SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake today added an exhibition match to its 2013 schedule, with Jason Kreis’ team hosting the PDL Brigham Young Cougars on MONDAY, April 1, at 6:30 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium. Gates open one hour prior to kickoff for the match, which will likely feature several RSL regulars who appeared last weekend at Dallas, as well as others who are currently rehabbing from injury/illness.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office starting at 10:00 a.m. MT on Wednesday, March 27. Real Salt Lake PRIDE season-ticket holders can purchase tickets for this game for only $5.00 each, while the general public can choose virtually any location in the Stadium for $10.00 per seat.
Real Salt Lake hosts Western Conference elite rival Seattle Sounders FC at home on Saturday evening (7:00 p.m. MT kickoff), the two teams reprising their roles as 2011 and 2012 MLS Cup Playoff opponents. RSL’s reserve match against Seattle previously slated for Sunday, March 31 has been postponed due to the Sounders’ CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal series which begins next Tuesday.
Real Salt Lake (1-2-1, 4 points, West 4) welcomes back five internationals from FIFA World Cup Qualifying this weekend. United States Men’s National Team members MF Kyle Beckerman, GK Nick Rimando and DF Tony Beltran return from a trip that saw them beat Costa Rica in the snow in Denver on Friday and earn just their second ever World Cup qualifying point at Mexico with a scoreless draw on Tuesday. Costa Rican international FW Alvaro Saborio was on the wrong end of Friday’s result, but notched an assist in Los Ticos’ 2-0 win over Jamaica on Tuesday. DF Abdoulie Mansally (The Gambia) has returned to Utah after Saturday’s loss to the Ivory Coast in African qualifying.
RSL’s reserve side is 2-0-0 (6 points) with wins at San Jose on March 4 and against Colorado on March 16. Both games featured goals from rookie FW Devon Sandoval (New Mexico), with playmaking prowess from newcomers FW Joao Plata and FW Olmes Garcia, who set up RSL-AZ Academy U-18 player MF Coco Navarro for the game-winner against the Rapids. GK Josh Saunders has backstopped the RSL rearguard in both victories, after appearing in three of the last four MLS Cup Finals, earning two rings.
