MONTERREY, Mexico (Tuesday, February 23, 2016) – Real Salt Lake kicks off its 12th season with a Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal on Wednesday, facing Mexican power Tigres UANL at Estadio Universitario at 6:00 p.m. MT in the first leg of a 180-minute, aggregate goal series. RSL earned the third overall seed in this year’s knockout stage by winning Group G last Fall, amassing a 3-0-1 mark (10 points) to eliminate challengers Santa Tecla FC (El Salvador) and Municipal (Guatemala).
Wednesday night’s match can be viewed in Utah via either Fox Sports 2 (English, JP Dellacamera & Brian Dunseth) or Univision Deportes Network (Spanish), or heard via RSL flagships ESPN700 AM (English) & 102.3 FM / 1600 AM (Spanish). Pre-game coverage airs live locally on ESPN700 AM at 5:00 p.m. MT.
Numerous Salt Lake City-area establishments partnering with Budweiser to host “#BELIEVE Bashes” for the 2016 opener against the reigning Liga MX Champions. Locations include:
ESTABLISHMENT (AREA) ADDRESS AGE
A Bar Named Sue on State (Midvale) 8136 S State St, Midvale 21+
A Bar Named Sue (Highland/SLC) 3928 S Highland Dr, SLC 21+
Beer Bar (Downtown SLC) 161 E 200 S, SLC 21+
Bourbon House (Downtown SLC) 19 E 200 S, SLC 21+
Dick N’ Dixies (Downtown SLC) 479 E 300 S, SLC 21+
Green Pig (Downtown SLC) 31 E 400 S, SLC 21+
Players Sports Grill (Midvale) 718 W Coliseum Way Family
Trolley Wing Company (Sugarhouse/SLC) 2148 S 900 E #5, SLC 21+
Twist (Downtown SLC) 32 Exchange Place, SLC 21+
How to Follow Real Salt Lake @ Tigres (MEX)
- Coverage Begins: 6:00 p.m. MT
- TV: Fox Sports 2 – JP Dellacamer & Brian Dunseth
- English Radio: ESPN 700 AM (5:00 p.m. MT) – Bill Riley, Brian Kamler, Jeremy Horton
- Spanish Radio: 102.3 La Gran D FM / 1600 AM – Nelson Moran & Fernando Hortal
- Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter feed provides updates
Game Guide for Wednesday’s RSL @ Tigres Matchup Available Online Tuesday Night
The link to the Adobe PDF version of the MLS Game Guide in advance of Wednesday night’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Tigres UANL is available here.
2015/16 CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NOTES –
RSL @ TIGRES QUARTERFINAL LEG ONE – Wed., Feb. 24, 2016
WALL OF THE WASATCH INDEED:
Iconic RSL GK Nick Rimando enters Wednesday with an active shutout streak of 526 minutes in the continental competition, last conceding in the 14th minute of RSL’s 0-1 loss at Herediano in July 2012 … When RSL’s defense (backstopped by GK Jeff Attinella) allowed the 60’ goal last Sept. 24 against Santa Tecla, that snapped the club’s overall shutout streak at 586 minutes, a new CCL record … RSL also shares the competition record of 5 straight clean sheets with Alajuela (CRC) and Pachuca (MEX) … RSL allowed 7 goals in its first two all-time SCCL matches (2010: 5-4 loss @ Cruz Azul; 3-2 win v Arabe Unido), but has allowed a total of only 7 goals in its last 10 SCCL games …
THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM?:
This week’s trip to Monterrey marks the third occasion that has seen RSL travel away for the first leg of a 180-minute CONCACAF Champions League series, the club earning a 0-0 draw on the road back on Feb. 22, 2011 in Columbus on a frozen field at Crew Stadium … Two rounds later, RSL twice battled back from one-goal deficits in Monterrey to seize a 2-2 draw at Rayados in the first leg of the 2011 Final … Could a “W” be in the offing against the heavily-favored Tigres? …
RSL’S RESPECTABLE ROAD WARRIOR HISTORY IN CCL:
RSL’s 1-0-1 group stage mark on the road last Fall improved the club’s all-time road mark in the continental tourney to 3-3-4 through 10 away games in the 2010/11, 2012/13 and 2015/16 tournaments … The August win in Guatemala was the first coming outside of Panama (2010 at Arabe Unido, 2-1; 2012 at Tauro FC, 1-0) … RSL’s road losses came 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 a 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) …
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS:
On the flipside, RSL has amassed a dominant 8-1-1 mark in group and knockout play in CCL on Utah soil … Despite that, RSL’s overall record of 11-4-5 in the tournament includes two heartbreaking home blemishes – 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 – forever leaving a mark, preventing advancement …
RioT FORTRESS NEARLY IMPENETRABLE BY VISITING OPPOSITION:
All-time, RSL boasts a total of 27 wins on Utah soil against international opponents in either CCL play (8-1-1, with a 20/6 goal advantage), exhibitions (7-4-4, 20/17 difference) or against visiting Canadian MLS teams (12-2-3, with a 32/14 +/-) … Since moving into Rio Tinto Stadium in October, 2008, RSL owns a 22-2-6 (win-loss-draw) mark against int’l clubs or in CCL competition … Mexican clubs are 1-1-0 in Sandy in meaningful games, as Cruz Azul (2010 group stage) fell 1-3 at RSL prior to Monterrey riding a Humberto Suazo dagger in April 2011 in the second leg of the final …
