HERRIMAN, Utah (Friday, April 12, 2024) – Real Salt Lake (3-2-2, 11 pts., t-3rd West MLS) resumes its 2024 MLS regular season – the Club’s 20th and Major League Soccer 29th – this Saturday at its America First Field home with a 7:30p MT kickoff against defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew (3-1-3, 12 pts, t-2nd East MLS), the active CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinalists after this week’s shootout win at Tigres UANL in Monterrey, Mex.
RSL Captain FW* Chicho Arango* – the MLS leader in goal contributions with six goals and four assists through seven games this season – rides an active six-game streak with either a goal or an assist into this weekend. Chicho found the back of the net last Saturday at Minnesota, on the heels of recording all three RSL goals two weeks ago in the Utah side’s come-from-behind 3-1 win over St. Louis. With the Club’s first hat trick since September 17, 2018 (Damir Kreilach). Chicho’s three-goal performance is just the seventh in RSL’s 621-game MLS history, the Colombian joining Alvaro Saborio (three hats – two in 2012, one in 2013), along with Robbie Findley (2009), Javier Morales (2014) and Kreilach. Former Captain, head coach and current Club director Jason Kreis also had a hat trick, albeit in the 2005 U.S. Open Cup – at Minnesota.
Chicho also had assists on both RSL goals at Vancouver on March 23, giving him responsibility for creating the last six Claret-and-Cobalt goals. Arango now has 105 goals as a professional, including 49 goals in 82 games across all competitions since arriving in MLS for LAFC and RSL. Since arriving on the Wasatch Front last July, Chicho boasts 14 goals and six assists in 25 MLS appearances for the Utah-based side, with those numbers increasing to 16 goals and eight assists in 30 RSL games across all competitions (incl. Leagues Cup, Open Cup, Playoffs).
This Saturday’s kickoff at 7:30p MT on Apple TV+ / MLS Season Pass features Tony Husband and Ross Smith (ENG) and John Laguna and* Claudio Suarez* (SPN) on the call. For local coverage, tune in at 6:30p 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).
Real Salt Lake v. Columbus Crew SC – MLS Matchday 9
America First Field – Sandy, Utah
Saturday, April 13, 2024 – 7:30p MT
2023 Records:
Real Salt Lake (14-12-8, 50 pts, 5th West);
Columbus Crew SC (16-9-9, 57 pts., 3rd East)
Saturday’s match is the first of three consecutive contests pitting RSL against Eastern Conference opponents. Following the home tilt against Columbus, RSL hits the road each of the next two weekends, first traveling to Chicago to face the Fire on Sat., April 20 (6:30p MT) before matriculating to Philadelphia on Sat., April 27 (5:30p MT to square off against the Union. RSL is 1-1-2 / 5 pts. away from home thus far this season, as Pablo Mastroeni’s “road warriors” look to improve upon a 12W-5L-8T road mark across all competitions last season.
INJURY UPDATES
RSL FW Anderson Julio – who missed last weekend’s trip to Minnesota after suffering a hamstring strain two weeks ago at home in the 3-1 win over St. Louis – returned to training this week and is expected to be healthy enough to contribute, pending Friday’s training session … Julio provided the equalizer in the Club’s comeback win at Vancouver on March 23, scoring just his sixth goal as a starter to go with 12 career goals off the bench for RSL. The Ecauadoran international has now scored 12 of those 18 all-time MLS goals in the second half, with eight of the 12 coming as a substitute.
SETTING THE PACE
RSL MF Diego Luna now ranks second in MLS with five assists in six games this young season, last providing the primary helper on Chicho’s third goal in that historic performance back on March 30 in Sandy. That third goal was the dagger which launched Arango on his way to the MLS lead with six goals this year after last week’s header at Minnesota. Arango is also third in MLS in assists with four, the RSL Captain dominating the chance creation game through the first eight matchdays. Right winger Andrés Gómez adds two goals and three assists to an attack that also features MF* Matt Crooks* and the multi-faceted* Fidel Barajas* in the new-look game model for 2024.
