Coming off a buoying victory, Real Salt Lake remain at home to play host to the New England Revolution on Independence Day. RSL snapped a four-game winless run in dominant fashion, rolling to a 3-1 win against Toronto FC at Rio Tinto Stadium last weekend. The Revolution are playing yet another road game in the West, seeing their winless run stretched to seven games in a 2-1 loss at Seattle Sounders FC.
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REFEREE: Yader Reyes. SAR (bench): Peter Balciunas; JAR (opposite): Mike Kampmeinert; 4th: Allen Chapman
MLS Career:16 games; FC/gm: 26.7; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 4; pens: 1
INJURY REPORT:
REAL SALT LAKE – OUT: MF Javier Morales (L ankle fracture dislocation); DOUBTFUL: FW Arturo Alvarez (R hamstring strain); FW Paulo Jr. (L hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Fabian Espíndola (L hamstring strain); DF Chris Wingert (R hamstring strain); PROBABLE: FW Álvaro Saborío (R knee swelling)
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION – OUT: DF Didier Domi (R Achilles tendonitis); FW Kheli Dube (whiplash); MF Stephen McCarthy (L shoulder subluxation); MF Marko Perovic (L knee surgery); QUESTIONABLE: MF Ousmane Dabo (R quadriceps strain); DF Chris Tierney (L foot contusion)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES:
none
SUSPENDED:
none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD:
RSL: Will Johnson
NE: Stephen McCarthy, Shalrie Joseph
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS:
RSL: Jean Alexandre, Robbie Russell, Chris Wingert
NE: Ryan Cochrane, Pat Phelan
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME (13 meetings): Real 6 wins, 25 goals … Revolution 4 wins, 15 goals … Ties 3
- AT SALT LAKE (6 meetings): Real 3 wins, 14 goals … Revolution 2 wins, 4 goals … Ties 1
- Goals from Chris Schuler and Paulo Junior led a makeshift Real Salt Lake side to a 2-0 win at New England on April 9 in the first meeting this season.
- Real Salt Lake won both meetings a season ago, including a 5-0 win at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL has scored 11 goals without reply in their last two home games vs. New England.
- The last two victories by Real Salt Lake in Utah are the two heaviest defeats in Revolution club history.
- Real have won two consecutive games at New England. The win at Gillette Stadium last year was their first in New England since 2006.
- Coaches' records: Jason Kreis v NE: P9 W5 L2 D2 … Steve Nicol vs. RSL: P13 W4 L6 D3
LAST MATCH
- 4/9: NE 0, RSL 2 (Schuler 27; Paulo Jr. 47)
- Real took the lead after 27 minutes. Collen Warner's service from the left corner located Chris Schuler's powerful near-post run and the second-year defender headed home his first MLS goal.
- Warner once again featured prominently to double the RSL lead two minutes into the second half. The secondyear midfielder played a ball behind the New England line for Paulo Junior, who collected and slotted home at the near post.
- NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-2-3-1): Bobby Shuttleworth - Kevin Alston, Ryan Cochrane (Darrius Barnes 53), Franco Coria, Didier Domi - Stephen McCarthy (Ilija Stolica 46), Pat Phelan (sent off 86) - Kenny Mansally, Shalrie Joseph (sent off 70), Marko Perovic - Zack Schilawski (Sainey Nyassi 46).
- REAL SALT LAKE (4-1-3-2): Kyle Reynish – Robbie Russell, Rauwshan McKenzie, Chris Schuler, Tony Beltran - Jean Alexandre (Kyle Beckerman 63) - Ned Grabavoy, Collen Warner (Luis Gil 82), Will Johnson (sent off 86) - Paulo Junior, Arturo Alvarez.
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake snapped their winless streak at four games in emphatic fashion, cruising to a 3-1 win against Toronto FC on Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL sits in fourth place in the Western Conference, with 26 points from 15 matches.
LAST MATCH
- Nat Borchers put Real into the lead in the 39th minute when he buried a header off a Kyle Beckerman corner kick. Then three minutes later, a cross from Robbie Russell on the right wing bounded directly to Alvaro Saborío directly in front of goal, and he squeezed between defenders to deflect it home.
- The Russell-Saborío combination clicked again in the 60th minute, when Russell delivered a long ball over the top, Saborío ran on and coolly slipped a shot past TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
- Maicon Santos pulled a goal back for TFC in the 66th minute, racing in alone toward goal after receiving a pass from Nick Soolsma. Santos stopped at the top of the area, and blasted a shot to Nick Rimando’s left.
- RSL coach Jason Kreis made two changes to the side that played to a scoreless draw with the Chicago Fire on Wednesday evening at Toyota Park. Luis Gil and Alvaro Saborio formed an all-new strike pair in place of Artur Aghasyan and Fabian Espindola.
- REAL SALT LAKE (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Robbie Russell, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Tony Beltran - Ned Grabavoy (Nelson Gonzalez 67), Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson - Collen Warner (Andy Williams 57) - Luis Gil, Alvaro Saborio (Jean Alexandre 81)
TEAM NEWS
- Real have still allowed just nine goals in 15 games this season, and have allowed one goal or fewer 13 times.
