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

REAL SALT LAKE vs SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
RIO TINTO STADIUM, Sandy, Utah
June 1, 2013 (WEEK 14, MLS Game #127)
7:30 p.m. MT (KTVA-ABC; CSN-CA)

Real Salt Lake and the San Jose Earthquakes meet for the second time this season when the clubs face off Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real are coming off a 1-1 home draw with the Chicago Fire to start a four-game league homestand, then advanced in the U.S. Open Cup with a midweek win. The Quakes are coming off a 1-0 road defeat by FC Dallas, then were dumped out of the Open Cup in Charleston in midweek. RSL came away from San Jose with a 2-0 in the season opener for both clubs.

DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)

REFEREE: Silviu Petrescu. AR1 (bench): Kevin Duliba; AR2 (opposite): Marco Arruda; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal
MLS Career: 64 games; FC/gm: 27.5; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 8; pens: 7

DISABLED LIST: none
SUSPENDED: SJ: Victor Bernardez (through June 15)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: SJ: Steven Lenhart
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Ned Grabavoy, Lovel Palmer … SJ: Rafael Baca
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: SJ: Victor Bernardez, Marvin Chavez (both Honduras)

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (17 meetings): Real 6 wins, 24 goals … Earthquakes 6 wins, 24 goals …Ties 5
AT SALT LAKE (8 meetings): Real 2 wins, 11 goals … Earthquakes 2 wins, 7 goals … Ties 4
FUTURE MATCH: 9/21: Real Salt Lake vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 7 p.m. MT

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Alvaro Saborío scored twice in the game’s final 10 minutes to give Real a 2-0 victory in the season opener for both clubs, March 3 at Buck Shaw Stadium.
After 17 meetings all-time, the series is exactly deadlocked: Each team has won on six occasions (with five draws), each scoring 24 goals.
The three victories in three meetings last year by San Jose snapped a five-game league winless streak in the series, dating back to 2009. Coming into last season, Real had won three of the previous five MLS meetings, with two draws.
The Quakes win last year in Sandy was their first ever at Rio Tinto Stadium, and their first in Utah since RSL’s inaugural season of 2005.
Coaches record: Frank Yallop vs. RSL: P18 W6 L8 D4 … Jason Kreis vs. SJ: P13 W6 L4 D3

LAST MEETING (MLS)
3/3: SJ 0, RSL 2 (Saborio 71, 85)

Real broke open the scoring in the 71st minute when Alvaro Saborío outraced two San Jose defenders to reach a looping lead pass from Joao Plata, firing home a powerful right-footed drive inside the near post, cleanly beating San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch.
RSL finished off the contest five minutes from the end when Kyle Beckerman found Saborío too loosely marked in the Quakes box, and he swiveled nicely from 11 yards out to tuck a left-footed shot inside the far post.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): Jon Busch - Ty Harden (Adam Jahn 83), Jason Hernandez, Victor Bernardez, Justin Morrow - Shea Salinas (Cordell Cato 79), Sam Cronin, Rafael Baca, Ramiro Corrales (Sam Garza 72) - Chris Wondolowski, Mike Fucito.
REAL SALT LAKE (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Chris Schuler, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Kenny Mansally - Sebastian Velasquez, Kyle Beckerman, Khari Stephenson (Yordany Alvarez 84) - Luis Gil - Robbie Findley (Joao Plata 65), Alvaro Saborio (Devon Sandoval 87).

REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake returned home following a three-game road run, reaching a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL sits in third place in the Western Conference with 21 points from 14 games.

LAST MATCH

The game's goals came six minutes apart in the second half. Real took a a short-lived lead in the 78th minute. Sebastian Velasquez played a nifty ball toward the corner to midfielder Ned Grabavoy, who sent in a cross that Alvaro Saborio leaped over Fire defender Bakary Soumare to head home.
But the Fire pulled even in the 84th minute. Off a long throw from Jalil Anibaba, center back Austin Berry was able to get a head to it and flick it into the path of Quincy Amarikwa, who volleyed it home acrobatically from close range.
RSL head coach Jason Kreis made one change to the team that rolled to a 4-1 victory against Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center. Robbie Findley came into the team in place of Devon Sandoval.
REAL SALT LAKE (4-1-3-2): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Carlos Salcedo, Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert - Luis Gil (Sebastian Velasquez 72), Kyle Beckerman, Ned Grabavoy - Javier Morales - Robbie Findley (Alvaro Saborio 62), Joao Plata (Yordany Alvarez 83).

