MLS-Game-Guide_031712_RSL-NY.pdf by Real Salt Lake

REAL SALT LAKE v NEW YORK RED BULLS (March 17, Rio Tinto Stadium, 8 p.m. MT) PROBABLE LINEUPS

2012 SEASON RECORDS GP W-L-T PTS GF GA Real 1 1-0-0 3 3 1 at home 0 0-0-0 0 0 0

18 Rimando

Red Bulls 1 0-1-0 0 1 2 on road 1 0-1-0 0 1 2

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD

Paulo Jr

Espindola

Cooper

Henry

Lindpere

Richards

WHERE THE GOALS COME FROM RED BULLS

F 1 90

GOALS SCORED MINUTES PER GOAL

A 2 45

7 Miller

1 0 0 0

1 1 0 0

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 1 0

0 2 0

TYPE OF PLAY

0 3 0

0 0 0

INSIDE GOAL AREA INSIDE PENALTY AREA OUTSIDE PENALTY AREA

DISTANCE

(W-L-T) RSL NY

RECORD AT HALFTIME LEAD TIED TRAIL 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-0

REAL SALT LAKE Date Score (Gms since) 9/17/2011 RSL 1, KC 0 3/10/2012 RSL 3, LA 1 9/28/2011 RSL 0, CHI 3 10/06/2011 RSL 0, VAN 3 10/22/2011 RSL 1, POR 1 10/14/2011 RSL 0, COL 0 10/14/2011 RSL 0, COL 0

GAME-BY-GAME: WON/LOST/TIED Real Salt Lake Red Bulls

W L

Holgersson

Keel

8 Solli

REFEREE: Hilario Grajeda. SAR (bench): Chris Strickland; JAR (opposite): Eric Proctor; 4th: Tyler Ploeger INJURY REPORTS REAL SALT LAKE -- OUT: MF Will Johnson (R adductor strain); DOUBTFUL: DF Tony Beltran (R knee sprain); MF Javier Morales (R MCL sprain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Cody Arnoux (R knee sprain); DF Nat Borchers (L quadriceps strain); PROBABLE: FW Álvaro Saborío (R Condyle internal injury); MF Jonny Steele (L knee internal injury) … NEW YORK RED BULLS -- OUT: DF Wilman Conde (R quadriceps strain)

(2) (0) (1) (2) (1) (2) (2)

N.Y. RED BULLS 2 Wilman Conde (DF) 3 Jonathan Borrajo (DF) 4 Rafa Marquez (MF) 5 Markus Holgersson (DF) 6 Teemu Tainio (MF) 7 Roy Miller (DF) 8 Jan Gunnar Solli (MF) 9 Luke Rodgers (FW) 10 Mehdi Ballouchy (MF) 11 Dax McCarty (MF) 14 Thierry Henry (FW) 15 Tyler Ruthven (DF) 16 Connor Lade (DF) 17 Juan Agudelo (FW) 18 Ryan Meara (GK) 19 Dane Richards (MF) 20 Joel Lindpere (MF) 21 Corey Hertzog (FW) 22 Stephen Keel (DF) 24 Jeremy Vuolo (GK) 25 Brandon Barklage (MF) 27 Jhonny Arteaga (FW) 33 Kenny Cooper (FW) 44 Victor Palsson (MF) 99 Jose Angulo (FW)

DISCIPLINARY SITUATION SUSPENDED: NY: Rafael Marquez (through March 18) WARNINGS (suspended next yellow card): none

INTERNATIONAL DUTY NY: Juan Agudelo (USA U-23)

RECORD WITH FIRST GOAL SCORE ALLOW 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-0

THE LAST TIME Home win Road win Home loss Road loss Tie game Shutout for Shutout vs.

6 Tainio

Meara

RIGHT FOOT LEFT FOOT HEADERS OTHER OPEN PLAY CROSS CORNER REBOUND PENALTIES DIRECT FROM FREE KICK FREE KICK (INDIRECT) OWN GOALS

11 McCarty

HOW SCORED

0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

26 Velasquez

Gil

REAL

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Beckerman

Grabavoy

UPCOMING MATCHES RED BULLS REAL Sun. Mar. 25 Colorado Sat. Mar. 24 Chivas USA Sat. Mar. 31 Montreal Sat. Mar. 31 at Portland Sat. Apr. 7 at Columbus Wed. Apr. 4 Montreal Sat. Apr. 14 San Jose Sat. Apr. 7 Colorado

