Real Salt Lake will head to California to face the Galaxy for the first time this season, here’s what you need to know ahead of the match:
1. RSL won on the road last week at FC Cincinnati, dismantling the home team 3-0. After a gruesome dislocation of a finger, Albert Rusnak scored the first goal of the night in the 42nd minute. Just a few minutes later Sam Johnson scored his second of the season, giving RSL a 2-0 lead at the break. Cincinnati came out firing in the second half but couldn’t produce anything dangerous enough before Rusnak sunk a penalty kick in the 59th minute to sink the league newcomers. Rusnak’s two goals bring him to four on the season with one assist. Damir Kreilach and Johnson are now tied at two goals a piece, while Jefferson Savarino remains at one goal and one assist.
With the win Real Salt Lake hopped into 7th place in the west at 3-4-1 and 10 points.
RSL have an all-time record of 14-15-9 against the Galaxy and are 7-11-2 at LA.
2. Andrew Putna got his first start of the year at Cincinnati after Nick Rimando got injured during training. Putna had to make just one save on the road last week and has conceded one goal in 225 minutes for Real Salt Lake. Last week’s match also marked the team’s first in 2019 without Everton Luiz, who suffered a knee injury against Orlando City SC on April 13. Luiz and Rimando remain on RSL’s injury list for Sunday’s match alongside Erik Holt (ankle 3/30). Marcelo Silva (hamstring 4/6) and Luke Mulholland (back 4/2) are questionable.
3. L.A. Galaxy played to a 0-0 draw on the road midweek at Minnesota United, just the second time they’ve been held scoreless in a match this season. The draw snapped a five-match win streak for the Galaxy, who sit in 2nd place in the western conference at 6-1-1 and 19 points. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and company were visibly frustrated with the result on Wednesday, having scored a minimum of two goals in six of their eight matches. Zlatan leads the team with seven goals and one assist, Daniel Steres has two goals, and Jonathan Dos Santos has one goal and one assist. Polenta, Lletget, and Pontius all sit on one goal each.
Romain Alessandrini underwent knee surgery this week after getting injured on April 19 against Houston, Alessandrini had eleven goals and nine assists for the Galaxy in 2018.
The Galaxy have yet to drop points at home in 2019 at 5-0-0.
Our coverage of Real Salt Lake at LA Galaxy begins on Sunday, April 28 at 5 PM with Spencer Warne and Lauren Beck, kick-off at 6 PM with Bill Riley and Jay Nolly.
