REAL SALT LAKE vs COLORADO RAPIDS
RIO TINTO STADIUM, Sandy, Utah
June 6, 2009 (WEEK 12) / MLS Game #89
8 p.m. MT (FSC/FSE)
The second Rocky Mountain Cup match is ahead at Rio Tinto Stadium as Real Salt Lake face the Colorado Rapids. The Rapids delivered a small dose of payback for last year's regular season finale in the first meeting, when Real captured the cup awarded by supporters' groups from both clubs and a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs, with a 2-0 win May 2 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. That result started RSL's current 6-game winless streak; led by Conor Casey's four goals in the last three games, the Rapids haven't lost in their last five.
REFEREE: Jeff Gontarek. SAR (bench): Greg Barkey; JAR (opposite): David Bragg; 4th: Landis Wiley MLS Career: 2 games; FC/gm: 29.5; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 0; pens: 0
INJURY REPORT:, REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: GK Chris Seitz (R grade II shoulder strain); PROBABLE: MF Kyle Beckerman (R ankle sprain); FW Fabian Espíndola (R patella tendonitis); DF Ian Joy (L hamstring strain); MF Javier Morales (R calf tightness) ... COLORADO RAPIDS - PROBABLE: FW Conor Casey (R foot/calf strain); FW Omar Cummings (L ankle strain); GK Steward Ceus (R meniscus tear/surgery)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: COL: Pablo Mastroeni, Conor Casey (USA; June 6 vs. Honduras)
SUSPENDED: RSL: Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales (caution accumulation; through June 7)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Robbie Russell ... COL: Conor Casey, Cory Gibbs
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (15 meetings): Rapids 7 wins, 16 goals ... Real Salt Lake 5 wins, 14 goals ... Ties
AT COLORADO (8 meetings): Rapids 4 wins, 10 goals ... Real 2 wins, 8 goals ... Ties 2
REMAINING MATCH:
10/24: Colorado Rapids at Real Salt Lake, 7 p.m. MT
• The teams play for the Rocky Mountain Cup, awarded to the winner of the season series by supporters' groups from both clubs.
• Real maintained their hold on the cup last season in the most dramatic of circumstances - a Yura Movsisyan goal in the 90th minute of the season finale at Dick's Sporting Goods gave RSL a 1-1 draw, leveling the season series - and sending Real into the MLS Cup Playoffs ahead of their regional rivals.
• Colorado won the Rocky Mountain Cup the first two years it was on offer before RSL took it in 2007, claiming the trophy in a 1-0 win in the regular season finale at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
• After going winless in four consecutive home games against RSL, the Rapids have won the last two. RSL won for the first time on the Rapids' home ground in a 4-1 victory Aug. 9, 2006 at Invesco Field at Mile High, starting a four-game unbeaten streak (2-0-2), all at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, which was snapped in the first meeting last year.
• After going winless in four regular-season home games against Colorado (five in all competitions), Real have now won the last two at home against Colorado. This is the first meeting at Rio Tinto Stadium.
• Coaches record: Jason Kreis vs. COL: P7 W3 L2 D2 ... Gary Smith v RSL: P3 W1 L1 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS):
5/2: COL 2, RSL 0 (LaBrocca 11; Kimura 60)
• The Rapids took the lead in this season's Rocky Mountain Cup competition and gained a small measure of revenge for last year's regular season finale, taking a 2-0 victory against Real on May 2 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
• The Rapids opened the scoring with an 11th-minute strike. Colin Clark took off down the left flank and swung in a cross to the heart of the box where Nick LaBrocca raced in unmolested to nod home his first goal on the season.
• In the 35th minute, RSL reserve goalkeeper Kyle Reynish was called upon to make his MLS debut when Nick Rimando suffered a cut hand that forced him from the contest. RSL was dealt a further blow four minutes from halftime when defender Jamison Olave was sent off with a straight red card after a tackle on Conor Casey.
• The Rapids finally took advantage at the hour mark. Jordan Harvey long cross from the left found Terry Cooke on the opposite side of goal. He laid the ball back for Kosuke Kimura just outside the edge of the area, and the Rapids fullback lashed home a low angled shot for his first professional goal.
