COLORADO RAPIDS vs. REAL SALT LAKE
DICK'S SPORTING GOODS PARK, Commerce City, Colorado
MAY 7, 2016 (WEEK 10, MLS GAME #93)
9 pm ET (Altitude, KMYU, MLS LIVE)
It’s a showdown for at least a share of first place in the Western Conference when the Colorado Rapids host Real Salt Lake at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, as both teams enter the weekend tied with each other and FC Dallas for the top spot in the standings. Colorado's three-game winning streak ended, but its unbeaten streak was extended to four with a 2-2 draw on the road against Montreal Impact last Saturday. Real rebounded from its first loss of the season with a 2-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo last Saturday.
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season in the battle for the Rocky Mountain Cup. Joao Plata scored the only goal of the game to lift Real to victory April 9 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Colorado hasn't lost since then, however.
- Real won the last meeting between the teams in Dick's Sporting Goods Park, 2-1 back on October 4, after Colorado had won the previous meeting in Commerce City, in July to snap a five-game winless streak on their home field against their rivals. Overall, Colorado is 1-4-2 in its last seven home games against Real.
- Shkelzen Gashi had a goal and an assist for Colorado against Montreal Saturday and has two goals and two assists since joining MLS -- all in the past four games.
- Jordan Allen did the heavy lifting in Real's victory Saturday over Houston, scoring a goal and assisting on RSL's other goal.
REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. AR1 (bench): Frank Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Apolinar Mariscal; 4th: Daniel Radford
MLS Career: 200 games; FC/gm: 23.4; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 38; pens: 57
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: COL: Marc Burch -- RSL: Kyle Beckerman
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (35 meetings): Rapids 11 wins, 33 goals -- Real 14 wins, 41 goals -- Ties 10
AT COLORADO (17 meetings): Rapids 8 wins, 22 goals -- Real 4 wins, 16 goals -- Ties 5
RETURN MATCH: 8/26: Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado Rapids, 6 p.m. MT (UNI)
- Real have a 13-game home undefeated streak alive vs. Colorado. Since the Rapids last win in Utah, a 2-0 victory April 30, 2007 at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Real have won nine games with four draws. Colorado has never won at Rio Tinto Stadium (0-7-4 all-time in league play).
- Coaches record: Jeff Cassar vs. COL: P7 W5 L1 D1 -- Pablo Mastroeni vs. RSL: P7 W1 L5 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS):
4/9: RSL 1, COL 0 (Plata 72)
- The game's only goal came in the 72nd minute. Miscommunication in the back between Rapids goalkeeper Zac MacMath and defender Axel Sjoberg led to a looping clearance over MacMath's head near the outside of the box, and RSL attacker Joao Plata ran onto the ball and slotted it into an empty net.
- Real goalkeeper Nick Rimando was credited with five saves in keeping the clean sheet, also aided by a goal-line clearance by center back Aaron Maund just before halftime.
- REAL SALT LAKE (4-1-4-1): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Justen Glad, Aaron Maund, Chris Wingert (Demar Phillips 73) - Sunday Stephen (John Stertzer 84) - Juan Manuel Martinez, Luke Mulholland (Javier Morales 64), Kyle Beckerman, Joao Plata - Yura Movsisyan.
- COLORADO RAPIDS (4-2-3-1): Zac MacMath - Eric Miller, Bobby Burling, Axel Sjoberg, Marc Burch - Sam Cronin, Micheal Azira - Marco Pappa, Dillon Powers (Dominique Badji 79), Shkelzen Gashi - Luis Solignac.