TEAM NEWS

Álvaro Saborío scored his first goal since March 16, literally jumping over Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare to head home Real Salt Lake’s goal.
“Ned Grabavoy has a fantastic cross and Sabo does great to rise up and beat his player and hit the ball into the back of the net on a very good goalkeeper who played well tonight,” said RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando. “You got to play the game 90 plus minutes and continue to play no matter what the score is. This time it came and bit us in the butt a little bit for not following out a throw-in.”
But there was an injury concern after the match as Saborío reaggravated the quadriceps injury that forced him to the sidelines.
“I believe it was on that very first left-footed shot,” said Kreis. “It was his left quadriceps injury that we’ve been dealing with, and I think that he may have re-tweaked it on that very first left-footed shot over the goalkeeper.”
RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando became the fourth-player in MLS history to reach 30,000 regular season minutes played on Saturday night. Rimando has now played 30,033 regular season minutes, trailing New York goalkeeper Kevin Hartman (37,620), former New England midfielder and current Houston assistant coach Steve Ralston (33,142) and Vancouver goalkeeper Joe Cannon (30,731) on the all-time list.
Robbie Findley made his first league start since March 30, when he was forced off after just 14 minutes vs. Seattle, partnering Joao Plata in attack.
“I thought it was pretty decent. The number of chances that we had, for the 60 minutes they were on, was pretty darn high,” said Kreis. “They were pretty good with the ball, and in holding it and combining with the midfielders coming on, and trying to find spaces in behind. I thought it was pretty decent.”
After scoring two goals the weekend before vs. Chivas USA, Ned Grabavoy added his second assist of the season on the Saborío tally.
“Really, really effective in the first half – finding gaps, didn’t turn the ball over, lifted the back four. He had two chances to score again,” said Kreis. “I think he’s just been contributing in all the right ways, in all the right spots, and hopefully that continues.”
On Tuesday, Real advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup with a 3-2 win against the NASL Atlanta Silverbacks at Rio Tinto Stadium. After a late Atlanta equalizer sent the game into extra time, Devon Sandoval and Khari Stephenson scored three minutes apart to send RSL through. Kyle Beckerman gave Real the lead after just three minutes.
Here’s the RSL team: Josh Saunders; Lovel Palmer, Carlos Salcedo, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Chris Wingert; Yordany Alvarez (Khari Stephenson, 84’); Kyle Beckerman, Sebastian Velasquez (Ned Grabavoy, 57’); Javier Morales; Devon Sandoval, Robbie Findley (Joao Plata, 73’)

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes lost for the second time in as many starts away from Buck Shaw Stadium, falling 1-0 to FC Dallas on Saturday evening in Frisco. The Quakes sit in a tie for sixth place in the Western Conference with 15 points from 14 matches.

LAST MATCH

The game's lone goal came in the 33rd minute. A cross from the left was cleared directly to David Ferreira, who then carried the ball 40 yards upfield before passing to forward Fabian Castillo. He then cut around San Jose’s Jason Hernandez and curled a well-placed left-footed shot into the bottom left corner of the goal.
FC Dallas goalkeeper Raul Fernandez had a brilliant night, stopping all six shots he faced, including a point-blank stop on Chris Wondolowski in the 81st minute.
Quakes head coach Frank Yallop made one change to the team that came back for a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids at Buck Shaw Stadium. Adam Jahn came into the team in place of Rafael Baca.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-1-3-2): Jon Busch - Steven Beitashour, Jason Hernandez (Mike Fucito 83), Victor Bernardez, Justin Morrow - Sam Cronin - Marvin Chavez, Adam Jahn, Walter Martinez (Shea Salinas 58) - Chris Wondolowski, Alan Gordon (Steven Lenhart 46).

TEAM NEWS

The Earthquakes were shut out at the attacking end for a second time in three games and the fifth time this season in the loss at FC Dallas. A year ago, San Jose was shut out just twice, the fourth-lowest total in MLS history.
“We had plenty of chances, especially in the second half but that is just how the season has gone so far,” said Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop. “We played pretty well tonight against a pretty good team at home and didn’t get anything out of the game.”
Said goalkeeper Jon Busch: “You look at that second half, we had some good looks, and we’ve had some good looks in other games as well. They’re just not falling for us this year. Last year, almost everything we hit went in. That’s the way it goes sometimes. We’ve just got to be strong mentally and keep battling. It’ll turn. We’re doing the right things.”
The Quakes have won just once in their last 10 games, with a 1-4-5 record in that time. They are 0-4-2 away from Buck Shaw Stadium, one of five teams in MLS still looking for a first away win this season.
“When you ask our players how they’re feeling, they’re just trying to win games. We don’t think about it too deeply,” said Yallop. “We don’t go in thinking ‘we can’t win on the road and we’re playing Dallas.’ We don’t care who we play. It’s getting our house in order.”
Said defender Jason Hernandez: “When you’re on the road and you’re able to put more shots on target and make the goalkeeper make a bunch of huge saves, you’ve got to feel good about that. Unfortunately we just can’t seem to keep teams out of the back of the net right now.”
The Quakes conceded the opening goal for an 11th time in 14 games this season, the most of any team in Major League Soccer. They are 2-5-4 when allowing the opener, the second-best record in MLS.
“If we’d have scored one, would have got another one. They were sitting back and we were taking it to them late in the game. Having said that, we went a goal down again, which we’ve done in 11 matches out of 14 and it’s a mountain to climb,” said Yallop. “We couldn’t quite get back in the game but I can’t fault the guys for effort.”
After coming into the midfield as a substitute against Colorado, rookie Adam Jahn made his first start in the center of the park vs. FC Dallas.
“We started creating a bit more havoc, a bit more chances. I found myself on the end of them and I couldn’t finish so it makes it a bit disappointing,” said forward Chris Wondolowski. “ … It’s definitely frustrating at times but if I didn’t have 100 percent faith in this locker room it’d be really frustrating. I know we’re going to turn it around. We’ve been treading water but now it’s time to swim.”
On Tuesday, the Earthquakes were dumped out of the U.S. Open Cup at the first hurdle, falling 1-0 to the USL PRO Charleston Battery in a third-round match.
Here’s the San Jose side: David Bingham, Dan Gargan, Brad Ring (sent off 75), Victor Bernardez, Justin Morrow, Cordell Cato (Marvin Chavez 68), Rafa Baca, Mehdi Ballouchy, Shea Salinas (Adam Jahn 78), Steven Lenhart, Mike Fucito (Chris Wondolowski 58).