REAL SALT LAKE HOSTS TIGRES UANL FOR INAUGURAL LEAGUES CUP BOUT
RSL Welcomes Mexican Champions Tigres in First-Ever Leagues Cup Match at Rio Tinto Stadium; Tickets Available at LeaguesCup.com
SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, July 23, 2019) – Real Salt Lake is set to welcome defending Liga MX champion Tigres UANL to Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday, July 24 at 8:30p MT in its inaugural Leagues Cup match. The match can be seen live nationally on Univision and ESPN+. Wednesday's match will be presented by the Utah Sports Commission.
Ticket’s to Wednesday’s match start at just $23 at LeaguesCup.com or by calling 844.REAL.TIX.
RSL enters Wednesday’s bout having drawn 1-1 with Minnesota United FC last Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. DF Marcelo Silvanotched the lone goal for RSL in the draw, marking his second goal of the 2019 season. The draw saw RSL move to 9-9-3 (30 points) through 21 matches in 2019 and 7-2-1 (22 points) at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Tigres arrives in Utah on the back of its seventh Liga MX Clausura championship after defeating Léon 1-0 on aggregate in the final. Tigres led the league in 2019 with a 19-9-6 record (63 points) through the regular season having scored 65 goals and conceding only 34 to finish the regular season with a +31-goal differential. Led by striker Andre-Pierre Gignac who notched 24 goals throughout the 18/19 season, Tigres mounted the league’s highest goal difference on the year. The match will also mark the return of former RSL centerback Carlos Salcedo who climbed the ranks of the RSL Academy to the MLS side before going on to feature on a regular basis for Mexico at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake vs. Tigres UANL – Wednesday, July 24, 2019
· Coverage Begins: 8:00 p.m. MT
· National TV: Univision
· Digital Streaming: ESPN+
· English Radio: ESPN700 with Spencer Warne (play-by-play) & Jay Nolly (color)
· Spanish Radio: N/A
Game Notes for Saturday’s RSL vs. TIG game Available Online
The link to the Adobe PDF version of the Game Guide in advance of Wednesday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Tigres UANL 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 Designated Player FW Sam Johnson having scored eight goals in 16 matches played while MF Albert Rusnák has added another seven goals and three assists on the year.
2018 RSL Golden Boot winner MF Damir Kreilach has remained a steady presence in the midfield for RSL in 2019, providing four goals and three assists in 19 starts this season. Playmaker FW Jefferson Savarino has five goals to his name, including two goals and one assist against the Philadelphia Union in earning MLS Player of the Week honors in Week 19.
On the backline, DF Nedum Onuoha has been a mainstay at centerback in his first full season with the club, starting and playing in 17 of the club’s 21 matches thus far. The former Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers defender has seen been paired alongside Homegrown DFs Justen Glad and Erik Holt, along with Marcelo Silva. 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 20 matches, 19 as a starter.
In goal, legendary GK Nick Rimando has featured in 17 matches in 2019, earning five 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. On July 6, Rimando became the first player in MLS to start and play in 500 regular season matches as he continues to set the benchmark for players across the league. GK Andrew Putna has also seen action in goal this season, starting four of RSL’s 21 matches while earning one shutout on the year in RSL’s dominant 3-0 victory over 2019 expansion side FC Cincinnati on April 19.
