SANDY, Utah – First-place Real Salt Lake (11-6-4, 37 points, West #1) will look to get back to its winning ways on Saturday, when it will take on Eastern Conference foe the New York Red Bulls (9-7-5, 32 points, East #3) at 5:00 p.m. MT at Red Bull Arena.
Saturday’s match will be broadcast live on ABC 4, ESPN700 AM and 102.3 FM La Gran D/1600 AM. ABC 4 will air its 30-minute Ford Postgame Show immediately after the match; ESPN 700 will begin its pregame coverage at 4:00 p.m. MT and will air an hour-long postgame show immediately after the final whistle.
RSL saw its 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions come to an end last Saturday, when it lost 2-1 to Sporting Kansas City in a controversial match at Rio Tinto Stadium. Claret-and-Cobalt DF Chris Wingert was ejected midway through the second half of last Saturday’s game and is suspended for RSL’s next two league games.
Despite last weekend’s loss, RSL remains in first-place in the Supporters’ Shield and Western Conference races, one point ahead of SKC in the MLS table and three points ahead of the Portland Timbers in the West. The Utah side is 9-1-2 in its last 12 matches across all competitions and 11-2-2 in all comps since the start of May.
RSL will again be shorthanded on Saturday due to international duty, injuries and suspension. MF Kyle Beckerman (U.S.), DF Tony Beltran (U.S.) and GK Nick Rimando (U.S.) will all miss the match while on CONCACAF Gold Cup duty, GK Josh Saunders, DF Carlos Salcedo, DF Chris Schuler, DF Kwame Watson-Siriboe, DF Rich Balchan and MF John Stertzer are all out due to injury and Wingert is suspended.
Real Salt Lake will see one major reinforcement return to the fold on Saturday in FW Alvaro Saborio. Due to a combination of injury and international call-ups, Saborio has played just two league games since April 20 – coming on as a sub and scoring on May 25 against the Chicago Fire and starting and notching an assist on June 22 against Seattle Sounders FC. The Costa Rican captain in the Gold Cup, Saborio and Los Ticos lost to Honduras in the tournament’s Quarterfinals in Baltimore on Sunday.
Real Salt Lake will matchup against three of its former players on Saturday, with the Claret-and-Cobalt taking on ex-RSL men FW Fabian Espindola, DF Jamison Olave and MF Jonny Steele. Espindola, Olave and Steele spent a combined 12 years with RSL before joining New York this offseason, with Espindola and Olave playing major roles on the teams that won the 2009 MLS Cup and advanced to the final of the 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League.
Saturday’s game will be the only 2013 regular season meeting between RSL and New York. The Utah side won its last meeting against the Red Bulls, getting goals from Espindola and MF Luis Gil to topple New York 2-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium on March 18, 2012.
New York drew its last match, tying Toronto FC 0-0 at BMO Field last Saturday. The Red Bulls have struggled against the Western Conference this year, posting a 1-3-1 mark against West teams so far this season.
RSL will stay on the road for its next match, traveling to Denver to take on the Colorado Rapids next Saturday, Aug. 3 in the deciding match of the 2013 Rocky Mountain Cup Presented by Mark Miller Subaru.
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 the New York Red Bulls.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake at New York Red Bulls
- Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. MT at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
- TV: ABC 4 (Ford Postgame Show to follow match)
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (Pregame begins at 4:00 p.m. MT)
- Spanish Radio: La Gran D 102.3 FM & Juan 1600 AM
- Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter Feed will provide live match updates
MLS Game Guide for Saturday’s RSL at NY Match Now Available Online
Click here to download the PDF version of the MLS Game Guide for Saturday’s RSL at NY matchup
RSL History v. New York Red Bulls
Real Salt Lake is 5-3-7 in MLS regular season play against the New York Red Bulls. The Claret-and-Cobalt is 1-3-3 all-time at the Red Bulls, with the Utah side’s lone win at New York coming in its last game in the Big Apple, a 3-1 win at Red Bull Arena on Sept. 21, 2011.
RSL won its last match against New York, getting a 39th minute goal from FW Fabian Espindola and a 58th minute tally from MF Luis Gil to top the Red Bulls 2-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium on March 17, 2012.
