REAL SALT LAKE vs. FC DALLAS
Rio Tinto Stadium | Sandy, Utah
Saturday, August 20 | Week #24 | MLS Game #246
10 pm ET (MLS LIVE)
It’s a meeting of real high-flyers in the Western Conference when Real Salt Lake play host to FC Dallas on Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real return home – where they have not suffered defeat in league play this season – sitting in fourth place in the conference following a 2-1 loss at Seattle Sounders FC last weekend. FC Dallas sit atop the West standings and the MLS overall table, maintaining their margin in the division lead following a 2-2 draw against Sporting Kansas City last weekend at Toyota Stadium.
DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)
- Joao Plata scored his seventh goal of the season, now with two goals and three assists over the last five matches, but Real suffered a second consecutive defeat on their travels in a 2-1 loss to Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field.
- FC Dallas extended their club-record home undefeated streak to 18 matches – now tied for the sixth-longest in MLS history – reaching a 2-2 draw with Sporting Kansas City on Saturday evening at Toyota Stadium.
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Kellyn Acosta and Fabian Castillo scored on either side of halftime as FC Dallas took a 2-0 victory June 25 at Toyota Stadium.
- FCD has come away with points on four of their last five trips to Rio Tinto Stadium, with a win and two draws, dating back to 2012. RSL is now 1-12-2 at FC Dallas all-time in league games between the clubs; FCD has also won a home game in the MLS Cup Playoffs (in 2010) and a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal (in 2011).
REFEREE: Jose Carlos Rivero. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Eduardo Mariscal; 4th: Younes Marrakchi
MLS Career: 63 games; FC/gm: 26.8; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 17; pens: 28
SUSPENDED: DAL: Atiba Harris (caution accumulation; through Aug. 21)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Tony Beltran
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Sunday Stephen, Aaron Maund … DAL: Matt Hedges
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (32 meetings): Real 10 wins, 38 goals … FC Dallas 17 wins, 46 goals … Ties 5
AT SALT LAKE (17 meetings): Real 9 wins, 28 goals … FC Dallas 5 wins, 19 goals … Ties 3
FUTURE MATCH: 9/24: Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas, 7:30 p.m. MT
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Kellyn Acosta and Fabian Castillo scored on either side of halftime as FC Dallas took a 2-0 victory June 25 at Toyota Stadium.
- FCD has come away with points on four of their last five trips to Rio Tinto Stadium, with a win and two draws, dating back to 2012.
- RSL is now 1-12-2 at FC Dallas all-time in league games between the clubs; FCD has also won a home game in the MLS Cup Playoffs (in 2010) and a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal (in 2011).
- Coaches record: Jeff Cassar vs. DAL: P6 W1 L4 D1 … Oscar Pareja vs. RSL: P12 W6 L3 D3
LAST MATCH
6/25: DAL 2, RSL 0 (Acosta 18; Castillo 58)
- FC Dallas opened the scoring in the 18th minute. From a quick restart in the middle of the field, Mauro Diaz sent a pass ahead to Michael Barrios on the right flank. Barrios then sent a neat square pass into the box for Kellyn Acosta, who buried his shot as the two were all alone behind the RSL defense.
- Dallas doubled the lead just before the hour mark, when Fabian Castillo took an audacious bicycle kick pass from Diaz from the center circle, dribbled upfield and finished past RSL goalkeeper Jeff Attinella.
- FC DALLAS (4-2-3-1): Chris Seitz - Atiba Harris, Walker Zimmerman, Matt Hedges, Maynor Figueroa - Carlos Gruezo (Victor Ulloa 86), Kellyn Acosta - Michael Barrios (Carlos Lizarazo 79), Mauro Diaz, Fabian Castillo - Maximiliano Urruti (Tesho Akindele 70).
- REAL SALT LAKE (4-1-2-3): Jeff Attinella - Boyd Okwuonu, Phanuel Kavita, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert - John Stertzer - Omar Holness, Luke Mulholland (Demar Phillips 67) - Olmes Garcia, Devon Sandoval, Jordan Allen.
