Álvaro Saborío

Saborio had the best season of his three-year RSL career in 2012, lighting up the league to the tune of 17 goals, five multi-goal games and three assists in 31 appearances. Super “Sabo” led RSL in scoring, was third in the league in goals behind Chris Wondolowski and Kenny Cooper and – most notably – set the new Claret-and-Cobalt record for goals in a year, breaking the mark of 16 set by Jeff Cunningham in 2006.

Whether or not Sabo can do it all again in 2013 remains to be seen, but things seem to be working in his favor. The Costa Rican international enters the MLS regular season on a tear for his country and is surrounded by a greatly improved forward corps featuring Robbie Findley, Joao Plata, Olmes Garcia an Devon Sandoval. Those four newcomers should help take some of the defensive attention off of Saborio, opening up space – and hopefully creating more chances – for the skilled striker.

Acquired

RSL: Added to roster on loan from Swiss First Division side FC Sion as an International Player on 3/15/10; Re-signed to four-year contract as a Designated Player on 12/01/10

Professional Career

2012: Set RSL’s single-season record for goals with 17 in 31 league appearances … His 17 goals placed him third in the league behind only MVP and Budweiser Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski (27) and then-New York forward Kenny Cooper … When combining CONCACAF Champions League and MLS regular season play, “Sabo” finished 2012 with 19 goals … Added three assists in the campaign … Played 2,390 regular season minutes for RSL … Got his season off to a hot start, notching an assist in a substitute appearance in RSL’s season-opening 3-1 win at L.A. … Started his first match of the season on March 31 at Portland, scoring the first goal in RSL’s 3-2 win at the Timbers … Had his first multi-goal game of the season on May 5, scoring two goals in RSL’s 2-1 win against New England … Had another two goal performance three weeks later, notching a brace in the Claret-and-Cobalt’s 3-2 win over FC Dallas on May 26 … Scored the third hat trick in RSL history on July 7, tallying three goals in RSL’s 3-0 home win against Portland … Had his first game of 2013 in which he registered both a goal and an assist on July 21 against Colorado, scoring one goal and notching one assist in RSL’s 2-0 win over the Rapids … Followed up his strong performance against Colorado with a brace in his next match, scoring both goals in RSL’s 2-1 home win over Vancouver on July 27 … Scored a stoppage time penalty kick in RSL’s Sept. 18 CONCACAF Champions League win at Panamanian club Tauro FC to keep the Claret-and-Cobalt’s CCL hopes alive … Scored his second hat trick – and fifth multi-goal – game of the season on Sept. 29, when he bagged three goals in RSL’s 4-1 at Chivas USA … Did not feature in RSL’s final CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage match against C.S. Herediano due to suspension, the game finished in a 0-0 tie, keeping RSL out of the Knockout Stage … Played all 180 minutes of RSL’s Western Conference Semifinal loss to Seattle Sounders FC

2011: Finished his “DP” season with 11 goals and 2 assists in 23 appearances (22 starts) in regular season play, leading the team in scoring and placing T-9^th across MLS … When combining regular season, CONCACAF Champions League and MLS Cup Playoff action, “Sabo” finished with 16 goals in 32 games … Marked second straight year he garnered the RSL Golden Boot award … His four game-winning goals also led RSL and ranked T-5^th in MLS, while his 0.48 goals/game rate was 6^th best in the league … Started all six CCL Championship Stage contests (513 mins.) and attacked on a pair of goals that helped RSL reach the Finals of the 2010/11 competition … Started the scoring on 3/01 v. CLB in Leg 2 of the CCL Quarterfinals, his 23’ tally helping RSL to a dominant 4-1 win and advancement … Scored against his former side on 3/15 v. Saprissa in Leg One of the CCL Semifinals, his 9^th minute tally standing as the match-winner in a 2-0 victory … After going goalless in first three months of MLS play (6 games), broke out of slump with six goals in as many contests from 6/25 v. TOR through 8/06 v. NY … Stretch included a pair of braces on 6/25 v. TOR and 7/23 v. SJ, the latter in which he also added an assist in a 4-0 win … Tallied a goal and assist on 7/04 v. NE in a wild 3-3 Independence Day draw in Sandy … After scoring all six goals during that stretch at home, went on a road show across Aug./Sept., scoring four goals in a five-game stretch (8/27 @ CHV, 9/10 @ SEA, 9/21 @ NY & 9/24 @ DC) … Goal in regular season finale on 10/22 v. POR broke a tie for the team lead with Fabian Espindola (1-1 T) … His three postseason goals tied LA’s Mike Magee for the MLS Cup Playoffs scoring lead … Started his playoff scoring binge on 10/29 v. SEA with a brace in Leg 1 of the Western Conf. Semifinals, including his first-ever playoff goal (41’) and a Goal-of-the-Year-quality heel-flick (53’) en route to leading RSL to a 3-0 win … Also tallied on 11/06 @ LA in the Western Conf. Championship, his 25^th minute header equalizing less than two minutes after LA jumped on top in an eventual 1-3 defeat.

