SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake returns home on Friday, when it will host Eastern Conference foe New England Revolution at 8:00 p.m. MT at a sold-out Rio Tinto Stadium. The July 4 match will be followed by an Independence Day fireworks show, with RSL seeking to improve upon its all-time 1-1-7 mark on the holiday. Friday’s contest will be broadcast live on CW30, ESPN 700 and 102.3 La Gran D FM.
Real Salt Lake enters Friday’s matchup looking to break its five-game winless streak. RSL lost its last match, moving to 6-3-7 (25 points) on the season after suffering a 1-0 defeat at Chivas USA on Saturday. Last weekend’s match saw an early red card shown to RSL MF Luke Mulholland in the ninth minute after a tackle on Chivas USA MF Martin Rivero. The 10-man Claret-and-Cobalt was unable to comeback after the Southern California side took the lead in the 35th minute through a wonder-strike from Chivas USA FW Erick Torres. Real Salt Lake is now winless in its last five MLS matches and six games across all competition. RSL fell 2-1 at Atlanta Silverbacks in U.S. Open Cup play on June 14.
Friday’s match with New England Revolution will be Real Salt Lake’s only meeting with the Eastern Conference side in the 2014 MLS regular season. Real Salt Lake is 8-4-4 all-time against New England, with a club-high +12 goal differential. The Claret-and-Cobalt has fared well at home against the Revs, posting a 4-2-2 record in Utah, and has produced two of its highest scoring victories at home against New England, thrashing the Revs 6-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium in 2009 and routing them 5-0 in the Beehive State the following year.
RSL won its only match against New England last year, a 2-1 victory at Gillette Stadium on May 8, 2013. The Claret-and-Cobalt staged a comeback after going down early in the second half, with an equalizing goal from RSL FW Devon Sandoval in the 77th minute and a late game-winner scored by FW Olmes Garcia in the 89th minute. The last time the two sides met at Rio Tinto Stadium, RSL came out on top with a 2-1 win on May 5, 2012.
Real Salt Lake Captain Kyle Beckerman and veteran GK Nick Rimando have returned to the Utah club after the U.S. bowed out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday. The Americans advanced to the Round of 16 but ultimately fell 2-1 in extra time to Belgium. The international duo has missed a total of six MLS matches, including RSL’s U.S. Open Cup loss at Atlanta Silverbacks after being named to the U.S.’s World Cup roster. In their absence, the Claret-and-Cobalt went 1-3-2 in MLS play. With a quick turnaround from Brazil, the duo’s status heading into Friday’s match remains to be determined.
The New England Revolution currently sit third in the Eastern Conference with a 7-6-2 record and total of 23 points. The Revs lost their last match, falling 3-1 to Philadelphia Union at Gillette Stadium last Saturday.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake v. New England Revolution
- Kickoff: 8:00 p.m. MT v. New England Revolution
- TV: CW30
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (Pregame begins at 7:00 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-NE 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 New England Revolution. 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-NE matchup
RSL History v. NE
Friday’s match with New England Revolution will be Real Salt Lake’s only meeting with the Eastern Conference side in the 2014 MLS regular season. Real Salt Lake is 8-4-4 all-time against New England, with a club-high +12 goal differential. The Claret-and-Cobalt has fared well at home against the Revs, posting a 4-2-2 record in Utah. The Claret-and-Cobalt has produced two of its highest scoring victories at home against New England, thrashing the Revs 6-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium in 2009 and routing them 5-0 in the Beehive State the following year.
