REAL SALT LAKE vs. PORTLAND TIMBERS
Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah
October 14, 2015 (WEEK 33, MLS Game #321)
9:30 p.m. ET (MLS LIVE, KMYU-12, ROOT-NW)
A crucial clash in the playoff ambitions of both clubs is ahead when Real Salt Lake play host to the Portland Timbers on Wednesday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real kept their postseason dreams alive in their last match, now sitting three points below the red line following their 2-1 win at the Colorado Rapids. The Timbers are tied for sixth place and the final spot in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs in the West, seeing their home scoring drought continued in a 1-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City at Providence Park.
REFEREE: Juan Guzman
MLS Career: 62 games; FC/gm: 25.4; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 20; pens: 14
AR1 (bench): Corey Rockwell; AR2 (opposite): Jeff Hosking; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal
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SUSPENDED: RSL: Demar Phillips (caution accumulation; through Oct. 14)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Jordan Allen, Kyle Beckerman … POR: Diego Chara, Alvas Powell, Diego Valeri
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Olmes Garcia, Javier Morales, Tony Beltran, Aaron Maund, Luke Mulholland … POR: Rodney Wallace, Lucas Melano
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME MLS (13 meetings): Real 5 wins, 18 goals … Timbers 3 wins, 14 goals … Ties 5
AT SALT LAKE (7 meetings): Real 4 wins, 12 goals … Timbers 2 wins, 8 goals … Ties 1
2015 (MLS) 3/7: POR 0, RSL 0 8/15: RSL 0, POR 1 (Borchers 95+)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season in MLS play, the fourth in all competitions. Nat Borchers scored the game’s only goal well into stoppage time to give the Timbers the victory Aug. 15 at Rio Tinto Stadium; the teams reached a scoreless draw in the season opener for both clubs, March 7 at Providence Park. In between, Real Salt Lake eliminated the Timbers from the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-0 home win on July 1.
- The Timbers have won the last two meetings at Rio Tinto Stadium, their only wins ever in Utah. The only Portland home win vs. Real Salt Lake came in the first meeting ever, in 2011; the last four league meetings in Portland have all been draws.
- The teams have played to scoreless draws in each of their last three regular season meetings at Providence Park over the last three years.
- In addition to their regular-season meetings, Real Salt Lake eliminated Portland in the 2013 US Open Cup semifinals and the 2013 Western Conference final.
- Coaches' records:
Caleb Porter vs. RSL: P8 W2 L2 D4
Jeff Cassar vs. POR: P5 W1 L2 D2
LAST MEETING (MLS)
- The game's lone goal came five minutes into second-half stoppage time. In the 86th minute, Timbers center back Nat Borchers had seen a corner kick header cleared off the line. But in stoppage time Borchers made it count, nodding down a Diego Valeri corner kick at the penalty spot and sending the ball bouncing into the opposite corner of the net.
- Timbers goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey was credited with five saves for the shutout, including a stop of a searing blast from Luke Mulholland in the first half to keep the score level.
- REAL SALT LAKE (4-2-3-1): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave (ElÃas Vásqez 86), Aaron Maund, Demar Phillips - Kyle Beckerman, Luke Mulholland - Luis Silva (Devon Sandoval 89), Javier Morales, Olmes Garcia (Sebastian Saucedo 76) - Sebastian Jaime.
- PORTLAND TIMBERS (4-2-3-1): Adam Kwarasey - Alvas Powell, Nat Borchers, Liam Ridgewell, Jorge Villafaña - Will Johnson (Jack Jewsbury 86), Diego Chara - Darlington Nagbe (Dairon Asprilla 82), Diego Valeri, Rodney Wallace - Lucas Melano (Maximiliano Urruti 65).
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CHECK OUT THE INJURY REPORT HEADING INTO THE MATCH
CHECK OUT THE DISCIPLINARY REPORT HEADING INTO THE MATCH
