SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake will look to continue its current six-game unbeaten run on Friday, when it heads to Texas to face FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium at 7:00 p.m. MT. The match will be nationally broadcast on NBC Sports Network and locally on ESPN 700 and 102.3 La Gran D FM.
Real Salt Lake enters Friday’s matchup coming off a 2-1 win over Seattle Sounders FC last Saturday that moved RSL to the top of the Western Conference. RSL FW Joao Plata scored the opening goal in the 53rd minute, heading home a free kick taken by RSL MF Luke Mulholland. RSL doubled its lead four minutes later after Mulholland got on the end of a pass from RSL MF Luis Gil inside the box, and slotted a shot into the left corner. Seattle managed to pull one back in the 72nd minute through FW Chad Barrett, but the Claret-and-Cobalt was able to hold onto the lead to improve its unbeaten run in MLS play to six games. With an 11-4-9 record, Real Salt Lake is now tied for first on points (42) in the Western Conference after Seattle drew 1-1 with San Jose Earthquakes last night. The Sounders have the edge over RSL however, recording two more wins than the Claret-and-Cobalt to put themselves ahead.
Friday’s contest between RSL and FC Dallas will be the second meeting between the two sides in 2014. In the first matchup, the Claret-and-Cobalt played the Hoops to a scoreless draw on May 24 at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL trails Dallas in the all-time series, going 9-13-5 against FCD in MLS play. The last time the two sides met at Toyota Stadium, RSL pulled off a 3-0 win on July 13, 2013 for the club’s first-ever win in Texas as well as the club’s 100th regular season victory. RSL was without a few key players that match, with Captain Kyle Beckerman, DF Tony Beltran, GK Nick Rimando and FW Alvaro Saborio all unavailable due to international duty. Despite the absences, RSL went on to get the historic win through goals from MF Javier Morales, MF Ned Grabavoy and FW Olmes Garcia.
The Claret-and-Cobalt has struggled historically in Frisco, posting a 1-9-2 regular season road record against FCD, and recording only nine goals while conceding 21. RSL has had mixed results on the road this year, posting a 4-3-4 record for a total of 16 points.
FC Dallas enters Friday’s tilt on a streak of its own, going unbeaten in its last nine games and winning three straight. The Hoops are fresh off a 5-0 thrashing of San Jose at Buck Shaw Stadium on Aug, 16. The demolition saw a hat trick from rookie FW Tesho Akindele and a brace from Colombian speedster FW Fabian Castillo. Dallas currently sits third in the west with an 11-7-6 overall record for a total of 39 points. The Texas side also leads MLS with a league high of 43 goals scored.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake at FC Dallas
- Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. MT at FC Dallas
- TV: NBC Sports Network
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (Pregame begins at 6:00 p.m. MT)
- Spanish Radio: 102.3 La Gran D FM
- Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter Feed will provide match updates
Game Guide for Friday’s RSL-DAL Match Now Available Online
Following is the link to the Adobe PDF version of the MLS Game Guide in advance of Friday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas. 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 Friday’s RSL-DAL matchup
RSL History v. Dallas
Friday’s contest between RSL and FC Dallas will be the second meeting between the sides in 2014. In the first matchup, the Claret-and-Cobalt played the Hoops to a scoreless draw on May 24 at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL trails Dallas in the all-time series, going 9-13-5 against FCD in MLS play. The last time the two sides met at Toyota Stadium, RSL pulled off a 3-0 win on July 13, 2013 for the club’s first-ever win in Texas. The Claret-and-Cobalt has struggled in Frisco, posting a 1-9-2 regular season road record against FCD.
