REAL SALT LAKE vs. D.C. UNITED
RICE-ECCLES STADIUM, Salt Lake City, Utah
April 12, 2008 | 7 p.m. MT (CSN-DC)
WEEK # 3 | GAME # 20
D.C. United must recover from their international heartbreak at midweek when they make the always difficult trip to Utah to face a Real Salt Lake side looking for their first win on the season. United won for the first time in league competition last weekend, defeating Toronto FC 4-1, but while they defeated Pachuca on the night in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, it wasn't enough to advance on aggregate. Real return home after a loss to Chivas USA on the road; they have defeated D.C. United in their last two visits to the Wasatch Front.
REFEREE: Richard Heron. SAR (bench): Frank Anderson; JAR (opposite): Emiliano Monje; 4th: Ramon Hernandez
MLS Career: 48 games; FC/gm: 33.3; Y/gm: 2.5; R: 11; pens: 11
INJURY REPORT: REAL SALT LAKE - PROBABLE: MF Andy Williams (R knee sprain); DF Nik Besagno (R meniscus tear/surgery) ... D.C. UNITED - OUT: MF Ben Olsen (ankle surgery)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (6 meetings): Real Salt Lake 2 wins, 8 goals ... United 3 wins, 13 goals ... Ties 1
IN SALT LAKE CITY (3 meeting): Real Salt Lake 2 wins, 5 goals ... United 1 wins, 5 goals ... Ties 0
• This is the first of two meetings on the year between the teams, the only one to be played on the Wasatch Front. RSL will make their lone trip to the nation's capital in just two weeks time to conclude the season series.
LAST YEAR (MLS):
6/23: RSL 2, DC 1 (Findley 41, 50 - Emilio 87)
9/12: DC 2, RSL 1 (Emilio 16; Gomez 73 - Beckerman 32)
• The teams split the season series a year ago, each holding serve on their home ground.
• Real Salt Lake have won the last two meetings with United at Rice-Eccles Stadium. In 2006, the loss snapped a 14-game unbeaten streak for United (they went on to win just twice more over the rest of the year), while in 2007, the win was RSL's first of the season, in its 12th game,
• D.C. United has never lost to RSL at RFK Stadium, Real getting a point in a 2006 draw.
• Coaches record: Jason Kreis vs. DC: P2 W1 L1 D0 ... Tom Soehn v RSL: P2 W1 L1 D0
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake are still looking for a win on 2008 - and against Chivas USA on the road - after a 3-1 defeat on Saturday evening at The Home Depot Center. Real have one point from their two matches on the year, tied for fifth in the Western Conference with the Houston Dynamo, three points behind pace-setting Chivas.
LAST MATCH
• The expansion class of 2005 met after each took a point from their season openers, Chivas USA coming back for a 1-1 tie in Dallas, while Real Salt Lake were pulled back by a late goal from the Chicago Fire.
• Chivas took a 32nd-minute lead when Sacha Kljestan opened his 2008 account. Maykel Galindo collected the ball in midfield and raced forward, sliding a through ball for Kljestan on the right and ran onto it and slotted the ball into the back of the net.
• After the break, it was one of the RSL old boys who doubled the lead for the Red-and-White. Kljestan took a pass on the right side of the area centered it to Harris, who knocked the ball past Nick Rimando from close range (55). But two minutes later RSL got back to within one, Kenny Deuchar scoring his first MLS goal, heading home a freekick swung in by Javier Morales from the left.
• It was the other former RSL striker now with Chivas, Alecko Eskandarian, who put the crowning touch on the win. He raced in alone on Rimando and rounded the 'keeper, carrying the ball almost to the goal line before gleefully thumping it home. Chivas USA is still unbeaten all-time against RSL at home, with six wins and a draw in seven meetings in Carson.
• RSL head coach Jason Kreis made three changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire to start the season. Dema Kovalenko started in midfield in place of Andy Williams, and Kreis put out a strike partnership of Kenny Deuchar and Robbie Findley in place of Yura Movsisyan and Fabian Espindola.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Matias Mantilla, Ian Joy (Fabian Espindola 73) - Kyle Beckerman, Carey Talley (Andy Williams 64), Dema Kovalenko - Javier Morales - Kenny Deuchar, Robbie Findley (Yura Movsisyan 60). Substitutes Not Used: Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave, Chris Seitz, Nathan Sturgis
• "I would absolutely say the result is misleading," said Kreis. "We were the better team for 30 minutes until we gave up a goal. The game was very evenly played and I'm proud of the way the guys came out and also with how they responded after going two goals down. They put their hearts and souls in it and again we came out of a game not getting quite what we deserved."
TEAM NEWS
• With the loss, RSL's road woes against Chivas USA continued with an all-time record of 0-6-1 against its one-time expansion brethren.
• "We should have more than one point from two matches where we played well," Kreis said. "The biggest thing right now, though, is to keep it going because over the stretch of 30 games we're going to get a lot of points if we keep playing this way."
• A week after losing a late lead to Chicago and settling for a draw, RSL's finishing problems continued. Of their 11 shots, only three were put on frame. Chivas USA, on the other hand, had eight shots on target out of 11.
• "We're still not quite clinical enough in the final third. It's not just the last touch, it's the second to last touch, as well," Kreis said. "There were a few players that weren't as sharp as they can be and they didn't play up to their potential, but this is going to happen."
• Kreis pointed to the response of his team after going by two goals early in the second half, as Deuchar headed home a free kick just two minutes after Atiba Harris scored for Chivas. "It shows how aggressive we were even when we went two goals down," he said. "The mindset and mentality of the group was good tonight."