2010: Tallied a franchise-record 18 goals and added six assists across 36 appearances (31 starts; 2,669 minutes) in League and Cup competition during his first season in Utah, numbers that helped him earn the 2010 MLS Newcomer of the Year award … His 12 goals in MLS play placed him 8^th on the MLS Golden Boot chart and earned him Real Salt Lake’s Golden Boot award as its top scorer … Finished T-3^rd in MLS with five GWG and three multi-goal games … His four assists in 27 regular season games (23 starts) placed T-4^th on the squad (w/ Findley) … His six goals during CONCACAF Champions League play were not only tops on the squad, but placed him in a three-way tie for second place across the 24 teams taking part in the regional championship’s Preliminary and Group stages … Also added a pair of assists during his five appearances (all starts, 411 minutes) in CCL play …Made RSL debut on 3/27 @ SJ off the bench (18 min.) and made first start five days later on 4/01 @ HOU (60 min.) … Recorded first assist (Morales – 18’) in the 1-2 defeat @ HOU … Series of firsts continued on 4/10 v. SEA, as his first-ever MLS goal – a crashing header at the top of the six off of Nelson Gonzalez’s corner – helped RSL notch a 2-2 comeback draw (94+’) … Started and played 80 min. in RSL’s U.S. Open Cup qualifier on 4/14 @ SJ, a wild 3-3 draw that RSL emerged from 5-3 in PKs … Notched first multi-goal game on 5/13 v. HOU, his game-winning, left-footed swipe from 20 yards out (24’) and header on the doorstep (60’) helping RSL to a 3-1 victory …  Named MLS Player of the Week for Week 8 for his performance against the Dynamo, which also vaulted him to the top of the RSL scoring charts for good … Goal and assist on 5/29 v. KC (4-1 W) extended streak with goal or assist to team-record 5 games, matching streaks set by Jason Kreis (2005), Jeff Cunningham (2006), and Javier Morales (2008) … Voted MLS Player of the Month for May, his 4G and 3A helping RSL notch its first-ever 5-game League winning streak … Helped RSL to the second-largest margin of victory in team history on 7/02 v. NE, netting twice (52’, 57’) in the 5-0 drubbing of the Revs … Brace against New England earned him second MLS Player of the Week award of the season (Week 14) … Notched another match-winner on 7/31 v. DC, his 13^th minute tally opening the scoring in a 3-0 win … His brace on 8/18 v. Árabe Unido in RSL’s first ever CCL contest led the comeback in a wild 2-1 victory in Sandy over the Panamanian champs [45’, 94+’ (PK)] … A week later on 8/25 @ Cruz Azul, scored an equalizer (26’) and an early go-ahead goal (43’) during a monsoon in Mexico City in what turned out to be a heart-breaking 4-5 defeat … Joined Costa Rica National Team for pair of away friendlies at Panama (9/03) and Jamaica (9/05, DNP), causing him to miss NYRB game on 9/4 at Rio Tinto Stadium … 69^th minute insurance goal on 9/15 v. TOR marked his 5^th goal in three CCL games, helping RSL secure a 4-1 win … Lashed home from the penalty spot on 9/18 v. CHI, his first half stoppage-time conversion standing as the lone goal in a 1-0 RSL win that set the record for the longest home undefeated streak in League history (23 games) … Gave RSL a lead on the road on 9/22 @ Árabe Unido, his 36’ goal putting RSL up 2-1 in its eventual 3-2 triumph … Just minutes after RSL allowed an equalizer on 10/02 @ NE, scored his 5^th GWG of the campaign (84’) to give the visitors a crucial 2-1 result … Almost single-handedly allowed RSL to maintain possession of the Rocky Mountain Cup in the regular season finale on 10/23 @ COL, his high-pressuring of GK Matt Pickens leading to his first tally in the 90^thminute before a PK five minutes later brought the rivalry affair to a stunning 2-2 finish … Grinded through a right knee injury during the Western Conference Semifinal Series v. FC Dallas, starting both legs and totaling 133 minutes in the 2-3 aggregate defeat (68 min. on 10/30 @ DAL, 65 min. on 11/06 v. DAL).

