REAL SALT LAKE vs SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
RIO TINTO STADIUM, Sandy, Utah
August 8, 2009 (WEEK 21) / MLS Game #146
7 p.m. MT (KUTV-2.2; KONG)
A huge game in the Western Conference is ahead on Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium as Real Salt Lake entertain Seattle Sounders FC. While Seattle sits in second in the West and Real in sixth, the teams are separated by just six points in the division. Real haven't lost in their last four home games, while Sounders FC have been shutout in back-to-back games and saw a six-game undefeated run come to an end last weekend.
REFEREE: Kevin Stott. SAR (bench): Chris Strickland; JAR (opposite): Paul Scott; 4th: Edvin Jurisevic
MLS Career: 176 games; FC/gm: 26.1; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 49; pens: 36
INJURY REPORT: REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: FW Yura Movsisyan (R rotator cuff impingement); DOUBTFUL: DF Robbie Russell (L rectus femoris sprain) ... SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC - OUT: GK Chris Eylander (L medial knee bone bruise); DF Taylor Graham (R metatarsal fracture); MF Michael Fucito (R foot sesamoiditis)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: SEA: James Riley (through Aug. 9)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Will Johnson, Jamison Olave, Robbie Russell ... SEA: Brad Evans, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Freddie Ljungberg
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Nat Borchers, Clint Mathis, Javier Morales ... SEA: Osvaldo Alonso, Patrick Ianni, Nate Jaqua, Tyrone Marshall, Fredy Montero, James Riley, Peter Vagenas
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (1 meeting): Sounders FC 1 win, 2 goals ... Real 0 wins, 0 goals ... Ties 0
• Coaches record: Jason Kreis vs. SEA: P1 W0 L1 D0 ... Sigi Schmid v RSL: P7 W4 L2 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS)
3/28: SEA 2, RSL 0 (Jaqua 17; Montero 77)
• Seattle Sounders FC won in the first meeting between the teams on March 28 at Qwest Field, continuing their season-opening shutout streak.
• In front of another capacity crowd, Sounders FC took the lead in the 17th minute. Osvaldo Alonso found No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick Steve Zakuani on the left flank, and he worked himself free, drove in a low cross that Nate Jaqua turned home with a deflection.
• Sounders FC put the game away in the 77th minute, as Fredy Montero scored his league-leading third goal on the campaign, again in impressive fashion. From all of 30 yards away, he let fly with a wicked drive that knuckled and dipped as it flew over RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-1-3-2): Kasey Keller - James Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Tyrone Marshall, Zach Scott - Osvaldo Alonso - Sebastien Le Toux (Roger Levesque 91+), Brad Evans, Steve Zakuani (Freddie Ljungberg 61) - Fredy Montero, Nate Jaqua (Nathan Sturgis 71). Substitutes Not Used: Ben Dragavon, Patrick Ianni, Stephen King, Tyson Wahl
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran (Raphael Cox 84), Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert - Clint Mathis (Jean Alexandre 89), Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson - Javier Morales - Robbie Findley (Andy Williams 74), Yura Movsisyan. Substitutes Not Used: Ned Grabavoy, David Horst, Tino Nunez, Chris Seitz
• The teams also met in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match on April 28 at Starfire Sports Complex, with Sounders FC beginning their run to the final with a 4-1 win. Sebastian Le Toux converted a penalty kick in the 24th minute, then set up goals from Sanna Nyassi (26) and Stephen King (53), before finishing off the tie with his second of the match in the 55th. Will Johnson scored RSL's goal in the 32nd minute.
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake lost for the second time in three weekends, falling by the game's only goal to the Chicago Fire on Saturday night at Toyota Park. Real have 23 points from 19 matches on the year, sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference, 12 points off the pace set by MLS overall leaders Houston Dynamo.
LAST MATCH
• The Fire came into the game with two wins and two draws in their last four games, while Real Salt Lake had come back for a huge win against FC Dallas the weekend before, overcoming a two-goal halftime deficit.