• For the man known as Dr. Goals, it was a typical way to open his MLS account - through a header. His 6-foot-3 frame was threatening in the air all game long. Kreis would have liked to see more shots on frame from Deuchar and others but was pleased to see the offense at least creating some chances for itself.
• "Obviously getting the goal was good," Kreis said. "It was also good what he was doing for the other players. (He) knocked down a lot in and around the box, laid down some chances for some other guys."
• A year ago, the first RSL victory didn't come until June 23 - the 12th game of the season, when D.C. United made their lone visit to the Wasatch Front. Real are certain it won't be 12 matches until their first victory this year.
• "There's a thin line between winning and losing," midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "Right now, we're finding a way to lose. We just need to turn the tide and get a bit of luck. It's not on our side right now."
D.C. UNITED
D.C. United found their goalscoring touch and returned to winning ways in their home opener, rolling to a 4-1 victory against Toronto FC last Saturday evening at RFK Stadium. United now have three points from two matches and sit in a four-way tie for third place in the Eastern Conference, three behind both the lKansas City Wizards and New England Revolution entering the weekend.
LAST MATCH
• D.C. United were back home for their league opener in the nation's capital off two consecutive shutouts, at Kansas City to open the 2008 MLS season, then by Pachuca in Mexico in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions' Cup semifinal. Toronto FC was also looking for a first goal on the year, shut out in Columbus to start the season.
• It was D.C. United who exploded from the gates, scoring twice in the opening five minutes of the game. First Luciano Emilio latched onto a ball that the TFC defense couldn't deal with and prodded it under goalkeeper Greg Sutton from inside the box after just two minutes.
• Emilio then cracked a rising shot that crashed off the crossbar. Devon McTavish headed the rebound goalward, only to be denied by Sutton, but Santino Quaranta came into to knock home the rebound for his goal since his return to the club where he began his career.
• The Reds were left a man down after just 22 minutes when Kevin Harmse was sent off for a harsh two-footed tackle on Gonzalo Peralta in midfield. But United didn't take advantage until after the break, when Marcelo Gallardo came in unmarked at the back post to finish off Quaranta's cross-shot from the right (52).
• United made it 4-0 in the 78th minute as Jaime Moreno scored his MLS record 113th league goal, taking possession of the ball in the TFC area and coolly rolling a tidy finish just inside the far post. Toronto finally broke through two minutes from the end, Maurice Edu rising up to meet a Jim Brennan cross from the left corner and looping a header inside the post.
• Here's Soehn's team (4-3-1-2): Zach Wells - Bryan Namoff, Gonzalo Martinez, Gonzalo Peralta, Marc Burch (Jaime Moreno 46) - Devon McTavish, Clyde Simms, Fred - Marcelo Gallardo (Rod Dyachenko 56) - Luciano Emilio (Franco Niell 77), Santino Quaranta. Substitutes Not Used: Jose Carvallo, Domenic Mediate, Pat Carroll, Dan Stratford
TEAM NEWS
• For the TFC match, with United suffering through a two-match goal drought, Santino Quaranta earned the nod ahead of Argentinean Franco Niell in the second striker spot alongside Luciano Emilio and quickly repaid Tom Soehn's trust with a fifth-minute tally to open his scoring account for 2008.
• "The pressure from the front runners, making sure that you dictate which way they go and making it harder for their backs, Franco's still got to learn how we do things," said the D.C. boss. "Tino's been here before and he understands it a little bit better, so we're going to have to spend some time with Franco so he understands it. But Tino added a lot of energy and life, and his feet were good today."
• It was the first start for the Baltimore native in his return to D.C. and he capped his evening with an assist on Marcelo Gallardo's close-range finish seven minutes after halftime.
• "It was a really humbling experience tonight, because it's been a while since I've, I guess, succeeded and enjoyed the game and it was pleasurable tonight," said Quaranta. "It was just nice to be out there in front of the fans again, working hard."
• In another encouraging development for United, captain Jaime Moreno logged 45 solid minutes in his first appearance since a strained hamstring forced him off in the first half of the Champions' Cup opener against Harbour View FC. The Bolivian notched a 78th-minute goal to add to his all-time MLS record.
• "For me it was important to get Jaime into the game and get some fitness for him. The way the game was, it was a good game to get him in, because now he can get a lot of touches on the ball," said Soehn. "He's got a calming force, you know. His feet are good. And his experience now, we wanted to keep the ball and let them work, and obviously that's one of his strengths."
• On Wednesday, D.C. United came back to claim a victory against Pachuca CF of Mexico, but it wasn't enough as they still went down to defeat in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
• Carrying a two-goal lead on aggregate from the first leg, Pachuca withstood a number of chances from United without breaking - including a couple of shouts for penalties - then Damian Alvarez hit for a goal on the counter in the 76th minute to put Pachuca ahead. But Rod Dyachenko pulled a goal back for United in the 85th minute, then Franco Niell coolly finished just before the stroke of full-time, but it wasn't enough to bring United all the way back as they lost 3-2 on aggregate.
• Here's Soehn's team: Zach Wells, Bryan Namoff, Gonzalo Martinez, Gonzalo Peralta, Devon McTavish (Franco Niell 65), Santino Quaranta (Marc Burch 60), Marcelo Gallardo, Clyde Simms, Fred, Luciano Emilio, Jaime Moreno (Rod Dyachenko 78).
• We had a plan and I thought we executed it very well. Unfortunately, we didn't put away our chances early and that puts us behind the 8-ball. But, our guys fought and made it very difficult for them. We knew how to close them down and they did a great job of that," Soehn said. "The one thing we couldn't account for is some of the calls we got, which are game-changers and in these big games for an official to blow a penalty call like that, that's a game-changer. And that's disappointing."