0 0 1 0

17 Wingert

LAST YEAR (MLS): 8/6: RSL 3, NY 0 (Borchers 13; Gil 44; Saborio 77) 9/21: NY 1, RSL 3 (Lindpere 69 – Saborio 7; Espindola 11, 21)

1 2 0 0

28 Schuler

AT SALT LAKE (7 meetings): Real 3 wins, 13 goals … Red Bulls 0 wins, 7 goals … Ties 4

A 1 90

4 Olave

Tanaka

ALL-TIME (14 meetings): Red Bulls 4 wins, 20 goals … Real 3 wins, 19 goals … Ties 7

F 3 30

ROSTERS REAL SALT LAKE 1 Eduardo Fernandez (GK) 2 Tony Beltran (DF) 3 Diogo de Almeida (DF) 4 Jamison Olave (DF) 5 Kyle Beckerman (MF) 6 Nat Borchers (DF) 7 Fabian Espindola (FW) 8 Will Johnson (MF) 11 Javier Morales (MF) 12 Emiliano Bonfigli (FW) 14 Yordany Alvarez (MF) 15 Alvaro Saborio (FW) 16 Nico Muniz (MF) 17 Chris Wingert (DF) 18 Nick Rimando (GK) 19 Enzo Martinez (MF) 20 Ned Grabavoy (MF) 21 Luis Gil (MF) 22 Jonny Steele (MF) 23 Paulo Araujo Jr. (FW) 24 Kyle Reynish (GK) 26 Sebastian Velasquez (MF) 27 Cody Arnoux (FW) 28 Chris Schuler (DF) 44 Leone Cruz (DF) 53 Terakazu Tanaka (DF)

NEW YORK RED BULLS Date Score (Gms since) 10/20/2011 NY 1, PHI 0 9/17/2011 NY 1, DAL 0 9/21/2011 NY 1, RSL 3 3/11/2012 NY 1, DAL 2 10/01/2011 NY 1, TOR 1 10/20/2011 NY 1, PHI 0 10/15/2011 NY 0, KC 2

(0) (3) (3) (0) (4) (1) (2)

TEAM LEADERS REAL G: 1 Espindola/Morales A: 1 Saborio SHT: 4 Espindola SOG: 2 Espindola FC: 3 Beckerman FS: 3 Beckerman/Velasquez OF: 3 Paulo Junior C: 1 Beckerman/Morales E: 0 RED BULLS G: 1 Cooper A: 1 Henry SHT: 5 Henry SOG: 2 Cooper FC: 3 Tainio FS: 3 Henry OF: 1 Agudelo/Henry C: 1 3 players tied E: 0

GOALSCORING RECORD GOALS SCORED IN GAME GP 0 1 2 3 4+ TOT AVG RSL 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 3.00 NY 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1.00 GOALS ALLOWED IN GAME GP 0 1 2 3 4+ TOT AVG RSL 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1.00 NY 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 2.00 GOALS BY INTERVALS GOALS SCORED Total 1-15 16-30 31-45 46-60 61-75 76-90 RSL 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 NY 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 GOALS ALLOWED Total 1-15 16-30 31-45 46-60 61-75 76-90 RSL 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 NY 2 1 0 0 1 0 0

REAL SALT LAKE v NEW YORK RED BULLS (March 17, Rio Tinto Stadium, 8 p.m. MT - MLS Game 13)