• Here's Smith's team (4-4-2): Matt Pickens - Kosuke Kimura, Ugo Ihemelu, Scott Palguta, Jordan Harvey -Terry Cooke (Jacob Peterson 68), Pablo Mastroeni (Greg Dalby 92+), Nick LaBrocca, Colin Clark - Conor Casey, Omar Cummings (Mehdi Ballouchy 76). Substitutes Not Used: Preston Burpo, Ivan Guerrero, Ty Harden, Ross Schunk
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando (Kyle Reynish 35) - Robbie Russell, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert - Clint Mathis (Tony Beltran 74), Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson - Javier Morales - Robbie Findley, Yura Movsisyan (Ned Grabavoy 66). Substitutes Not Used: Jean Alexandre, Luis Miguel Escalada, David Horst, Andy Williams
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake saw their road woes continue for one more match, the San Jose Earthquakes putting paid to a five-game losing skid with a 2-1 victory Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium. Real have 11 points from 11 games on the season, sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference, still 13 points in back of MLS overall leader Chivas USA.
TEAM NEWS
• Both teams came in looking to put a halt to lengthy winless runs. The Earthquakes hadn't won since March 28, losing five in a row and six of eight in that time, while Real were in a five-game winless skid and still goalless on the road.
• The Earthquakes finally broke through seven minutes after the halftime break. Mike Zaher, making his first start of the year, swung in a cross from the left and Cornell Glen, making his first start for San Jose, powered home a snap header from eight yards out.
• Eleven minutes later, San Jose doubled its lead through a stunning strike. Arturo Alvarez cut in from the right across the top of the area and smashed a wicked drive high inside the far upper corner for his third goal on the season.
• RSL got a goal back in the 80th minute. Robbie Findley finished off a neat one-two with Javier Morales before lashing home a left-footed shot for the club's first tally away from Rio Tinto Stadium, but couldn't find the equalizer.
• RSL head coach Jason Kreis made three changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw at D.C. United the week before. Chris Wingert came back in for Tony Beltran on the back line, and Luis Miguel Escalada and Fabian Espindola comprised a new-look strike pair, with Robbie Findley and Clint Mathis going to the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Robbie Russell - Will Johnson, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Ned Grabavoy (Clint Mathis 64) - Luis Miguel Escalada (Robbie Findley 55), Fabian Espindola (Yura Movsisyan 56). Substitutes Not Used: Tony Beltran, Raphael Cox, Tino Nunez, Kyle Reynish
TEAM NEWS
• Findley's goal was broke Salt Lake's scoreless string at 350 minutes (longest in the league this year) and was their first goal away from home in six games this season
• "If there's one positive (tonight), it's that we scored our first road goal of the season, and scored our first goal in a while," said Kreis. "That's one positive from a game full of many, many negatives When we scored the goal, I thought the reaction and the mentality of the group was the right one, to really go after it and throw all kinds of numbers forward."
• RSL is still one of five teams without a victory on the road this season - and with one point from six road games, they are even ahead of San Jose (0-5-0, 3 GF, 13 GA) in the league road table.
• "I think we play with a bit more confidence, a bit more flair, a bit more everything when we play at home. When we play away, we're a lot more hesitant, and not sharp enough," Kreis said. "I think we have to look at (Saturday's match) as a poor performance by us all around. Defensively, it wasn't good enough. Offensively, it wasn't good enough. In all facets of the game tonight, we just weren't good enough."
• After the home match against Colorado, RSL goes back on the road the next two weeks with games at the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo.
• "We're puzzled too. If we could put our finger on it, we would, but we're still trying to figure it out. We've got nine more road games to try and find the answer," Kyle Beckerman said of the club's road struggles.
• The RSL winless run has now reached five games - the longest since the 11-game winless stretch to open the 2007 season.
• "We came out flat in the second half and they came out with more energy. Not all 11 guys were committed to defense in the second half," Beckerman said. "We needed to concentrate and weather the storm defensively for the rest of the game and weren't able to do it so they scored a goal to win it."
