RSL MATCH PREVIEW & GAME NOTES: REAL SALT LAKE v. LA GALAXY– WED., JUNE 20
RSL Seeks to Remain Atop MLS, Hosting MLS Cup 2011 Champions Before SOLD OUT Rio Tinto Stadium Crowd; 7:00 p.m. MT Kickoff Live on CW30
SANDY, Utah (June 19, 2012) – Table-topping Real Salt Lake(10-3-2, 32 pts.; #1 in West) continues this week atop the MLS standings, seeking to extend its active seven-game unbeaten streak and its club-best record through 15 games in team history. Tomorrow night, Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. MT the Claret-and-Cobalt play its second contest in an eight-day span by hosting the second of three Californian opponents this week, the Los Angeles Galaxy (4-8-2, 14 pts.; #7 in West), in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Final. As always, fans can enjoy pre-game activities in Sandy at the Carnival RealFestival at 5:00 p.m. on the stadium’s East Lawn.
Tickets for Wednesday’s match versus LA Galaxy are currently sold-out, but a limited number of standing-room tickets were released for sale at 10:00 a.m. MT on Tuesday for $30 at the Rio Tinto Stadium box offices. Vouchers will not be accepted. The game will be televised LIVE on CW30 at 7:00 p.m. MT across Utah, with Bill Riley and Brian Dunseth on the call. The RAM Trucks post-game show will air at 9:00 p.m. MT with interviews, highlights and reactions from the game.
With a win on Wednesday against Los Angeles – the second of three 2011 MLS Western Conference Final rematches this season – RSL’s potential haul of 35 points from 16 games would place the 2012 side in a tie for the fourth-best mark at this juncture in the league’s 17 seasons. The 1998 Galaxy went 14-2-0 / 40 pts, followed by the 2010 Galaxy (11-2-3 / 36 pts), the 2001 Miami Fusion (11-2-3 / 36 pts., featuring current RSL personalities Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando, Jeff Cassar and Brian Dunseth) and the 2006 D.C. United (10-1-5 / 35 pts).
How to Follow Real Salt Lake v. Los Angeles Galaxy
- Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, UT
- TV: CW30 w/ Bill Riley & Brian Dunseth (post-game coverage at 9:00 p.m.)
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM / ESPN700Sports.com (Pre/post-game coverage with James Rust & Brian Kamler)
- Spanish Radio: 102.3 FM “La Gran D” & 1600-AM with Nelson Moran & Fernando Hortal
- Online: Live updates via the @RSLkickoff gameday Twitter Feed and the MLSsoccer.com MatchCenter
MLS Game Guide for Wednesday’s RSL-LA Showdown Now Available Online
Following is the link to the Adobe PDF version of the Major League Soccer Game Guide(media notes) in advance of Wednesday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy. 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 Trey Fitz-Gerald in the RSL Communications Department via email at tfitz@realsaltlake.com.
Click here to download the Adobe PDF version of the MLS Game Guide
RSL History v. LA Galaxy
The two teams expected by most to once again set the Western Conference tone in 2012 – LA and RSL – have now met 22 times in all competitions since RSL was established in 2005, the all-time series perfectly even, each holding identical 8-8-6 records. The teams’ first postseason contest, MLS Cup 2009, was tied 1-1 after 120 minutes, with RSL emerging 5-4 in a seven-frame PK tiebreaker.
RSL owns a six-game home-unbeaten streak against LA, posting a 3-0-3 mark against the Galaxy on Utah soil since losing at Rice-Eccles Stadium on April 29, 2006. All-time, RSL is 4-1-4 against the Galaxy on the Wasatch Front, including a 2-0-1 mark at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Last year, in regular-season play, both clubs held serve at home, RSL opening its Rio Tinto Stadium slate in MLS play on Mar. 26 with a dominant 4-1 victory, and Los Angeles with a statement 2-1 win in Carson on Oct. 1, a game which effectively clinched the Supporters Shield for the Galaxy. Los Angeles ultimately won the most pivotal match of all in the Western Conference Final on Nov. 6, with goals from Landon Donovan, Mike Magee and Robbie Keane to punch a ticket as the host of MLS Cup 2011 via a 3-1 home win over RSL.
In this season’s previous meeting, back in Week 1 on March 10, Real Salt Lake kicked off 2012 with a 3-1 win at The Home Depot Center, the venue where 8 of RSL’s all-time 23 road victories have come. After trailing 0-1 late in the second half after an Edson Buddle goal, RSL’s turnaround in the final 17 minutes of the match saw an own-goal by LA DF Sean Franklin, created via service from rookie MF Sebastian Velasquez; what proved to be the game-winning goal by MF Javier Morales in the 80th minute – his first since returning from a horrific leg injury early in 2011; and the final dagger by FW Fabian Esp᜷ndola, currently tied with Alvaro Saborio as RSL’s leading scorer with six goals, the first of which scored at LA in the 84th minute on a breakaway to give RSL the final 3-1 margin.
www.RealSaltLake.com / www.RioTintoStadium.com / www.ESPN700Sports.com
