SANDY, Utah (Monday, June 15, 2015) – Real Salt Lake kicks off its annual Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup entry Tuesday night against minor-league Seattle Sounders 2 (USL) at Rio Tinto Stadium, as the locally-broadcast match kicks off at 8:00 p.m. MT on ESPN700 AM and La Gran D 102.3 FM / 1600 AM.
Real Salt Lake has posted an all-time 6-6-0 mark in the competition, including a 6-3-0 record on Utah soil. Tuesday night’s match is the first U.S. Open Cup home game for RSL since the club dropped a heartbreaking 0-1 decision at Rio Tinto Stadium back in October, 2013, in the tournament’s 100th Final to D.C. United. Two seasons ago, RSL rode a streak of four consecutive home wins – three against minor-league competition – en route to that ill-fated final loss, suffered just two months prior to the club’s MLS Cup 2013 shootout loss in Kansas City – making the Utah side the lone team out of 11 to have advanced to both Cup finals in the same season, while winning neither.
RSL’s entire technical staff, including club President Bill Manning, has earned an Open Cup title. Manning, with the 1991 Brooklyn Italians (USASA) was the first to accomplish the feat, while Head Coach Jeff Cassar and assistant Ted Eck each won the title in 1997 with the Dallas Burn. Technical Director Craig Waibel won in 2001 with the LA Galaxy, while assistant Andy Williams was on the 2003 Chicago Fire side as a player, with assistant Daryl Shore a coach on the Fire championship sides in 2000, 2003 and 2006. RSL’s newest assistant coach, Tyrone Marshall, won the Open Cup on three occasions as a player – in 2005 with the LA Galaxy and in 2009 and 2010 with Seattle Sounders.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake v. Seattle Sounders FC 2 (USL)
• Coverage Begins: 8:00 p.m. MT
• Web Stream: RealSaltLake.com / USsoccer YouTube page – Trey Fitz-Gerald & Brian Kamler
• English Radio: ESPN700 AM (7:00 p.m. MT) – Jeremy Horton & Brian Kamler
• Spanish Radio: 102.3 La Gran D FM / 1600 AM – Nelson Moran & Fernando Hortal
• Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter Feed will provide match updates
Game Guide for Tuesday’s RSL v. S2 Match Now Available Online
Following is the link to the Adobe PDF version of the MLS Game Guide in advance of Tuesday’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup contest between Real Salt Lake and Sounders FC 2.
Click here to download the PDF version of the MLS Game Guide for Tuesday’s RSL v. Sounders 2 matchup
June/July Slate Dictates Home Cooking for RSL; Open Cup / CCL Paths Determined
Last Sunday’s 0-0 home with rival Colorado dropped RSL’s home mark to 2-1-4 at home this season, as Rio Tinto Stadium prepares to host six of the club’s next eight matches, including tomorrow’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup contest against Seattle Sounders FC 2.
Two weeks ago, RSL discovered its 2015/16 Champions League Group, as the club will face Santa Tecla FC (El Salvador) and Municipal (Guatemala) with two home games and two away scheduled during six possible matchdates in August/September/October. RSL and the remaining 23 clubs will ascertain dates and times in the coming weeks.
RSL’s Memorial Day Weekend victory over NYCFC on May 23 kicked off a run that sees RSL play eight games in 34 days from May 23-June 27 (seven MLS reg. season matches plus one U.S. Open Cup contest; stretch could extend to 10 games in 44 days through July 4 with an Open Cup win Tuesday, as the June 30/July 1 Open Cup window would come into play).
International Duty Pervades RSL Roster
RSL boss Jeff Cassar recently welcomed the return of three world-class starters, as Captain Kyle Beckerman, GK Nick Rimando and FW Alvaro Saborio all have traveled to Europe and back in the most recent FIFA international window for United States and Costa Rica matches. DF Boyd Okwuonu (U.S. U-23s) and M/F Jordan Allen (U.S. U-20s) are also back after helping the USA youth national team’s to the knockout rounds in recent tourneys, while DF Elias Vasquez (Guatemala) and DF Abdoulie Mansally (The Gambia) should return by midweek after various regional qualifying matches.
Several RSL players, including Beckerman, Rimando, Saborio, Vasquez and DF Demar Phillips (Jamaica), could depart in late June for CONCACAF Gold Cup duty, causing them to miss most of July’s four-game MLS slate, along with potential U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 and Quarterfinal matches, should RSL advance.
Schedule Congestion Catalyst for Squad Rotation
As a result of the schedule congestion described above, RSL boss Jeff Cassar has distributed minutes all over the roster in anticipation of quick turnarounds and key absences due to international duty, suspension, injury and fatigue, as 21 different players have earned starts for the Claret-and-Cobalt in 2015’s first 15 games, while 25 players – all but GK Lalo Fernandez, DF Phanuel Kavita and DF Boyd Okwuonu – have logged MLS minutes in 2015.
When MF John Stertzer scored his first career goal in the May 23, 2-0 home win over NYCFC, he became the 58th player of the 124 that have worn the RSL crest in MLS play to find the back of the net, while 18-year old DF Justen Glad – who made his MLS debut May 30 in Vancouver – became the 124th player to appear on club’s behalf.
