SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake (10-5-4, 34 points, West #1) will look to extend its unbeaten streak to 11 games across all competitions on Saturday, when it will take on FC Dallas (8-4-7, 31 points, West #2) at 7:00 p.m. MT at FC Dallas Stadium in a battle of the top-two sides in the Western Conference.
Saturday’s match will be broadcast live on CW30, ESPN700 AM and 102.3 La Gran D/1600 AM. CW30 will air its 30-minute Ford Postgame Show immediately following the match; ESPN 700 will begin its pregame coverage at 6:00 p.m. MT and will air an hour-long postgame show immediately after the final whistle.
Saturday’s game will be the second meeting between RSL and FC Dallas this year. The Utah side dropped the first matchup, conceding two goals and going down a man in the final 20 minutes to lose 2-0 at FCD on March 23. Real Salt Lake has never won at Dallas or in the State of Texas, posting a 0-11-2 mark in all competitions at FC Dallas.
RSL enters Saturday’s contest on a roll, unbeaten in its last 10 games across all competitions and winners of seven of its last eight in all comps. The Claret-and-Cobalt drew its last match, getting a 97th minute penalty kick equalizer from MF Javier Morales after going down a man to tie the Philadelphia Union 2-2 at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 3. RSL DF Lovel Palmer was controversially shown a straight red card in the 59th minute of the Philadelphia match and – as a result – is suspended for Saturday’s affair at FC Dallas.
Since its April 27 home loss to the LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake is 10-1-2 in all competitions, outscoring its opponents 33-13 during that span. The hot stretch has taken RSL to the top of the MLS and Western Conference tables, putting the Claret-and-Cobalt three points ahead of Dallas and the Montreal Impact in the league standings. RSL has not lost since falling 3-2 at Montreal on May 11.
Head Coach Jason Kreis will be without four key players on Saturday due to international duty. Oddly enough, RSL Captain Kyle Beckerman (U.S.), DF Tony Beltran (U.S.), GK Nick Rimando (U.S.) and FW Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica) will all be at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday for a Gold Cup doubleheader that will see the U.S. take on Cuba at 1:30 p.m. MT and Costa Rica face Belize at 4:00 p.m. MT. Tickets are still available for the Group C twin-bill and can be purchased at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at http://www.riotintostadium.com/events/gold-cup.php or over the phone at 801-727-2700.
FCD is 8-4-7 on the season. The Texas squad dropped its last game, losing 2-0 at LA on Sunday. The loss at the Galaxy extended Dallas’s winless streak to six games across all competitions dating back to June 12.
RSL will return home for its next match, hosting Eastern Conference power Sporting Kansas City at 8:00 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium next Saturday, July 20. Tickets are still available to the match – which will feature postgame Pioneer Day fireworks – and can be purchased at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at www.RealSaltLake.com/Tickets or over the phone at 801-727-2700.
Stay tuned to www.RealSaltLake.com and follow the club on Twitter @RealSaltLake for all the latest news and information on the team ahead of Saturday’s MLS matchup at FC Dallas.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake at FC Dallas
- Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. MT at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas
- TV: CW30 (Ford Postgame Show to immediately follow final whistle)
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (Pregame begins at 6:00 p.m. MT)
- Spanish Radio: La Gran D 102.3 FM & Juan 1600 AM
- Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter Feed will provide live match updates
Click here to download the PDF version of the MLS Game Guide for Saturday’s RSL at FCD matchup
RSL History v. FC Dallas
Real Salt Lake is 8-13-3 in MLS regular season matches against FC Dallas. The Claret-and-Cobalt has never won at Dallas, going 0-9-2 in Big D in MLS play and 0-11-2 in Dallas across all competitions.
RSL lost its last match against FC Dallas 2-0, giving up two goals in the final 20 minutes at FC Dallas Stadium on March 23.
