Real Salt Lake is in Santa Tecla, El Salvador, where it will meet Santa Tecla FC on Tuesday in the Group Stage of CONCACAF Champions League. We deployed Tyler Gibbons with a camera to capture the moments in El Salvador as RSL looks to take control of the group.
RSL won its first match in the Group Stage, 1-0 at Municipal in Guatemala, Joao Plata scoring the game’s only goal in the second minute.
Santa Tecla tied Municipal 1-1 at home in its first Group Stage match, but lost the road leg 2-1 on a late penalty.
Real Salt Lake is 9-4-4 all-time in Champions League play, with this being the club’s third appearance in the tournament.
On the road, RSL is 3-3-3 all-time in CCL play, with 13 goals scored and 13 goals allowed.
Rio Tinto Stadium has been a fortress in CCL action, with RSL posting a 6-1-1 home record while outscoring opponents 17-5.
The winner of each group advances to the Knockout Stage, with the seeds determined by performance in the Group Stage.
In 2011, RSL reached the tournament final before falling to Monterrey 3-2 in the final. Salt Lake won its group that year, going 4-1-1 when the Group Stage featured four teams and the top two in each group advanced.
In the 2012-2013 tournament, RSL missed advancement by going 2-1-1 in the group, losing out to Herediano of Costa Rica.
This marks the club’s first ever visit to El Salvador, bringing the list of CCL destination countries to seven (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador).
Santa Tecla FC was founded in 2007 and won promotion to the first division in 2012.
Among the players on Santa Tecla’s roster is former Chivas USA midfielder Gerson Mayen, who played under current RSL Assistant Coach Daryl Shore when he was the head coach of Miami FC in 2010 and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 2011.
Tuesday’s match kicks off at 8 p.m. MT with television coverage on Fox Soccer Plus. The club is hosting a viewing party at 50 West in Downtown Salt Lake City.