- “I feel like the last three matches we’ve started to gain some momentum. Even though we haven’t gained all the points we would have won along the way, I feel like we’re started to gain momentum and I’m hoping this is the one that will put us over the top and give everybody a ton of confidence going forward,” Kreis said.
- Returning to the RSL lineup for the first time since May 22, Alvaro Saborio scored his first two MLS goals of the season in the 3-1 win against Toronto FC.
- “I know it’s been a difficult first stretch of the season for him, I know it’s been a very difficult ending of the Gold Cup for him, but it doesn’t matter – he comes back to open arms here,” RSL head coach Jason Kreis said.
- Since Javier Morales went down with injury, Real have still scored just 10 goals in nine games. They’ve hit for multiple goals in a game just four times in 15 MLS contests.
- “We’ve kind of had our ups and downs ever since we lost (Javier) Morales. We’ve had some good moments in every game and we’ve had some bad moments in every game; one game we’re pretty good, the next game we’re pretty bad. I’m hopeful,” Kreis said.
- Luis Gil made his second start in four games, his first as an out-and-out striker, playing 83 minutes alongside Saborio.
- “I just thought he gave us a little bit of a different dynamic,” said Kreis. “He’s got real good pace, which most people don’t know about him, because he doesn’t have probably as many opportunities when he plays in the midfield to display that pace."
- On Tuesday, RSL advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup with a 2-0 win against the USL PRO Wilmington Hammerheads at Rio Tinto Stadium. Tony Beltran and Jean Alexandre scored four minutes apart just before halftime to send Real to victory.
- Here’s the RSL team: Kyle Reynish, Tony Beltran, Rauwshan McKenzie, Nat Borchers, Chris Schuler (Robbie Russell 63), Andy Williams, Kyle Beckerman (Ned Grabavoy 63), Collen Warner (Nelson Gonzalez 74), Will Johnson, Jean Alexandre, Luis Gil.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution saw their winless run stretched to seven games, going down to a 2-1 defeat at Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field. The Revolution have 15 points from 16 matches, in tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
LAST MATCH
- The Revolution took a third-minute lead from a corner kick, with Benny Feilhaber rolling the ball out to the top of the box where Sainey Nyassi hit a shot that Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller got a hand to but was unable to keep out of the net.
- Sounders FC evened terms in the 34th minute after a foul just outside the penalty area. Defender Tyson Wahl stepped and curled home a majestic left-footed free kick.
- Then six minutes later, Alvaro Fernandez finished from inside the penalty area after some scintillating build-up play from Seattle, with Mauro Rosales and Roger Levesque earning the assists.
- Revolution head coach Steve Nicol made three changes to the team that came back for a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire at Gillette Stadium. Ryan Cochrane came in for Franco Coria in the back, and Benny Feilhaber and Ryan Guy replaced Chris Tierney and Kenny Mansally.
- NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-2-3-1): Matt Reis - Kevin Alston, Ryan Cochrane (Zack Schilawski 81), A.J. Soares, Darrius Barnes - Pat Phelan, Shalrie Joseph - Sainey Nyassi (Zak Boggs 62), Benny Feilhaber, Ryan Guy (Kenny Mansally 62) - Rajko Lekic
TEAM NEWS
- The Revolution haven’t won since May 14, a 1-0 win vs. Vancouver. They have five losses and two draws since.
- “Unless I'm watching a different game, we feel as though we've been robbed again,” Revolution boss Steve Nicol said. “We're coming away with nothing, which we don't deserve. It's beginning to get a little bit monotonous. It's the same story week-in, week-out. We have to change that. Only we can change it and we have to do it.”
- Benny Feilhaber returned to the Revolution lineup for the first time since suffering a sprained right ankle on May 28 against the LA Galaxy.
- "It was a nice to have him in back in the lineup. I thought it was difficult for him to find the ball. We really weren't that into a rhythm, where he could attack. He sort of was in and out of the game," midfielder Pat Phelan said.
- Feilhaber played a central midfield role behind Rajko Lekic, and has also figured in a wide midfield spot and lying deeper in the center of the park for Nicol.
- “It just means that you can use him,” Nicol said. “If we're dictated by a certain thing – what we're playing or who we're playing – we have some scope to change it. We changed it during the game [in Seattle]. We finished up with Kenny [Mansally] up top. We can slide Benny to the left and get him out there. We can go to three and then slide him back underneath the front two. It gives you options.”
- Ryan Guy made his first MLS start, playing wide on the left of midfield. Chris Tierney, who had taken over the position with eight consecutive starts, missed the match after suffering a foot contusion in the Chicago game.
- Ryan Cochrane returned to the lineup after missing one match with a left hamstring strain, that forced him off early in the game vs. Toronto FC.
- The Revolution have scored a goal or less in 11 consecutive games. The last time they hit for multiple goals in a game came April 23 in a win against Sporting Kansas City.
- "We can't get a break. We had a couple of chances where we could have gotten a point but didn't. I feel disappointed we put ourselves in good position in this match,” Nicol said. “The referee made a decision that changed the game. All the credit to the guy who made the kick and scored the goal, but the decision was totally wrong and changed the game."
