SALT LAKE CITY - Real Salt Lake (9-12-5, 32 pts, t-5thth West) hits the road this week to take on D.C. United in a match critical to RSL'S playoff hopes. RSL is currently tied for fifth place in the Western Conference standings with the LA Galaxy at 32 points each, but Houston, Colorado and Chivas USA, currently in second, third and fourth places, are within four points of RSL and LA, with six games remaining in the 2006 MLS regular season.
TOP MLS GOAL-SCORING DUOS ON DISPLAY SATURDAY ON KSL: Saturday's upcoming match between D.C. United and Real Salt Lake will be televised LIVE on KSL at 5:30 p.m. MT, with Ryan Hatch and Robin Fraser calling the action. D.C. United and RSL feature the top scoring tandems of the 2006 MLS season, as RSL's Jeff Cunningham and Jason Kreis have combined to score 21 goals this season (15 for Cunningham, six for Kreis), while United's Jaime Moreno and Christian Gomez have tallied 10 goals a piece, for a total of 20, tying them with Chivas USA's Ante Razov (14 goals) and Juan Pablo Garcia (six goals) for second place. United currently leads MLS in total offense with 43 goals, while RSL is fifth with 35.
MLS LEADERS D.C. UNITED ON THE HORIZON: Real Salt Lake and D.C. United last met on the eve of the All-Star Break, with RSL emerging victorious, 2-1, by virtue of a pair of stoppage-time penalty kicks converted by RSL FW Jeff Cunningham. Both goals came after United DF John Wilson took down Mehdi Ballouchy and then Chris Klein in the box, and the victory kick-started RSL on a franchise-record four-game win streak. But RSL Head Coach John Ellinger knows that the July 29 battle between the two clubs didn't sit well with D.C. United.
"D.C. will be ready and waiting for this game, and I am sure that they will have our last game fresh in their minds", Ellinger said. "It was a great win for us in front of our home fans, but from their perspective, I think it most likely left a bad taste in their mouths. I would imagine they will be looking for some payback on Saturday. We have to be ready to counter their intensity with focus and energy. D.C. has had a great season, and at this point they have put themselves in a very good position, being the first team in the league to clinch a playoff spot. This match is a bit more urgent for us, as every game from here on out is vital for our playoff hopes."
United currently resides in first place in the Eastern Conference standings at 50 pts (14-3-8), which is also good for the "Supporters' Shield" lead in MLS. D.C. has been especially difficult to beat at home, posting an 8-1-3 record at RFK Stadium with a goal differential of +10. However, Head Coach Peter Nowak's team is hoping to rebound from its worst month of the season, recently ending a five-game winless streak on Sunday behind a 2-1 win over Chivas USA. United suffered its first home loss of the season on August 26, as the Los Angeles Galaxy posted a 5-2 victory behind a pair of goals from Landon Donovan. United then bounced back on Sunday, capturing the 2-1 victory over Chivas USA at the Home Depot center behind a pair of world-class tallies from MF Christian Gomez. With the victory, D.C. became the first team in MLS to reach 50 pts, and clinched a playoff spot.
FIDDLERS ELBOW/SALT LAKE PIZZA AND PASTA TO HOST AWAY GAME WATCH PARTY: Soccer fans from all across the Wasatch front are invited to attend Fiddlers Elbow/Salt Lake Pizza and Pasta (1063 East, 2100 South, Sugarhouse) for another exciting RSL away game watch party. Come join in on the action this Saturday as Real Salt Lake continues its playoff push against Eastern Conference powerhouse, DC United. First kick for the match, televised live on KSL , is 5:30 p.m. MT. "First Kick" and "Extra Time", the official pre and post game shows of Real Salt Lake with Spencer Checketts and Brian Dunseth on 700 AM The Zone, will be broadcasting live on site at Fiddlers Elbow.
Fiddlers Elbow is a restraint/pub where you must be 21 years old to gain entrance, while Salt Lake Pizza and Pasta is a family friendly environment. Both entities share the same location and ownership.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CUP STAYS IN COLORADO: The Colorado Rapids visited Salt Lake City on Saturday for the season series finale between the Rapids and RSL. After a spirited, physical match that saw a league record seven yellow cards distributed by the officials, Colorado came away with the 1-0 victory thanks to a Nicolas Hernandez goal in the 48th minute. With the win, Colorado took over third place in the West and captured the head-to-head tiebreak with RSL, whom Colorado now leads by three points in the tight Western Conference race. For the second year in a row, the Rapids captured the season series between the two teams, taking home the "Rocky Mountain Cup," the brainchild of the supporters clubs from both teams, with the winner of the season series being awarded the trophy. For more information on the Cup rivalry, please visit www.rockymountaincup.com.
WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE TIGHTENS FOR STRETCH RUN: With only a handful of games remaining, the race for one of the four coveted playoff spots in the Western Conference is extremely tight. FC Dallas is the only team that has separated itself from the pack, sitting in first place with 45 points (14-8-3), good for a nine-point lead over second place Houston Dynamo. However, only four points separate the Dynamo with Real Salt Lake and the L.A. Galaxy, who are tied for sixth place with 32 points overall. The Colorado Rapids (3rd place, 35 pts) and Chivas USA (4TH place, 34 pts) currently occupy the last two spots in the playoff picture, clinging to a slim lead over RSL and The Galaxy.
KREIS PROBABLE FOR SATURDAY'S GAME: RSL FW Jason Kreis saw his streak of 23 consecutive games played come to an end on Saturday, as he was pulled from the lineup just prior to kickoff by RSL Head Coach John Ellinger after experiencing some discomfort in his left knee during warmups. The RSL training staff characterizes the injury as a bone bruise to the left tibial plateau, and held Kreis out of Saturday's match as a precautionary measure. Last September, Kreis tore the ACL in his right knee, causing him the miss the final eight games of the 2006 season, as well as the first two games in 2006. RSL Head Athletic Trainer Jake Joachim today said that Kreis' status for Saturday's match with D.C. United was "probable." Kreis remains Major League Soccer's all-time leading scorer with 106 career goals. He has six goals and five assists in 23 games thus far in 2006, with RSL posting an 0-3 mark in games that Kreis has missed this year.
2006 RSL TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE: RSL 2006 ticket packages are on sale and fans can now purchase full season, half season, the "High-Five" pack and flex season by visiting the RSL Ticket Office at 515 South 700 East, #2R, SLC, UT 84102, by logging onto www.RealSaltLake.com or by contacting the Real Salt Lake Ticket Office at (866) 9-SOCCER. Fans can also purchase single-game tickets by visiting the Utah Ticket Office at 451 South 1400 East, by logging onto www.UtahTickets.com or by contacting the Ticket Office at (801) 581-UTIX. Finally, fans can purchase The KFC Colonel's Corner $12 ticket voucher, the club's most affordable single-game ticket, by visiting any of the 36 KFC® restaurants in Utah.
MLS CAMPS: The Official Camp and Clinic of Major League Soccer is NOW the Official Camp & Clinic of Real Salt Lake! NEW for 2006, Fantasy Camp and focused Team Training experiences. To find out more about all of RSL's Youth Development Programs, call Scott Reynolds at (801) 924-8575 or by email at SReynolds@RealSaltLake.com. To partner with RSL to host MLS Camps in your community, call us today.