REAL SALT LAKE 2012 CAREER No. Player Pos Ht Wt Birthdate Birthplace GP GS G A GP GS G A 1 Eduardo Fernandez GK 6-3 170 12/16/1992 Guadalajara, Mexico 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Tony Beltran DF 5-8 150 10/11/1987 Claremont, CA 1 1 0 0 79 68 0 3 3 Diogo de Almeida DF 6-0 175 01/02/1989 Piricicaba, Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Jamison Olave DF 6-3 210 04/21/1981 Medellin, Colombia 1 1 0 0 100 99 10 1 5 Kyle Beckerman MF 5-11 165 04/23/1982 Crofton, MD 1 1 0 0 270 242 24 33 6 Nat Borchers DF 6-2 175 04/13/1981 Tucson, AZ 0 0 0 0 202 201 8 4 7 Fabian Espindola FW 5-9 160 05/04/1985 Buenos Aires, Argentina 1 1 1 0 96 78 27 10 8 Will Johnson MF 5-10 155 01/21/1987 Toronto, Ontario, Canada 0 0 0 0 94 82 7 5 11 Javier Morales MF 5-9 165 01/10/1980 Buenos Aires, Argentina 1 0 1 0 99 92 18 34 12 Emiliano Bonfigli FW 5-10 148 02/23/1989 Bahia Blanca, Argentina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 Yordany Alvarez MF 5-10 165 05/24/1985 Cienfuegos, Cuba 1 0 0 0 6 4 0 0 15 Alvaro Saborio FW 6-0 170 03/25/1982 San Carlos, Costa Rica 1 0 0 1 51 45 23 7 16 Nico Muniz MF 5-10 155 10/18/1992 Albuquerque, NM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 Chris Wingert DF 5-10 170 06/16/1982 Babylon, NY 1 1 0 0 188 157 1 11 18 Nick Rimando GF 5-9 184 06/17/1979 Montclair, CA 1 1 0 0 289 289 0 6 19 Enzo Martinez MF 5-7 160 09/29/1990 Montevideo, Uruguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 Ned Grabavoy MF 5-7 150 07/01/1983 Joliet, IL 1 1 0 0 163 118 8 17 21 Luis Gil MF 5-8 150 11/14/1993 Garden Grove, CA 1 1 0 0 26 15 2 0 22 Jonny Steele MF 6-0 180 02/07/1986 Larne, Northern Ireland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 Paulo Junior FW 5-7 158 01/23/1989 Teresina, Brazil 1 1 0 0 15 6 2 4 24 Kyle Reynish GK 6-3 193 11/03/1983 Valencia, CA 0 0 0 0 5 4 0 0 26 Sebastian Velasquez MF 5-11 155 02/11/1991 Medillin, Colombia 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 27 Cody Arnoux FW 5-10 170 04/13/1988 Stony Brook, NY 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 28 Chris Schuler DF 6-4 185 09/09/1987 St. Louis, MO 1 1 0 0 22 18 2 0 44 Leone Cruz DF 6-0 172 06/13/1987 Round Rock, TX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 53 Terakazu Tanaka DF 5-8 150 07/14/1985 Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 HEAD COACH : Jason Kreis

12/29/1972 W58 L50 T43

NEW YORK RED BULLS 2012 CAREER No. Player Pos Ht Wt Birthdate Birthplace GP GS G A GP GS G A 2 Wilman Conde DF 6-2 188 08/29/1982 Cali, Colombia 0 0 0 0 73 66 4 4 3 Jonathan Borrajo DF 5-9 165 06/02/1987 Clifton, NJ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Rafa Marquez MF 6-0 166 02/13/1979 Zamora, Mexico 0 0 0 0 29 29 1 6 5 Markus Holgersson DF 6-2 174 04/16/1985 Helsingborg, Sweden 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 6 Teemu Tainio MF 5-9 157 11/27/1979 Tornio, Finland 1 1 0 0 29 29 0 2 7 Roy Miller DF 6-2 170 11/24/1984 San Jose, Costa Rica 1 1 0 0 56 52 0 5 8 Jan Gunnar Solli DF 6-0 185 04/19/1981 Arendal, Norway 1 1 0 0 32 32 0 7 9 Luke Rodgers FW 5-8 157 01/01/1982 Birmingham, England 0 0 0 0 23 20 9 3 10 Mehdi Ballouchy MF 6-0 166 04/06/1983 Casablanca, Morocco 1 0 0 0 159 125 12 22 11 Dax McCarty MF 5-9 150 04/30/1987 Winter Park, FL 1 1 0 0 123 97 5 23 14 Thierry Henry FW 6-2 183 08/17/1977 Les Ulis, France 1 1 0 1 38 38 16 8 15 Tyler Ruthven DF 6-2 180 07/18/1988 Alpharetta, GA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 Connor Lade DF 5-6 145 11/16/1989 Livingston, NJ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 Juan Agudelo FW 6-1 183 11/23/1992 Manizales, Colombia 1 1 0 0 30 13 6 2 18 Ryan Meara GK 6-4 185 11/15/1990 Yonkers, NY 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 19 Dane Richards MF 5-7 153 12/14/1983 Montego Bay, Jamaica 1 1 0 0 131 116 20 24 20 Joel Lindpere MF 5-10 165 10/05/1981 Tallinn, Estonia, USSR 1 1 0 0 64 64 10 13 21 Corey Hertzog FW 6-0 172 08/01/1990 Reading, PA 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 22 Stephen Keel DF 6-0 175 04/11/1983 Littleton, CO 1 1 0 0 27 21 0 2 24 Jeremy Vuolo GK 6-3 196 09/05/1987 Philadelphia, PA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 Brandon Barklage MF 5-11 165 11/02/1986 St. Louis, MO 0 0 0 0 11 3 0 0 27 Jhonny Arteaga FW 5-11 170 11/24/1986 Cali, Colombia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 Kenny Cooper FW 6-3 207 10/21/1984 Baltimore, MD 1 0 1 0 125 115 49 12 44 Victor Palsson MF 6-1 170 04/30/1991 Reykjavik, Iceland 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 99 Jose Angulo FW 5-11 185 01/13/1988 Cali, Colombia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 HEAD COACH : Hans Backe