COLORADO RAPIDS
Conor Casey continued his remarkable run of form against the New York Red Bulls, getting a pair of goals to move to the top of MLS Golden Boot leaderboard as the Colorado Rapids extended their unbeaten streak to five games with a 3-2 victory at Giants Stadium. The Rapids have 16 points from 10 matches on the season, good for fourth place in the Western Conference, eight points behind conference leaders Chivas USA.
LAST MATCH
• The Red Bulls were completing a four-game homestand that had seen them go 1-1-1 to start, while the Rapids were making a second trip in three weeks to the East Coast yet were riding a four-game undefeated streak.
• The teams had combined for 13 goals in their two meetings a year ago - and it didn't take long for that continue, once again through Conor Casey. In the 25th minute, Colin Clark whipped in a cross from the left touchline and Casey looped around beyond the far post before heading high back inside the left stick.
• Just before the break, the Red Bulls pulled level. Cory Gibbs was adjudged to have pulled down Dane Richards after the speedster made a neat turn in the area, and Juan Pablo Angel converted from the spot for his fourth goal of the season.
• Yet just three minutes after the restart, the Rapids moved back in front, and again it was Casey. This time, Omar Cummings hooked a short ball over the far post and Casey snuck it to nod it home for his second of the night and league-leading eighth on the campaign. Casey has now scored five goals in his last two games at the Meadowlands.
• The Rapids made it 3-1 on the hour. Albert Celades was ruled to have tripped up Cummings right in the corner of the area, and Mehdi Ballouchy converted for his first goal on the year. The Red Bulls pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute, on a free kick that was taken twice. The first sailed harmlessly wide, but the second was on frame. It was saved by Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens, but Danleigh Borman was quickest to follow up, poking it into the goal.
• Rapids head coach Gary Smith made no changes to the team that played to a 2-2 draw with Seattle Sounders FC at home the previous weekend.
• Here's Smith's team (4-1-3-2): Matt Pickens - Ugo Ihemelu, Scott Palguta (Terry Cooke 81), Cory Gibbs, Jordan Harvey - Pablo Mastroeni - Nick LaBrocca, Mehdi Ballouchy, Colin Clark - Conor Casey, Omar Cummings (Greg Dalby 85). Substitutes not used: Preston Burpo, Michael Holody, Jacob Peterson, Ross Schunk, Rob Valentino
TEAM NEWS
• The Rapids are now unbeaten in five consecutive league games, including making two trips to the East Coast in a span of three weeks with another road game, at Seattle in a U.S. Open Cup play-in game, in between.
• "I think we did a terrific job the past couple of weeks, playing at New England and playing here, on turf of getting to grips with the pitch fairly quickly," Smith said.
• Casey ended the 2008 season with 11 goals, of which six came in the final five games of the year, beginning with the hat trick at Giants Stadium. Casey has now scored 14 goals in his last 15 MLS games.
• "He's been absolutely terrific," Smith said. "He's been carrying a sore foot and he's had a difficult year after a broken bone in the summer in his foot. To a degree, we've been nursing him through the week, but when he counts like that, I'd play him in a concrete boot just to get him out there. He's in one of those veins of form right now and I don't want to put the markers on him, but he looks very sharp in front of the goal."
• Casey could have scored his second consecutive hat trick at Giants Stadium when referee Ricardo Salazar pointed to the spot on the hour mark after Albert Celades fouled Omar Cummings at the edge of the 18-yard box. Instead he played provider, giving Ballouchy the opportunity to take the penalty, which he converted for his first goal this season. "Yeah, I asked (Casey) and he let me take it," Ballouchy said. "I thanked him afterwards."
• Omar Cummings provided an assist on Casey's second goal, his second consecutive game with an assist and third assist in the last five games. But Cummings is a striker by trade, and hasn't found the back of the net since scoring in the first two games. "As a forward, clearly there is a little bit of frustration, as it's always good to get a goal, but the team is doing well," he said
• In late news, Casey was called into the U.S. national team for their World Cup qualifier Saturday against Honduras in Chicago.