• A quiet first half nearly saw a goal come in the 72nd minute when Robbie Findley had a glorious chance, only to see his shot come back off the face of the crossbar.
• The Fire hit for the eventual winner four minutes later. Tim Ward flighted in a high cross from the left touchline and Patrick Nyarko got in behind his marker, volleying home inside the left post for his fourth goal on the season and second in the last three games.
• Real coach Jason Kreis made three changes to the team that came back to defeat FC Dallas 4-2 the week before. Kyle Beckerman returned from international duty, coming in for Ned Grabavoy, Tony Beltran replaced the injured Robbie Russell, and Yura Movsisyan returned to the lineup in place of Robbie Findley.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-2-1-3): Nick Rimando - Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Tony Beltran - Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson (Andy Williams 84) - Javier Morales - Clint Mathis, Yura Movsisyan (Robbie Findley 46), Fabian Espindola (Pablo Campos 76). Substitutes Not Used: Raphael Cox, Ned Grabavoy, David Horst, Chris Seitz
TEAM NEWS
• Real Salt Lake lost only for the second time since May 30, a 2-1 loss at San Jose. During that span, RSL has posted a 3-3-3 record. At Toyota Park, RSL outshot the Fire 16-13 while putting five shots on goal. Goalkeeper Nick Rimando made four saves on the evening.
• "It's never going to be an easy task to come to Chicago." Kreis said. "It was another night out where we created chances and limited their chances. It wasn't our best night, but we deserved a draw."
• After being shut out in three consecutive games from May 9-23, RSL had not been blanked until the loss to Chicago, a span of eight games.
• "We were very consistent," Real Salt Lake forward Robbie Findley said. "We took our opportunities to push, but still had to be careful not to give anything up. It's unfortunate. We did everything right to earn a draw, but sports aren't always fair."
• It was yet another difficult road result for RSL, whose 1-7-2 record away from Rio Tinto Stadium is ahead of only San Jose and New York - both of which are winless on the road this season. The five goals scored by Real are tied for second-fewest in the league, behind New York's two (in 12 games).
• "Well, we don't finish any goals and when we face teams on the road, we need to score on our chances. Tonight we played well and we battled a good team in a very hard place to play and we lost focus for one play and that's the game," said Rimando.
• New signing Rachid El Khalifi did not figure in the gameday squad against Chicago, still working his way into match fitness. Where he will fit into the team is still to be seen, especially if recent acquisition Pablo Campos plays more of a role as the target central forward.
• "I would say that Yura [Movsisyan] and Robbie [Findley] probably lean a bit more toward being wide forwards in the 4-3-3 system," Kreis said. "Having said that, both of them have played some quality minutes for us at the point forward position. Those guys are versatile enough that you could consider them in any of the three forward spots."
• Kreis will not be allowed on the touchline for the Sounders FC match, an additional match suspension tacked on to the automatic ban he received when sent off in the 4-2 win against FC Dallas on July 24.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
Seattle Sounders FC went down to the heaviest defeat in the club's brief history, falling 4-0 to the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday afternoon at Buck Shaw Stadium. Sounders FC have 29 points from 19 matches, still sitting in second place in the Western Conference, now six points behind MLS overall leaders Houston Dynamo.
LAST MATCH
• Sounders FC were coming into the game on a six-game unbeaten run, while the Earthquakes hadn't won in their last four matches.
• Featuring newcomers Andre Luiz and Ramon Sanchez in the center of midfield, the Earthquakes dominatedthe match from the outset. In just the second minute, a Ryan Johnson cross from the left side was touched past Kasey Keller by Osvaldo Alonso for an own goal.
• Sounders FC were then left a man down in the 33rd minute when James Riley was sent off with a straight red card by referee Paul Ward.
• Nine minutes after the second-half restart, the Quakes doubled their lead. Shea Salinas carried down the right before slipping a square pass to Cornell Glen, who eluded a defender and hammered home a low drive inside the left post.
