SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, June 21, 2016) – Real Salt Lake hosts the New York Red Bulls Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. MT as the club continues its extended homestand. Head Coach Jeff Cassar’s team (7-4-3, 24 points, 2nd-best in MLS w/ a 1.71 points-per-game average) resumes MLS action at its vaunted Rio Tinto Stadium home, where RSL will play nine of its 11 games from mid-June to the end of July following the recent install of a new natural grass surface.
RSL boasts an all-time 4-0-5 home regular-season mark against the Red Bulls, outscoring the team formerly known as the “MetroStars” 16-8 on Utah soil. The Red Bulls – which drew 1-1 in the Sandy venue’s first-ever match back on Oct. 9, 2008 – later clinched a berth in MLS Cup 2008 by winning the Western Conference championship match with a 1-0 victory that year, the Red Bulls lone win in Utah. In the clubs’ last contest at Rio Tinto Stadium, a late Thierry Henry goal cancelled out an early Joao Plata offering to snap RSL’s four-game home win streak against the Red Bulls, who captured the 2015 MLS Supporters Shield (awarded to the team with the best regular-season MLS record).
RSL FW Juan Manuel "Burrito" Martinez (4 goals in his last 4 starts) and FW Yura Movsisyan (4 goals in his last 6 starts) are in red hot form, while Plata, Javier Morales, Jordan Allen and the rest of the RSL attack have combined for a blistering 13 goals in the last five games overall.
Since the beginning of 2008, RSL now boasts a 102-22-42 mark in its last 166 home games (all comps) in that span, during which it has outscored opponents by 172 goals (293-121), with an 81-17-37 reg. season mark (238/98), the 8-1-2 CCL record (21/7), 5-2-2 playoffs (11/4), as well as an 8-2-1 Open Cup mark (23/12).
The match will be televised in Utah via KMYU (English, David James & Brian Kamler) or 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 7:00 p.m. MT, while KMYU’s three-hour window kicks off at 7:30 p.m. MT live from Sandy.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake v. New York Red Bulls
- Coverage Begins: 7:30 p.m. MT
- TV: KMYU (2.2 air / 12 satellite / 643 Comcast HD) – David James & Brian Dunseth
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (7:00 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 v. Red Bulls Matchup Available Online
The link to the Adobe PDF version of the MLS Game Guide in advance of Wednesday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Red Bull New York is available by clicking HERE.
2016 REAL SALT LAKE NOTES –
RSL v. NEW YORK RED BULLS – Wed., June 22, 2016 – 8:00 p.m. MT
RED-HOT FW TRIO ROUNDING INTO FORM: RSL FW Juan Manuel "Burrito" Martinez (4 goals in his last 4 starts) and FW Yura Movsisyan (4 goals in his last 6 starts) are in red hot form, while FW Joao Plata, Javier Morales, Jordan Allen and the rest of the RSL attack have combined for a blistering 13 goals in the last five games overall …
Plata boasts 7 goals and 7 assists across all competitions this season (the only RSL player to have scored in CCL, MLS and Open Cup this season), accounting for nearly 55% of the club’s goals … The Ecuadoran’s 5 goals and 6 assists give RSL the unique distinction of being the lone MLS club this season with three players that each have 5 or more MLS goals thus far …
SUMMER GETAWAY AT THE RIOT IN SANDY: Following the field renovation and the league-wide Copa America break in early June, RSL now is in the midst of playing six of seven and eight of 10 matches at home, leading into the annual MLS All-Star Break in late July … Rio Tinto Stadium also will host a Liga MX friendly on Friday, June 24 between Mexican powers Xolos de Tijuana and Santos Laguna, while RSL faces its first-ever European club at the RioT on either Tues/Wed, July 19/20, as legendary side Inter Milan arrives in Utah (confirmed date dependent on RSL’s Open Cup fate on June 28) … Included in those 10 home games over a five-week period are a pair of 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup contests, as RSL advanced from Tuesday’s contest against Wilmington via PK shootout, the club now hosting Seattle Sounders FC in a #USOC2016 match on Tuesday, June 28 …
RSL will also enjoy another late-season stretch at home, playing six out of eight at Rio Tinto Stadium from late August to late October, prior to the season finale at Seattle on Oct. 23 …
RSL SEEKS TO RESTORE ROAR AT RIOT FORTRESS: While the 2-2 draw Saturday against Portland provided the first blemish for RSL in its 4-0-1 MLS home record (and 0-0-2 in CCL/Open Cup) this season, the club ended its disappointing 2015 campaign with a 12-4-6 record at home across all competitions (just a 7-4-6 RioT mark in MLS play), with the pair of late-season 0-1 losses to Portland & Dallas just the club’s 4th & 5th home shutouts suffered in its last 48 home games overall, dating back to the 2013 Open Cup Final ... The six draws at home last year equaled the club’s all-time season high, set in 2006 and 2008 ...
