PREGAME FACTS AND INFO SHEET
2015/16 CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – GROUP G
REAL SALT LAKE (USA) at CSD MUNICIPAL (GUA)
TUES., AUGUST 4, 2015 – 8:00 pm MT
on FOX SOCCER PLUS, ESPN700 & 102.3 LaGranD
0 – goals conceded by the RSL defense in its last 346 minutes of CCL play, dating back to the club’s first group game of 2012 in the 14th minute at Costa Rican power Herediano … RSL allowed 7 goals in its first two all-time SCCL matches (2010: 5-4 loss v Cruz Azul; 3-2 win v Arabe Unido), but has allowed a total of only 6 goals in its last 6 SCCL road games …
2 – all-time road wins in CCL play by RSL in its previous 8 away games in the 2010/11 and 2012/13 tournaments, both coming in Panama (2010 at Arabe Unido, 2-1; 2012 at Tauro FC, 1-0) … RSL’s all-time road mark in the tourney is 2-3-3, with the losses coming in 2010 at Cruz Azul (4-5 at group stage), 2011 at Saprissa (gaining critical away goal to advance with a 1-2 loss in Semifinal stage) and in 2012 at Herediano (0-1 loss in group stage after 55’ Nat Borchers red card) … RSL drew in trips to Toronto FC (1-1 in 2010 group), Columbus Crew (0-0 in 2011 Quarterfinal) and at Monterrey (2-2 in 2011 Final) …
3 – jersey number worn for the Guatemalan National Team by 22-year old RSL DF Elias Vasquez, who made 3 appearances for local club Comunicaciones in the 2013/14 CCL tournament … Tonight will mark Elias’ 14th career start for RSL across league, Open Cup and now CCL fronts, as the new father will have more than 20 friends and family cheering on RSL at Guatemala’s National Stadium, Estadio Mateo Flores, tonight …
4 – goals in CCL play by RSL’s maestro, MF Javier Morales, the club’s active leader in the tournament … Morales, a 35-year old Argentine, hit on a deadly free kick in Toronto in the 2010 group stage to secure passage to the knockouts, and also provided the critical road equalizer in the first leg at Monterrey of the 2011 final … Current RSL Captain Kyle Beckerman owns 3 career CCL goals, as does DF Jamison Olave … Former RSL man Alvaro Saborio scored 10 goals in 14 CCL games for the Claret-and-Cobalt …
5 – games over the first 15 days of August, the first 4 of which are on the road across 3 competitions, 4 time zones and nearly 11,000 air miles as RSL zig-zags across the continent … RSL dropped the first match, 4-6, at D.C. United on Saturday, prior to arriving midday Sunday for tonight’s CCL Group G opener … RSL finishes this week in Vancouver this Saturday, then heads to Kansas City next Wed., August 12 for the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinal, prior to home games against Portland and Seattle on August 15/22 … RSL has never played this many road matches without an extended break back in SLC, only playing 4 road matches consecutively back in September 2007 … RSL’s longest previous trips have also involved CCL action, traveling from Mexico City directly to Toronto in 2010 and San Jose, Costa Rica to Boston in 2011 …
6 – consecutive losses on the road for RSL entering tonight, after starting the season 2-1-2 away with a trio of road shutouts (at Portland, Kansas City and San Jose) before the April/May skid … After Saturday’s debacle, RFK Stadium remains one of three road venues (0-7-3 all-time) in which RSL has failed to win, joining Montreal (0-2-0) and Philadelphia (0-0-4) … RSL will travel to Orlando and NYCFC next season …
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 …
8 – all-time CCL wins for RSL in its two previous iterations, the club amassing an 8-4-4 mark in group and knockout play … The club’s home mark has been a dominant 6-1-1 overall, but the two blemishes – especially the 0-1 home loss to Monterrey (MEX) in the 2011 Final Second Leg, as well as the 0-0 home draw against Herediano (CRC) in the 2012 group stage, when RSL just needed any scoring draw to advance – will forever leave a mark …
12 – points out of a possible 30 from 10 games against Eastern Conference opposition this season, as RSL’s game Sat. at D.C. United was the final match vs. the East … The remainder of RSL’s schedule includes five reg. season home matches and six road games – effectively “six-pointers” against Western foes, along with four CCL group games and the Open Cup Semi, with a potential additional USOC match …
14 – consecutive starts including tonight in all competitions for RSL FW Joao Plata, who has found the back of the net in three consecutive games with goals against DC, KC and HOU in recent weeks … Plata – who broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot in a non-contact turf injury on January 29, the first day of preseason, just days after earning a young DP contract and having his entire player pass purchased by Real Salt Lake – scored his first goal of 2015 back on June 16 in Open Cup play against Sounders 2, a much-needed 2nd-half equalizer …
20 – jersey number worn in 2015 by RSL’s newest player, M/F Luis Silva, making his Claret/Cobalt debut Saturday with the final 8 minutes against his former club after being acquired on July 16 from D.C. United in exchange for Costa Rican international Alvaro Saborio … Silva has 20 goals in 99 career MLS matches for Toronto (2012-13), where he played alongside Joao Plata and Aaron Maund, and D.C. United (2013-15), with whom he won the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at Rio Tinto Stadium …
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 …
59 – number of players in RSL’s 11-year, 125-player, 343-game league history to have scored at least one MLS goal for the Claret-and-Cobalt, now that FW Sebastian Jaime opened his MLS account June 21 against Kansas City …
94 – home wins since 2008, as RSL has amassed a 94-19-39 mark on home soil in all competitions in its last 152 home matches, during which it has outscored opponents by 164 goals (275-111) … RSL returns home Aug. 15 against Portland with a 75-14-36 record in MLS reg. season games (226-92 goals), and a 6-1-1 CCL mark (17-5), a 5-2-2 playoff resume (11-4), and an 8-2-0 ledger in Open Cup (21-10) …
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 got his first-ever MLS start July 11, after making his debut 2 weeks prior 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 …
202 – prior career MLS appearances for RSL #maestro Javier Morales after Saturday against D.C., as the 9th-year player comes off back-to-back games with a goal for the fifth time in his MLS history … When Javi starts and plays the full 90 this season, he has 5 goals and 9 assists – the entirety of his scoresheet appearances – in those 13 games, leaving “the maestro” 4 goals and 6 assists shy of matching career highs in both categories … At 35 years old, Morales ranks #1 in MLS this season in chances created per 90 minutes, clear chances from open play per 90 minutes, and #2 in usage rate (categories as defined by Opta) …
432 – days between RSL’s three-game winning streaks, as the current one is the first since May 17, 2014 … RSL last won 4 consecutive games in all competitions back in June, 2013, as part of an 11-game unbeaten run across MLS and Open Cup matches from mid-May to mid-July that season …