• The score increased to 3-0 in the 78th minute when the ball bounced around the box with Seattle unable to clear. Finally parried by Keller, the ball fell to Darren Huckerby and he knocked home the rebound from close range for his third goal of the season.
• The Earthquakes finished off the win in the 86th minute as Salinas again worked his way down the right flank before sliding a pass inside to Chris Wondolowski, who drove it home for his first goal since coming to San Jose. Quakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon was called upon to make just one save on the day.
• Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid three changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with the Chicago Fire the weekend before. Tyrone Marshall came in for Jhon Kennedy Hurtado in central defense, and Brad Evans returned from international duty, coming into the midfield along with Sebastian Le Toux for Nate Sturgis and the suspended Freddie Ljungberg.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-1-3-2): Kasey Keller - James Riley, Patrick Ianni, Tyrone Marshall (Jhon Kennedy Hurtado 87), Tyson Wahl - Osvaldo Alonso - Sebastien Le Toux, Brad Evans, Steve Zakuani - Nate Jaqua (Sanna Nyassi 57), Fredy Montero (Stephen King 57). Substitutes Not Used: Terry Boss, Roger Levesque, Nathan Sturgis, Peter Vagenas
• "We didn't play well today. We got down early and then we got the red card and it was too big a mountain to climb," Schmid said. "I don't want to take anything away from San Jose. They finished their chances well, but we kind of gave some of the goals to them."
TEAM NEWS
• Sounders FC had allowed more than one goal in a league game on just three occasions before the San Jose match, including the previous season-high in a 3-3 draw with D.C. United on June 17 at Qwest Field.
• "I can't say it too often this season that we just got beat. The balls that we won in the air, we lost on the second challenge and got beat to the ball. The ones we didn't win in the air, we were just beaten to. We were just second best on the whole field today," said goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
• Brad Evans, back after missing two matches with the U.S. national team for CONCACAF Gold Cup duty, joined Osvaldo Alonso as the central midfield partnership, playing a full match together for just the third time since May 10.
• "We didn't hold the ball in midfield today and we were not strong enough up top with it. I don't think that Brad (Evans) and Osvaldo (Alonso) played a ball to each other all day. San Jose outfought us early and controlled the midfield," Schmid said. Said Evans: "It was a terrible game to be honest. I know for me, whether it was not playing a lot over the last month, or whatever, it wasn't good enough. I didn't do as well as I thought I was going to. We would like to think this was a fluke."
• After winning four of their first six, Sounders FC have managed just three wins in their last 13 league games. However, they've lost just twice over that span.
• "This is the point of the season where you have to figure out where you're at," Keller said. "Are you going to make a run in the playoffs, or are you going to wither and die? Today, it looks like we're going to wither and die, but there's a lot of fight left in this team, I'm sure of it."
• On Wednesday, Sounders FC fell 4-0 to FC Barcelona at Qwest Field before a sellout crowd of 66,848. Lionel Messi scored two first-half goals (21, 41) and Jeffren Suarez (75) and Pedro Rodriguez added late tallies for Barca.
• Sounders FC coach Schmid took the opportunity to give 22 players a run-out. Only James Riley played more than 45 minutes. Here's Schmid's team: Kasey Keller (Terry Boss 46), James Riley (Tyson Wahl 61), Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Nathan Sturgis 46), Tyrone Marshall (Evan Brown 46) (Michael Fucita 80), Leonardo Gonzalez (Zach Scott 46), Brad Evans (Patrick Ianni 46), Osvaldo Alonso (Peter Vagenas 46), Freddie Ljungberg (Sanna Nyassi 46), Steve Zakuani (Taylor Graham 46), Fredy Montero (Lamar Neagle 46), Nate Jaqua (Roger Levesque 46)
• "It was a lesson. They're a very good team. There's a value on things and that's why their players are worth a lot of money. Good example of what we want to get to," Schmid said. "In the first half we had three half decent chances. I'm proud of our guys. They hung in there. This is team that doesn't give up possession and can make you look silly. We battled. Times we could have battled harder, but we have a greater goal."
