 81 assists) and current teammates FW Joao Plata (46 goals, 43 assists), MF Kyle Beckerman (30 goals, 40 assists) and MF Albert Rusnák (26 goals, 26 assists). In his first season in 2017, he had six goals and five assists in 22 matches. He followed that up with seven goals and a team-leading 11 assists in 32 matches in 2018. He initially came to RSL on loan from Zulia in Venezuela, where he started his professional career in 2013.
Savarino, 22, made his international debut at Rio Tinto Stadium, coming on as a substitute in a friendly against the U.S. on June 3, 2017. He now has one goal in nine caps for Venezuela after recording his first international goal on June 9 in a friendly against the U.S.
Real Salt Lake faces the Portland Timbers on Saturday at Providence Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MT with live coverage on KMYU, the KSL TV app and ESPN 700.