2009-10: Bristol City FC – England (Football Championship League): Made 19 appearances for Bristol City in their 2009-10 campaign after joining the Robins on loan in September 2009 … Made an immediate impact in his debut on 9/12/09 v. Coventry, logging an assist on Nick Maynard’s equalizer (48’) in the 1-1 draw …

2006-09: FC Sion – Switzerland (Swiss Super League): Netted 36 goals in 87 appearances during his stay with the Swiss team … The 2007-08 year was Saborío’s strongest statistical year abroad, when he logged 34 appearances and 17 goals … Helped FC Sion achieve the 2008-09 Swiss Cup crown in May of 2009 … Was loaned out to Bristol FC in fall 2009 …

2001-06: Club Deportivo Saprissa – Costa Rica (Primera División de Costa Rica): Saborío’s career at CD Saprissa totaled 149 appearances and 95 goals, scoring an average of two goals every three games … Helped Saprissa reach the CONCACAF Champions Cup final in back-to-back years, winning the 2005 title over Mexican side UNAM (Pumas) (3-2 agg.) a year after dropping the series to fellow Costa Rican side Alajuelense … Was Saprissa’s leading scorer in the Costa Rican First Division’s 2003-04 season, when he logged 25 tallies … Twice helped Saprissa to Primera División de Costa Rica titles in 2003-04 and 2005-06 …

Costa Rican National Team

For the better part of the last decade, has proven to be an important player for the Costa Rican National Team at various levels … Has scored 31 goals in 76 appearances across all levels as of Feb. 2012 … Notched a goal and an assist in Costa Rica’s 2-2 draw with Panama in both countries’ opening game of the CONCACAF Hexagonal on Feb. 6, 2013 … Captained Costa Rica to the Copa Centroamericana title in January, qualifying his country for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the process … Appeared in all six of Costa Rica’s games in the CONCACAF Semifinal Round of World Cup Qualifying, scoring a hat trick in Los Ticos’ June win over Guyana … Notched an assist on 9/02/11 against the USA, helping the Ticos to a 1-0 win at The Home Depot Center … Represented Costa Rica during the 2011 Gold Cup in June, a tumultuous stint that included a goal in the opening 5-0 win over Panama and a pair of missed PKs in the Quarterfinals against Honduras in a shootout loss (1-1 T) … Scored the first-ever goal in Costa Rica’s new National Stadium on 3/26/11 v. China, and also helped the Ticos welcome Argentina to the venue three days later … Represented the CRC U-23s at the 2004 Olympics, scoring the Qualifying goal that advanced Costa Rica … At the Sydney 2004 Games, started three of the team’s four matches, scoring a goal against Portugal … Parlaying that performance into consistency for Costa Rica’s full National Team, appeared prominently during 2006 World Cup Qualifying … Better known as “Sabo” or "le Gigì," the striker appeared twice for Costa Rica in Germany at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, totaling 73 minutes in a pair of losses as a substitute for Tico legends Rónald Gómez and Paulo César Wanchope … His goal just 79 seconds into a 3-1 CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying win over the U.S. on 6/03/09 in San Jose, Costa Rica, is the second-fastest goal the U.S. has ever allowed during qualifying rounds.

Personal

Álvaro Alberto Saborío Chacón was born March 25, 1982 in Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica … Can speak five languages: Mekatelyu (Limonese Creole), Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English.