Real Salt Lake Face Fiery Seattle Sounders

Since they followed up their 2009 MLS Cup with a run to the CONCACAF final in 2010-2011, Real Salt Lake haven’t often played the underdog. Even against Mexican powerhouse Monterrey, the eventual CONCACAF champions, RSL matched them goal for goal on the road and only lost the second leg of the final by the slimmest margin.

But in August, Real Salt Lake’s next opponent—the Seattle Sounders—turned into monsters. Jason Kreis’s team goes to Century Link field to face a side 7–0–1 in their last eight matches in all competitions, with one of those being a 6–2 drubbing of the East-leading Crew. Seattle is winning on the road, at home, against top-of-the-table teams, in the U.S. Open Cup and in the CONCACAF tournament. They currently sit in second place in the West, four points behind the Galaxy.

So despite winning their last two matches and three of their last five, Real (12–7–6, fourth in the West behind LA, Seattle and Dallas) goes into Saturday’s matinee match, perhaps, with third-parties betting against them—a role they’ve historically enjoyed.

Kyle Beckerman, Álvaro Saborío, Will Johnson, Artruro Alvarez and Jean Alexandre are all back from last week’s international duty, Ned Grabavoy and Paulo, Jr. are back from injury and Nat Borchers is back from red card suspension, allowing RSL to field a team nearer full-strength than they’ve had in quite a few weeks. The outside backs are one potential weakness, as Chris Wingert is out with a fractured wrist and Robbie Russell hobbled off in stoppage time of the Philadelphia match with back spasms last week. Newly signed Blake Wagner came on in his place for a three-minute RSL debut. Seven different players scored for Seattle in August, so whoever joins Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave and Borchers in the back will have to do real work against a potent attack.

When the two met in Salt Lake in this season’s previous meeting, Olave was sent off for a last-man foul on Mike Fucito in the 57th minute. Patrick Ianni and Lamar Neagle scored for Seattle before Nelson Gonzalez got one back for the shorthanded home side. The game snapped RSL’s 30-game regular season home unbeaten streak.

RSL will look to make up ground in the Western Conference in the final run to the playoffs, though a draw would likely be viewed as a positive result as well. They still have six away games left in the regular season and only three at home, however, so they’ll have to start picking up points on the road if they wish to climb the table. RSL would love to begin that trend in Seattle—where they’re 0–1–1 in the two previous meetings with the Sounders—and return the favor for the stinging home defeat in May.

(image courtesy of George Frey/Getty Images)