SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake will take on Seattle Sounders FC in the second – and decisive – leg of the Western Conference Semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 8 at Rio Tinto Stadium. The match will begin at 8:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network, ESPN700 AM and 102.3 La Gran D / 1600 AM.
RSL played Seattle to a scoreless draw in the series’ first leg at CenturyLink Field on Friday, Nov. 2. GK Nick Rimando enjoyed a performance for the ages in that match, making incredible stop after incredible stop and overcoming both a facial laceration – which required three stitches after the game – and a broken nose to keep his fourth-consecutive clean sheet across all competitions.
Friday’s result means that the Claret-and-Cobalt simply needs a win of any kind on Thursday night to advance to the two-legged Western Conference Final series that will begin on Sunday, Nov. 11. If RSL and Seattle are tied after regulation on Thursday, the match will go into a 30-minute extra time period. If the sides remain tied after the extra time period, the series will be decided by a penalty kick shootout.
Real Salt Lake – which set club records for points (57), wins (17) and goals (46) in the regular season – enters Thursday’s match unbeaten in its last eight games across all competitions (dating back to Sept. 6 at Houston) and has posted a 6-1-5 mark in its last 12 games across all competitions, registering nine shutouts and outscoring opponents 12-3 during that stretch.
RSL has registered scoreless draws in four consecutive games, tying 0-0 at Seattle in regular season action on Oct. 17, against Costa Rican club C.S. Herediano in CONCACAF Champions League play on Oct. 23, against Vancouver in the regular season finale on Oct. 27 and again last Friday at CenturyLink Field.
The Claret-and-Cobalt has yet to concede a goal in four games against Seattle this year, holding Sounders FC – which scored the fifth most goals in MLS during the regular season – scoreless in 360 minutes of action against the Cascadia club in 2012. RSL is 1-0-3 against Sounders FC this year, beating Seattle 1-0 on May 12 at CenturyLink Field before drawing the second, third and fourth meetings 0-0 on July 4 at Rio Tinto Stadium and the aforementioned Oct. 17 and Nov. 2 games in Seattle.
A limited number of tickets to the match are still available and can be purchased online at www.RealSaltLake.com, at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office or by calling (801) 727-2700. Tickets to potential future RSL playoff games are also on sale now and can be purchased through the same routes as above.
Stay tuned to www.RealSaltLake.com and follow the club on Twitter @RealSaltLake for all the latest news and information on the team ahead of Thursday’s Western Conference Semifinal series second leg at Rio Tinto Stadium.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake v. Seattle Sounders FC
- Kickoff: 8:00 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah
- TV: NBC Sports Network (now on DirecTV ch. 220)
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (Pregame begins at 7:30 p.m. MT)
- Spanish Radio: La Gran D 102.3 FM & Juan 1600 AM
- Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter Feed will provide match updates
MLS Playoff Guide and Game Guide for Thursday’s RSL v. Seattle Match Now Available Online
Following are the links to the Adobe PDF version of the MLS Playoff Guide and the Game Guide in advance of Friday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders FC. If you have any problems obtaining the document, would prefer to receive it as an attachment, or are seeking more information on the match, please contact Media Services Manager Sam Stejskal in the RSL Communications Department via email at sstejskal@realsaltlake.com.
Click here to download the PDF version of the MLS Playoff Guide
Click here to download the PDF version of the RSL at Seattle MLS Game Guide
RSL History v. Seattle
RSL leads its all-time MLS series with Sounders FC 4-3-5. The Claret-and-Cobalt has done well against Seattle at Rio Tinto Stadium, posting a 2-1-2 record when playing Sounders FC in Utah.
Real Salt Lake is 1-0-3 against Sounders FC this year. The Claret-and-Cobalt took the first meeting, getting a 50th minute goal from FW Fabian Espindola to down Seattle 1-0 at CenturyLink Field on May 12. The teams drew in their second, third and fourth matches, playing to scoreless draws at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 4 and at CenturyLink Field on Oct. 17 and Nov. 2.
