SANDY, Utah (Friday, March 8, 2018) – Real Salt Lake welcomes Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, March 9 for its home-opening match of the 2019 season. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium, with The Plaza – formerly Carnival Real – opening its gates for fans to enter at 2:00 p.m. MT on the east side of the stadium grounds.
A Nick Rimando “Greatest of All Time” ticket special highlight the club’s first home match of 2019 with fans being able to secure tickets to the match for just $18 by entering code: GOAT at RSL.com/promo.
Saturday’s match will also see RSL supporters’ groups congregate under one flag for the very first time. The Riot becomes the first all-encompassing supporters’ group in the club’s history and will see multiple individual supporters group combine to help make Rio Tinto Stadium one of the premier soccer venues in Major League Soccer.
RSL has earned a 5-1-8 record all-time in home-opening matches dating back to its inaugural season in 2005 and is 4-1-5 all-time in home-openers held at Rio Tinto Stadium. The club’s only home-opening loss came in 2018 at the hands of LAFC.
In 2018, RSL and Whitecaps FC split the season series as each club walked away with one victory from two matches played. RSL toppled the Whitecaps 2-1 when the Cascadia side visited Rio Tinto Stadium in early-April, moving its all-time home record against Vancouver to 6-1-3 dating back to 2011, complementing +9 goal differential at Rio Tinto Stadium against the ‘Caps.
RSL opened its 15th season in Major League Soccer last Saturday when it played to a 1-1 draw at the Houston Dynamo. MF Albert Rusnák opened his scoring account for the 2019 season when he fielded a ball from FW Corey Baird inside the box before easily scoring RSL’s lone goal of the match.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC – Sat., March 9, 2019
· Coverage Begins: 3:30 p.m. MT
· Local TV: KMYU with David James (play-by-play), Brian Dunseth (color) & Samantha Yarock (sideline)
· Digital Streaming: KSL TV App
· English Radio: 101.5 FM The Eagle with Spencer Warne (play-by-play) & Jay Nolly (color)
· Spanish Radio: 107.1 FM
Game Notes for Saturday’s RSL v VAN game Available Online
The link to the Adobe PDF version of the Game Guide in advance of Saturday’s home opening contest between Real Salt Lake and Vancouver Whitecaps FC 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.
Petke’s squad features a balanced attack that saw six players score five goals or more last season, led by club MVP and Golden Boot winner MF Damir Kreilach’s 12 goals to go with eight assists in his first MLS season. Rusnák finished last season with 10 goals and seven assists while FW Joao Plata had eight goals and eight assists and FW Jefferson Savarino notched seven goals and a team-leading 11 assists. Reigning AT&T MLS Rookie of the Year FW Corey Baird leads a dynamic crop of Homegrown talent from the Real Salt Lake Academy, scoring eight goals with five assists in his debut professional season.
Regular contributors in that group of young and rising talent from 2018 return as DF Justen Glad, DF Aaron Herrera, FW Sebastian Saucedo and the club’s Defensive Player of the Year, DF Brooks Lennon all look poised to be regulars for the side once again. Meanwhile, club legends MF Kyle Beckerman and GK Nick Rimando and DF Tony Beltran lead a young group into the club’s 15th season in the country’s top flight.
RSL welcomed nine new players to its squad for the 2019 season as FWs Julian Vazquez, Tate Schmitt and Sam Johnson; MFs Justin Portillo, Luis Arriaga and Everton Luiz join DFs Donny Toia and Erik Holt as well as GK David Ochoa all became new faces in the offseason.
Tickets to Saturday’s match are available at RSL.com/Tickets or by calling 844.REAL.TIX
