Real Salt Lake took all 3 points on Saturday vs Vancouver at Rio Tinto Stadium, thanks to goals from Luis Silva and Jefferson Savarino, and improved to 2-2-1 on the season. Now RSL is in the Concrete Jungle to take on NYCFC on Wednesday evening. Here’s what you need to know:
- Real Salt Lake is 3-0-0 against New York City FC overall and 1-0-0 against NYCFC at Yankee Stadium.
- Mike Petke promised changes after their loss at Toronto on March 30th, and he delivered. Corey Baird started in place of Joao Plata against the Whitecaps on Saturday, providing a needed lift for the offense, and added an assist to his stat sheet. Petke made it clear there isn’t room for egos on this team and if it weren’t for the early injuries they’ve seen, I would have expected even more changes to be made.
- First-half injuries to Damar Phillips and Marcelo Silva forced early defensive substitutions for Real Salt Lake. Adam Henley, who was acquired in January, made his MLS debut and veteran David Horst stepped up big to help the Claret & Cobalt claim 3 points. Despite the team’s early struggles, Lennon, Baird, Henley, Barry, and Horst have proven that this team has depth.
- David Villa is back from injury after missing NYCFC’s last 3 matches. Vila has scored 1 goal and recorded 13 shots in the 2 matches he’s played this season.
- NYCFC is off to a hot start and is 1 of 2 undefeated teams left in MLS at 4-0-1, and is 2-0-0 at home this season. New York City has managed to outscore their opponents 10-4, scoring 2 goals in each of their 5 matches.
Real Salt Lake General Manager Craig Waibel joined The Bill Riley show on Tuesday, listen to that interview here.
Our coverage of RSL at NYCFC begins at 4:30PM with Tom Hackett & Spencer Warne, kick-off with Bill Riley & Jay Nolly will be at 5PM.
