ORLANDO, FL – (Tuesday, July 21, 2020) – Real Salt Lake will return to the field on Wednesday, July 22 when it faces rival Sporting Kansas City in both club’s final group stage match of the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament. Kickoff from the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida is set for 7:00a MT and will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN and locally on the radio on ESPN700.
RSL returns to the pitch having secured a point against Minnesota United FC on Friday night, playing to a scoreless draw against The Loons. Goalkeeper Zac MacMath earned Man of the Match honors in the draw, making three crucial saves to keep RSL atop Group D with one match to play.
When RSL faces Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday, it will have the opportunity to secure its place as the top-seeded team in Group D and advance to the knockout round of the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament. RSL will secure the top seed in Group D if:
- RSL beats Sporting KC
- RSL draws AND Minnesota United draws or loses
RSL will advance out of Group D in a lower-seeded position if:
- RSL loses and Minnesota United loses
RSL and Sporting Kansas City have played to multiple unique and storied matches since 2005, most notably the 2013 MLS Cup Final that saw Sporting walk away victorious. Wednesday’s could spell the most unique of the bunch however, as both teams seek advancement in the tournament. The Utah side has topped Sporting after its two previous meetings, claiming a 2-0 win at Rio Tinto Stadium on June 29 before earning a 2-1 victory at Children’s Mercy Park on August 10, 2019.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake vs. Sporting Kansas City – Wednesday, July 22, 2020
·Coverage Begins: 7:00 a.m. MT
·National TV: ESPN
·Digital Streaming: N/A
·English Radio: ESPN700
·Spanish TV: N/A
Game Notes for Wednesday’s RSL vs. SKC game Available Online
Those seeking the Adobe PDF version of the Game Guide in advance of Wednesday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Sporting KC can be found here. Media members looking to receive the document as an attachment or have further questions are asked to please contact Taran Meyer in the RSL Communications Department via email at tmeyer@rsl.com.
RSL finished the 2019 regular season seeing 12 different players notch goals for the club. The team was led in scoring by MF Albert Rusnák with 10 goals, followed closely by FW Sam Johnson with nine goals while Rusnák added an additional five assists. 2018 RSL Golden Boot winner MF Damir Kreilach remained a steady presence in multiple roles for RSL in 2019, providing six goals and five assists in 32 starts this season.
On the backline, defender Nedum Onuoha returns in 2020 after becoming a mainstay at centerback in his first full season with the club, featuring in 27 of the club’s 34 matches. The former Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers defender was been paired alongside fellow returners Justen Glad, Marcelo Silva and Erik Holt and Nick Besler. On both sides of the backline, Homegrown defenders Aaron Herrera and Donny Toia return as the club welcomes MLS veteran Ashtone Morgan and MLS debutant Alvin Jones. Herrera led the team in matches played and minutes in 2019 having featured in 32 of RSL’s 34 matches for 2,768 minutes played.
In goal, David Ochoa and Andrew Putna return to the goalkeeping core and welcome veteran Zac MacMath to the team for the 2020 season. Putna saw action in goal for RSL and Real Monarchs last season, starting five of RSL’s 34 matches while earning two shutouts on the year in RSL’s dominant 3-0 victory over 2019 expansion side FC Cincinnati on April 19 and a scoreless draw against New England on September 21.
