HERRIMAN, Utah (Tuesday, July 11, 2023) – Real Salt Lake (9-7-6, 33 pts., 4th West) rides extended momentum seeking yet another Major League Soccer road win on Matchday 25 Wednesday at Sporting Kansas City, the second of three games this week. Since dropping MLS Cup 2013 in an historic 20-round shootout, RSL owns five wins and three draws against just three losses at Kansas City across multiple competitions. RSL’s current road form has set a new Club standard with four straight wins and 10 games unbeaten away in MLS and Open Cup play.
Later this week, RSL returns home Saturday to host New York Red Bulls at America First Field, looking to reprise last week’s dominant 4-0 home win over Orlando City, a match which featured Chicho Arango’s debut goal for the Club just 23 minutes in, as well as strikes from Justen Glad, Jefferson Savarino and Anderson Julio. Three Pablo Ruiz assists set up the scoring onslaught – RSL’s largest margin of victory in two years – in support of the clean sheet, RSL’s seventh of the season across all competitions.
Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s side remains unbeaten in eight games during June & July – six wins, two draws, with 17 RSL goals scored by nine different players. Dating back to April 8, RSL is unbeaten in 18 of its last 21 (12 wins, six draws), a run which includes a Club-record 10 consecutive road results, including a NEW Club-record four straight wins away – as well as an eight-game overall unbeaten run across both MLS and U.S. Open Cup play, including advancement to the August 23 Open Cup Semifinal in Houston.
Wednesday’s kickoff at rival Sporting KC begins at 6:30p MT on the Apple MLS Season Pass w/ Kevin Egan and Kyndra de St Aubin (ENG) & Raul Guzman and Sonny Guardarrama (SPN); for local coverage, tune in at 5:30p MT for KSL Radio pre-game w/ David James & Jay Nolly via www.KSLSports.com / 1280 AM / 97.5 FM and www.KSLNewsRadio.com / 1160 AM).
CHICHO’S HISTORIC DEBUT
New RSL Designated Player FW ‘Chicho’ Arango announced his presence in Utah and his return to MLS with authority on Saturday, finding the back of the net just 23 minutes into his Claret-and-Cobalt debut, providing the game-winning goal in a dominant 4-0 win over Orlando. Arango became just the fifth of 200 players in RSL’s 19-year history to score in his debut (Dunseth, Tarley, Findley, Julio) and is now just eight goals shy of 100 for his professional career. The 28-year-old Colombian has publicly hoped to celebrate that milestone with RSL in the back half of the 2023 campaign, which includes the upcoming Leagues Cup and the U.S. Open Cup as well as MLS reg. season and potentially MLS Cup Playoff opportunities.
Arango’s arrival is expected to benefit several RSL players – including former LAFC teammate Danny Musovski, along with FW Jefferson Savarino, MF Diego Luna, Captain Damir Kreilach, FW Andrés Gómez and FW Rubio Rubin, as well as others – who all figure to see their attacking space, time, quality and opportunity increase. Arango, the former LAFC striker – was named the 2021 MLS Newcomer of the Year and part of the 2022 MLS Cup and Supporters Shield championship runs in LA – returns to MLS after six months at Pachuca in Liga MX. Arango – with two caps for the Colombian national team – boasts 32 goals in 58 all-time appearances with LAFC, and has been training with RSL since his June 10 arrival in Utah.
PALACIO ARRIVED, SHOULD APPEAR SOON
On June 30, RSL officially welcomed U22 MF Nelson Palacio, a Colombian international permanently transferred from Atlético Nacional. Palacio becomes the fourth Cafetero – all acquired in the last six months – as Palacio and Arango join Andrés Gómez and Brayan Vera on the RSL roster. Only Portland Timbers (five) boast more Colombians on their current MLS roster, as Palacio could be eligible to play as early as Wednesday. Due to the length and intensity of Palacio’s recent Colombian season and playoff run, his home debut will likely be Saturday against Red Bull New York.
THREE-MONTH RUN STABILIZES SEASON
Since April 8, RSL has now recorded 12 wins, three losses and six draws in its last 21 games across multiple competitions, securing a berth in the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final four, the 109-year old tourney resuming on August 23 in Houston. During the recent slate of schedule congestion across MLS and Open Cup action, RSL boss Pablo Mastroeni and staff have used 27 different players including Designated Player Chicho Arango’s Claret-and-Cobalt debut, and possibly that of new U-22 MF Nelson Palacio as No. 28 this week. Tickets for all upcoming RSL contests are available at www.RSL.com/Tickets ...
