Real Salt Lake is back on the road in the Texas heat to face FC Dallas this Saturday, here’s what you need to know ahead of the match:
1. Real Salt Lake is most recently coming off a 1-0 home loss in Leagues Cup to Tigres UANL but played a 1-1 home draw with Minnesota United last Saturday in league play, the third time they’ve dropped points against Western Conference opponents at home this season. Marcelo Silva scored in the 70th minute to bring RSL level with Minnesota after Quintero put the visitors up in the 57th. The performance was a stark contrast to their play in their 4-0 win against Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union the week before.
Silva’s goal was his second of the season. Sam Johnson still leads the team with eight goals despite having started only 10 of the team’s 21 matches, Albert Rusnak has seven goals and three assists, Jefferson Savarino has five goals and three assists (two goals and two assists in his last two MLS matches), and Damir Kreilach has four goals and three assists.
2. RSL is 12-7-20 all-time against FC Dallas and 1-13-3 at Dallas. This will be the second and final regular-season matchup of 2019 between these two teams, in their first match at Rio Tinto RSL fell 2-4 after conceding a goal in the first minute and a red card to Damir Kreilach in the 17th. RSL Homegrown players lead the league with 7,799 minutes so far this season but Dallas isn’t far behind with 7,477.
Real Salt Lake sits in 7th place in the Western Conference with a record of 9-9-3 and 30 points.
Johnson is still ruled out for Saturday due to a quad injury but Nedum Onuaho has been upgraded to probable.
3. FC Dallas sits in 6th place in the Western Conference with a 9-8-5 record and 32 points. Dallas is undefeated in their last five matches at home and coming off a 0-2 win at Sporting Kansas City in which their leading goalscorers, Ferreira and Badji, both scored. Dallas’s 2019 home record is 6-1-3 with wins against D.C. United, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, and Los Angeles Galaxy. Ferreira has six goals and four assists, Badji has six goals and two assists, and Micahel Barrios has two goals and eight assists.
Goalkeeper Jimmy Mauer (thumb) and Johnny Nelson (abdominal strain) are questionable for Saturday’s match.
Our coverage of Real Salt Lake at FC Dallas begins on Saturday, July 27 at 5 PM, kick-off at 6 PM.
