Real Salt Lake Welcome FC Dallas In Critical Home Encounter
Jul 22, 2022, 1:58 PM
Anderson Julio #29 of Real Salt Lake competes against Minnesota United in the second half of the game at Allianz Field on April 24, 2021 in St Paul, Minnesota. Real Salt Lake defeated Minnesota 2-1. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Real Salt Lake will host FC Dallas for the first time this season on Saturday evening in a critical Western Conference showdown.
Real Salt Lake enters the contest having secured its first victory in five attempts last weekend when it demolished worst-placed Sporting Kansas City 3-0. FC Dallas, on the other hand, is in a patch of poor form of their own having last won on May 28.
Struggling FC Dallas
FC Dallas has withstood a seven-game winless streak as they slide down the Western Conference. Currently, Real Salt Lake sits in the third position two points clear of fourth-placed Minnesota and eight points shy of second-placed Austin. FC Dallas is in the sixth position, one point shy of fifth-placed Nashville and two points clear of seventh-placed LA Galaxy.
Yeehaw 🤠#RSLvDAL | @AFCU pic.twitter.com/IiOueNRw6c
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 22, 2022
The upcoming fixture will be a fantastic opportunity for Real Salt Lake to string consecutive victories together for just the fifth time this season. Furthermore, Real Salt Lake is one of just two teams in Major League Soccer, Philadelphia being the other, in which they are yet to taste defeat at home. Through 10 games at Rio Tinto Stadium, Real Salt Lake is yet to lose.
Real Salt Lake Eyeing History
Last year, RSL swept FC Dallas with consecutive victories both home and away. It was the first time since 2008-09 that Real Salt Lake has won consecutive matches against FC Dallas. With a victory on Saturday evening, it would mark the first time in the 46 previous meetings that Real Salt Lake has managed three consecutive victories against FC Dallas.
FC Dallas is growing with frustration following a dire stretch of form. Manager Nico Estévez is sympathetic towards his players.
“We are living in a cruel moment of the sport, any mistake and any misfortune can affect us. Every time that we don’t punish a team, we get punished instead,” Estévez said. “That is part of the process and these players deserve better.”
Paul: "Please get a photo of this. Get a pic of this and caption it 'I'm Paxton Pomykal and I'm a coffee addict'" pic.twitter.com/SfoCfdd0QM
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) July 22, 2022
FC Dallas does have a number of formidable players, mainly at the point of the attack, that is capable of turning a game on its head. Paul Arriola and Jesus Ferreira are two of the most talented players in Major League Soccer and have appeared for the United States National Team in 47 and 13 games, respectively.
Ferreira has scored 11 goals to date in 2022 while Arriola has netted 9. New York City FC striker Valentín Castellanos leads all players with 13.
RSL will be without their captain Damir Kreilach and striker Bobby Wood for another game as the two recover from long-term injuries. Wood is expected to start jogging within the next few weeks while Kreilach’s timeline remains a mystery. The club is hopeful that he will be available for selection by the start of the playoffs.
Real Salt Lake Vs. FC Dallas Match Info
Kick-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The match will be available to stream for free via the KSL Sports and KSL 5 TV apps or on KSL Sports dot com.