Last year’s ignominy snapped a 7-year run that had seen RSL average 2.00 points per game or more at home each MLS season from 2008-14, as well as a 5-year streak of 10 or more home wins in league play … With recent 1-goal home wins over Seattle, Vancouver, Colorado and Houston, RSL is a perfect 4-0-0 (3.00 points-per-game) this season …
Since the beginning of 2008, RSL now boasts a 102-22-42 mark in its last 166 home games (all comps) in that span, during which it has outscored opponents by 172 goals (293-121), with an 81-17-37 reg. season mark (238/98), the 8-1-2 CCL record (21/7), 5-2-2 playoffs (11/4), as well as an 8-2-1 Open Cup mark (23/12) ...
EARLY PACING STILL BODES WELL FOR RSL: Despite the 2-2 draw at home to Portland Saturday, RSL’s 7-4-3 mark 24 points from 14 games, the Claret-and-Cobalt one of Major League Soccer’s top two teams with a 1.71 points-per-game average (RSL trails only Colorado at 2.07 ppg) … RSL remains on a club-record pace for 58 points in 2016, pacing which could (should?) improve as the club continues its Rio Tinto Stadium homestand, where six of RSL’s eight MLS games between mid-June and late July will occur …
ORIGINAL RIOT PITCH REPLACEMENT: Random facts and figures for the original Rio Tinto Stadium pitch, from Oct. 9, 2008 through April 30, 2016:
YEAR RECORD OVERALL
2008: 2-1-1
2009: 10-1-5 (12- 2- 6)
2010: 14-0-5 (26- 2-11)
2011: 14-4-4 (40- 6-15)
2012: 12-6-3 (52-12-18)
2013: 16-4-4 (68-16-22)
2014: 11-1-6 (79-17-28)
2015: 12-4-6 (91-21-34)
2016: 4-0-3 (95-21-37)
MLS Regular Season: 74-16-32 (2.08 PPG)
CONCACAF Champions League: 8-1-2 (2.36 PPG)
MLS Cup Playoffs: 5-2-2 (1.89 PPG)
U.S. Open Cup: 8-2-1 (2.27 PPG)
Largest Crowd: 21,004 – 9/19/15 (3-0 W over LA Galaxy)
Smallest Crowd: 7,620 – 6/28/11 [2-0 W over Wilmington (USOC)]
First Win: Oct. 18, 2008; 3-1 v FC Dallas
First Goal: Jamison Olave, 42’ equalizer, 10/9/08 v NYRB
First Shutout: Nick Rimando, 11/1/08 v Chivas USA
First Playoff Win/Shutout: Nov. 1, 2008; 1-0 v Chivas USA
First Playoff Goal: Yura Movsisyan, game-winner, 11/1/08 v Chivas
First CCL Win: Aug. 18, 2010; 2-1 v Arabe Unido (PAN)
First CCL Goal: Alvaro Saborio, 8/18/10 v Arabe Unido (PAN)
First CCL Shutout: Nick Rimando, 3/15/11 v Saprissa (CRC)
151st Game: April 30, 2016; 2-1 W v Houston Dynamo (95-21-35 overall mark)
Last Goal: Yura Movsisyan, 70’ equalizer, 6/18/16 v Portland
Last Shutout: Nick Rimando, 4/16/16 v Vancouver
