SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake will open its 2013 home schedule at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, when it will take on the Colorado Rapids in the first leg of the 2013 Rocky Mountain Cup Presented by Mark Miller Subaru. The Claret-and-Cobalt has won six-consecutive Rocky Mountain Cups, winning the 2012 crown by posting a 2-1-0 record against the Rapids last season.
Saturday’s match will be broadcast live on ABC4, ESPN 700 AM and 102.3 La Gran D/1600 AM. ABC4 will air the 30-minute Ford Postgame Show immediately following the match; ESPN 700 will begin its pregame coverage at 3:00 p.m. MT and will air an hour-long postgame show immediately after the final whistle.
The NBC Sports Network will periodically show live look-ins of Saturday’s match as part of the network’s “MLS Breakaway” show, a 2 ½ hour, NFL RedZone-type program hosted by Arlo White and Kyle Martino that will be the highlight of NBC’s 10 consecutive hours of MLS Rivalry Week programming on Saturday.
Real Salt Lake will honor GK Nick Rimando before the match for becoming the second player in MLS history to reach 100 career regular season shutouts. Rimando notched his 100th clean sheet in RSL’s 2-0 win at San Jose on March 3, joining unsigned ‘keeper Kevin Hartman (112) as the only two players in the exclusive club.
RSL lost its last match, falling 1-0 at D.C. United on March 9. The Claret-and-Cobalt has never won at D.C., with last weekend’s defeat moving the club to 0-6-3 across all competitions in the nation’s capital. RSL saw two players disciplined for actions in the D.C. match, with DF Abdoulie Mansally suspended for Saturday’s game and fined for violent conduct and FW Alvaro Saborio fined for aggravated dissent.
Saturday’s match is the only time that RSL will host Colorado this season. The Claret-and-Cobalt has won six-consecutive Rocky Mountain Cups, capturing last year’s trophy with a pair of 2-0 wins in the first two games against the rival Rapids.
RSL is 9-9-7 all-time against the Rapids and 7-3-5 against Colorado since acquiring captain Kyle Beckerman and DF Chris Wingert from the Rapids in the middle of the 2007 season. Beckerman, Wingert and DF Nat Borchers have won Rocky Mountain Cups for both RSL and the Rapids, with Beckerman 8-0 in the competition, Wingert 7-0 and Borchers 6-0.
The Claret-and-Cobalt lost its last match against Colorado, falling 1-0 at the Rapids on Aug. 4, 2012.
Real Salt Lake will again on Saturday be without regular starters Wingert (R Metatarsal Fracture) and MF Javier Morales (R Lateral Meniscus Injury) due to injury. Borchers (R Quad Surgery) is unlikely to play while the status of MF Ned Grabavoy (Family Matter) is up in the air.
The Real Salt Lake Reserves will take on the Colorado Rapids Reserves at Rio Tinto Stadium at 6:30 p.m. MT on Saturday night. Fans with tickets to the first-team match will be allowed to stay for the Reserve League game, but no re-entry into the stadium will be permitted
The Claret-and-Cobalt will hit the road again next week, taking on FC Dallas at FC Dallas Stadium on Saturday, March 23.
Stay tuned to www.RealSaltLake.comand follow the club on Twitter @RealSaltLake for all the latest news and information on the team ahead of Saturday’s MLS matchup against the Colorado Rapids.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake v. Colorado Rapids
- Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah
- TV: ABC4 (Ford Postgame Show to immediately follow final whistle)
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (Pregame begins at 3:00 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 v. COL Match Now Available Online
Click here to download the PDF version of the MLS Game Guide for Saturday’s RSL-COL matchup
RSL History v. COL
Real Salt Lake is tied 9-9-7 in its all-time series with Colorado. The Claret-and-Cobalt has done well against the Rapids in Salt Lake, posting a 7-3-3 MLS regular season record against Colorado at home.
RSL lost its last match against Colorado, giving up a first half goal to MF Joseph Nane to fall 1-0 to the Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Aug. 4, 2012.
