SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake continues its road schedule this Wednesday, taking on Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium at 5:30 p.m. MT. Wednesday’s match will be broadcast live on CW30, ESPN 700 and 102.3 La Gran D FM.
Real Salt Lake was handed its first defeat of the 2014 season last Saturday, falling 4-0 to Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field. Saturday’s loss ended Real Salt Lake’s 12-game unbeaten start to the season, leaving the club tied for the MLS record with the 1996 and 2010 LA Galaxy and 2000 Kansas City Wizards. RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar’s 12 undefeated games, tied him for the longest unbeaten start to a managerial career in MLS history with 1996 LA Head Coach Lothar Osiander.
Real Salt Lake now posts a 6-1-6 record through its first 13 matches of the season with a total of 24 points. Despite the loss, the Claret-and-Cobalt remain second in the league and Western Conference, now five points behind leaders Seattle Sounders FC, which has a game in hand on RSL.
Wednesday will prove to be a tough test for Real Salt Lake, which will be playing its second road game in five days. The Claret-and-Cobalt will also have to take into account that it hosts Portland Timbers three days later for its third match in a total of eight days. Considered one of its toughest stretches of the season, RSL will again be without Captain Kyle Beckerman and veteran GK Nick Rimando who were both named to the U.S.’s final 23-man World Cup roster. Claret-and-Cobalt FW Alvaro Saborio, was expected to be named to Costa Rica’s final roster but fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot while practicing with the Costa Rican national team at its pre-World Cup training camp last Thursday. Saborio is expected to be out 3-4 months and will not participate in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Wednesday’s contest will be the first and only regular season meeting between Real Salt Lake and Eastern Conference foe Columbus Crew. The two sides met once last year on August 24, 2013 at Rio Tinto Stadium, with the home side recording a resounding 4-0 win over Columbus. The rout saw a brace from Captain Kyle Beckerman and goals from FW Devon Sandoval and MF Luis Gil.
RSL has struggled historically against Columbus, posting a 5-10-1 regular season record against the Crew. While RSL has struggled against the Crew in the regular season, it has done well against the Crew in elimination games topping the Crew in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs and the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals.
Columbus enters Wednesday’s match with a 4-5-4 record to start the season. The Crew currently sit in sixth-place in the Eastern Conference with a total of 16 points. Columbus is coming off a disappointing 3-2 loss to Toronto FC last Saturday, allowing two goals in the final 10 minutes of play to fall on the road. Columbus is also playing its second game in five days with a third match this Saturday.
RSL won’t return home until Saturday, June 7 when its hosts Portland Timbers at 8:00 p.m. at Rio Tinto Stadium. An extremely limited amount of tickets remain to Saturday’s match; they can be purchased at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at www.RealSaltLake.com/Tickets or over the phone at 801-727-2700.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake at Columbus Crew
- Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. MT at Columbus Crew
- TV: CW30
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (Pregame begins at 4:30 p.m. MT)
- Spanish Radio: 102.3 La Gran D FM
- Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter Feed will provide match updates
Game Guide for Wednesday’s RSL-CLB Match Now Available Online
Following is the link to the Adobe PDF version of the MLS Game Guide in advance of Wednesday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Columbus Crew. 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 PR Coordinator Jane Sexton in the RSL Communications Department via email at jsexton@realsaltlake.com.
Click here to download the PDF version of the MLS Game Guide for Wednesday’s RSL-CLB matchup
Satellite Coordinates for Wednesday’s RSL-CLB Match
Real Salt Lake at Columbus Crew
Wednesday, June 4 at Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH – 5:30 p.m. MT
KUCW-30 SALT LAKE
SWITCH FIBER
RSL History v. Columbus Crew
RSL has struggled historically against Columbus, posting a 5-10-1 regular season record against the Crew. That mark is RSL’s worst regular season record against any MLS club. While RSL has struggled against the Crew in the regular season, it has done well against the Crew in elimination games topping the Crew in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs and the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals.
