SANDY, Utah (Friday, June 28, 2019) – Real Salt Lake returns to Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, June 29 when it hosts Sporting Kansas City at 8:00p MT. The match will signify the club’s halfway point of the 2019 season, as well as its second annual PRIDE Night in conjunction with Major League Soccer’s Soccer for All Month.
Tickets to Saturday’s PRIDE Night match can be purchased by going to RSL.com or by calling 844.REAL.TIX.
RSL is coming off a return to league play after a three-week hiatus from regular season action where it earned a 1-1 draw at the Chicago Fire last Saturday. MF Albert Rusnák notched his team-leading sixth goal of the season in the draw, converting a first half penalty to help RSL earn the point on the road.
RSL and Sporting Kansas City will meet for the first time since the 2018 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs last November, where a heated two-leg series in the Western Conference Semifinal saw Sporting advance to the Western Conference Final by a 5-3 aggregate scoreline. The last time RSL hosted SKC in regular season play was July 4, 2018, a match that saw another heated chapter written into the physical rivalry between the two sides. RSL saw goals from MFs Jefferson Savarino and Sebastian Saucedo and FW Corey Baird along with Luis Silva on the day to earn the 4-2 home victory. Two red cards were handed out in the match, both to SKC late in the match. On Saturday, RSL will be without Savarino as the agile midfielder remains with the Venezuelan National Team for its run in the 2019 Copa America in Brazil.
Sporting enters the match ninth in the Western Conference with a 4-5-7 (19 points) record, one point behind RSL who currently sit eighth in the West entering the weekend.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake vs. Sporting Kansas City – Saturday, June 29, 2019
· Coverage Begins: 7:30 p.m. MT
· Local TV: KMYU w/ David James (play-by-play), Brian Dunseth (color) & Samantha Yarock (sideline)
· Digital Streaming: KSL TV app
· English Radio: ESPN700 with Bill Riley (play-by-play) & Jay Nolly (color)
· Spanish Radio: 107.1 FM
Game Notes for Saturday’s RSL v SKC game Available Online
The link to the Adobe PDF version of the Game Guide in advance of Saturday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City is available HERE. 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 Taran Meyer in the RSL Communications Department via email at tmeyer@rsl.com.
As RSL enters the halfway point of the 2019 season, Head Coach Mike Petke’s team has seen eight different players notch goals for the club. The team is led in scoring by Rusnák who has scored six goals on the year. Designated Player FW Sam Johnson sits second on the team with five goals scored in 14 matches played.
2018 RSL Golden Boot winner MF Damir Kreilach has remained a steady presence in the midfield for RSL in 2019, providing three goals and one assist in 14 starts this season. Playmaker MF Jefferson Savarino has three goals to his name, enough to earn a call-up to the Venezuelan Men’s National Team for the 2019 Copa America in Brazil.
On the backline, DF Nedum Onuoha has been a mainstay at centerback in his first full season with the club, starting and playing in 15 of the club’s 16 matches thus far. The former Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers defender has seen been paired alongside Homegrown DFs Justen Glad and Erik Holt and DF Marcelo Silva and on occasion, MF Nick Besler. On both sides of the backline, Homegrown DFs Aaron Herrera, Brooks Lennon and Donny Toia have battled for starting positions at right and left back. Herrera leads the defensive group in matches played in 2019 having featured in all 16 matches.
In goal, legendary GK Nick Rimando has featured in 12 matches in 2019, earning two shutouts. Prior to the commencement of the season, Rimando announced that 2019 – his 20th season in MLS would be his last and was recently selected by MLS Commissioner Don Garber for the 2019 MLS All-Star game in Orlando, Florida on July 31. GK Andrew Putna has also seen action in goal this season, starting four of RSL’s 16 matches while earning one shutout on the year in RSL’s dominant 3-0 victory over 2019 expansion side FC Cincinnati on April 19.
