SANDY, Utah (Monday, August 1, 2016) – Real Salt Lake concludes its current two-game East Coast swing Wednesday evening at Toronto with a 5:00 p.m. MT kickoff, prior to Saturday’s Rio Tinto Stadium return. Buoyed by Sunday’s come-from-behind, 2-1 win at Philadelphia – which snapped a seven-game winless streak across all competitions – RSL visits BMO Field near downtown Toronto for the first time since 2013.
Head Coach Jeff Cassar’s team (9-6-7, 34 points, 5th-best in MLS w/ a 1.55 points-per-game average) rebounded from an 0-1 halftime deficit via a pair of “world-class” goals from FW Joao Plata and MF Javier Morales just minutes apart in the early second half. Both strikes are nominated for the AT&T MLS Goal of the Week (click HERE).
GK Nick Rimando and the RSL defense provided heroics of their own in the final half-hour, giving the “Wall of the Wasatch” an MLS record-tying 180th career win, 114 of which have come in his 10 seasons with the Claret-and-Cobalt. Rimando’s next win – along with 28 minutes, five games played, and 52 saves – will move him past Kevin Hartman for the all-time MLS lead in every key goalkeeping category. Rimando captured the MLS shutout crown last season – he now has 126 in his illustrious career with Miami, D.C. United and RSL – and surpassed Hartman’s 411 career starts Sunday in Philadelphia.
Sunday’s victory was RSL’s fifth this season when conceding the game’s first goal, out of nine total wins this year, as RSL also came from behind against Red Bulls, Seattle and Houston at home earlier in 2016, and on the road at NYCFC in early June. All of last year, it took RSL 30 games to notch a come-from-behind victory (Oct. 4, 2015 at Colorado). Also, on June 14 of this season in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, RSL battled back from conceding the opening goal and digging an 0-2 hole to earn the draw and win in penalty kicks.
Wednesday’s match at Toronto – against whom RSL has won four consecutive matches and six of the last eight meetings between the sides – can be seen locally on KMYU (English, David James and Brian Dunseth) and heard via RSL outlets ESPN700 AM (English, Bill Riley, Jay Nolly, Spencer Warne & Jeremy Horton) & 102.3 FM / 1600 AM (Spanish, Fernando Hortal & Nelson Moran). Pre-game coverage airs live locally on ESPN700 AM at 4:00 p.m. MT.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake @ Toronto FC
- Coverage Begins: 4:30 p.m. MT
- Local TV: KMYU – David James & Brian Dunseth
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (4:00 p.m. MT) – Bill Riley, Jay Nolly, Spencer Warne & 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 @ Toronto FC Matchup Available Online
The link to the Adobe PDF version of the Game Guide in advance of Wednesday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC is available by clicking HERE.
