Real Salt Lake vs. San Jose Earthquakes | MLS Match Preview

MLSsoccer staff

REAL SALT LAKE vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
RIO TINTO STADIUM, Sandy, Utah
May 1, 2015 (Week 9, MLS Game #78)
10 pm ET (UDN)

Real Salt Lake and the San Jose Earthquakes meet for a second time this season when the Western Conference clubs meet in an aim to move up the divisional table on the second half of Viernes de Fútbol at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real come into the game off back-to-back losses, the last a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the New England Revolution on the road last weekend. The Quakes also come into the game off a loss, their last match a 2-0 reversal at the New York Red Bulls two weeks ago. Real took the first meeting this season by a 1-0 scoreline in San Jose on April 5.

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REFEREE: Sorin Stoica. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Anthony Vasoli; 4th: Younes Marrakchi
Stoica MLS Career: 31 games; FC/gm: 28.3; Y/gm: 4.2; R: 15; pens: 19

SUSPENDED: RSL: John Stertzer (through May 3)
WARNINGS: SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Kyle Beckerman, Abdoulie Mansally, Luke Mulholland

DISABLED LIST: none

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (23 meetings): Real 9 wins, 35 goals … Earthquakes 7 wins, 30 goals … Ties 7
AT SALT LAKE (11 meetings): Real 4 wins, 17 goals … Earthquakes 3 wins, 9 goals … Ties 4
FUTURE MATCH: 9/27: San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake, 4 p.m. PT (FS1)

RSL saw its scoreless streak extended to 316 minutes in a 4-0 loss at the New England Revolution on Saturday evening. It’s the second-longest stretch without a goal for any team in MLS and the fourth-longest such run in RSL club history; the defeat was the biggest for RSL since a 4-0 loss at Seattle Sounders FC last May 31.
The Quakes return to action after a weekend off, their last match a 2-0 loss at the New York Red Bulls on April 17, a second consecutive defeat away from Avaya Stadium.
The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Javier Morales scored the game’s lone goal just before halftime to lead RSL to a victory April 5 at Avaya Stadium.
The Quakes have won on two of their last four trips to Rio Tinto Stadium, but RSL won 2-0 on Oct. 11 of last year in Sandy, the only meeting of the year at their home ground. The Quakes haven’t defeated RSL at home since the final meeting in 2012, a 5-0 San Jose victory that is the largest win in the all-time series.