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Real Salt Lake vs San Jose Earthquakes Preview

Real Salt Lake returns to action, and to Rio Tinto Stadium, to face the San Jose Earthquakes for the first time this season, here’s what you need to know ahead of the match:

1.  Real Salt Lake’s 3-match win streak was broken in L.A. on June 9th where they lost 3-0.  RSL held on and had their share of chances in the first 60 minutes in L.A., even forcing the referee into a controversial call, but eventually cracked in the 61st minute.  With the loss, Real Salt Lake fell to 7-7-1 on the season and 5th place in the western conference.

Corey Baird leads RSL with 4 goals and 1 assists, Albert Rusnak has 3 goals and 3 assists, Joao Plata has 3 goals and 1 assist, Luis Silva has 3 goals, Damir Kreilach has 2 goals and 4 assists, Jefferson Savarino has 2 goals and 2 assists, and Sebastian Saucedo has 1 goal and 3 assists.

2.  Real Salt Lake’s injury list hasn’t seen too much change over the last couple weeks, the only real change coming to Mulholland’s status:

QUESTIONABLE: Luke Mulholland (back 5/2/18) and Joao Plata (back 6/2/18).

OUT: Tony Beltran (knee 10/15/17), Jordan Allen (knee 6/16/17), Shawn Barry (knee 3/10/18), Demar Phillips (ankle 4/7/18), and Alex Horwath (achilles 4/18/18).

3.  The loss in L.A. ended RSL’s 3-match win streak, but RSL still has their 6-match home streak in league play where they haven’t lost since the home opener against LAFC.  Real has conceded just four goals and scored thirteen since the 5-1 loss on March 10.  In RSL’s last league home match, Real took down defending Western Conference Champions Seattle Sounders 2-0 thanks to goals from Corey Baird and Luis Silva.  RSL is 5-3-6 against the San Jose Earthquakes in Utah, where San Jose has been outscored 23-11, and 10-10-9 overall.  San Jose’s last visit to Rio Tinto Stadium ended in a 4-0 thumping in favor of the hosts on August 23, 2017.

4.  San Jose has two players called up to international duty during the World Cup: midfielder Anibal Godoy (Panama) and defender Harold Cummings (Panama); and their injuries are as follows:

QUESTIONABLE: defender Joel Qwiberg (knee)

OUT: defender Shea Salinas (hamstring)

5.  San Jose is winless in their last six matches, with their last win coming on May 12th in Minnesota.  The Earthquakes have an overall record of 2-9-4, and 1-5-2 on the road, leaving them in 11th place in the west.  San Jose has conceded 31 goals this season, 15 on the road, which ties for the most in the league and is the only team to have zero clean sheets at this point in the season.  But with Chris Wondolowski and Danny Hoesen in the attack, San Jose shouldn’t be underestimated.  Hoesen leads the Earthquakes with 9 goals and 4 assists, while Wondolowski has 4 goals and 3 assists in his 15 appearances this season.  Wondo now sits just seven goals away from Landon Donovan’s goalscoring record in MLS.  San Jose’s most recent match was a 2-2 draw against New England Revolution, where Hoesen scored two goals.

Catch interviews with Craig Waibel, Mike Petke, Justen Glad, and Earthquakes reporter Robert Jonas.

Our coverage of Real Salt Lake versus San Jose Earthquakes begins at 7 P.M. with Tom Hackett and Spencer Warne, kick-off is at 8 P.M. with Bill Riley and Jay Nolly.

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