02/14/1952 W25 L18 T22

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS RIO TINTO STADIUM, Sandy, Utah March 17, 2012 (WEEK 2, MLS Game #13) 8:15 p.m. MT (KTVX-ABC4; MSG) Fresh of a stirring victory, Real Salt Lake make their 2012 Rio Tinto Stadium bow when they play host to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening. Real are coming off a come-from-behind 3-1 win against the defending MLS champion LA Galaxy in Carson last weekend. The Red Bulls are playing a second consecutive road match to begin the new season, falling to a 2-1 defeat by FC Dallas last Sunday. REFEREE: Hilario Grajeda. SAR (bench): Chris Strickland; JAR (opposite): Eric Proctor; 4th: Tyler Ploeger MLS Career: 58 games; FC/gm: 24.4; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 12; pens: 9 INJURY REPORT: REAL SALT LAKE -- OUT: MF Will Johnson (R adductor strain); DOUBTFUL: DF Tony Beltran (R knee sprain); MF Javier Morales (R MCL sprain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Cody Arnoux (R knee sprain); DF Nat Borchers (L quadriceps strain); PROBABLE: FW Álvaro Saborío (R Condyle internal injury); MF Jonny Steele (L knee internal injury) … NEW YORK RED BULLS -- OUT: DF Wilman Conde (R quadriceps strain) INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: NY: Juan Agudelo (USA U-23) SUSPENDED: NY: Rafael Marquez (through March 18) HEAD-TO-HEAD ALL-TIME (14 meetings): Red Bulls 4 wins, 20 goals … Real 3 wins, 19 goals … Ties 7 AT SALT LAKE (7 meetings): Real 3 wins, 13 goals … Red Bulls 0 wins, 7 goals … Ties 4 LAST YEAR (MLS): 8/6: RSL 3, NY 0 (Borchers 13; Gil 44; Saborio 77) 9/21: NY 1, RSL 3 (Lindpere 69 – Saborio 7; Espindola 11, 21)  This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.  Real Salt Lake have a five-game unbeaten streak alive against New York. Since a 2-0 Red Bulls win at Giants Stadium in 2009, RSL has won four times – including both meetings a year ago.  In league play, the Red Bulls have never won in Utah. Real have won three of the seven regular-season meetings all-time, with four draws. But New York did win the Western Conference Championship, 1-0 in 2008 at Rio Tinto Stadium.  Coaches record: Jason Kreis vs. NY: P10 W4 L2 D4 … Hans Backe vs. RSL: P4 W0 L3 D1 REAL SALT LAKE Real Salt Lake kicked off their 2012 season in impressive fashion, going to The Home Depot Center and scoring three goals in the final 18 minutes for a 3-1 win against the defending champion LA Galaxy. LAST MATCH  The Galaxy opened the scoring through a triumphant return by Edson Buddle in the 71st minute. David Beckham swung a cross in from the right flank and Buddle coolly headed the ball into the corner of the net.  But the LA lead was short-lived as the Galaxy gifted the equalizer two minutes later. Sebastian Velasquez knocked a speculative cross in from the right flank. The ball took a bounce inside the box just as Sean Franklin tried to clear it, and it skipped off his shin and into the back of the net.  Javier Morales punched in the go-ahead goal in the 80th minute. The Argentinean was at the right place at the right time as a deflected ball fell to him inside the penalty area. Morales knocked the ball on frame, and Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders got a piece of it but was unable to keep it out.  Fabian Espindola put an exclamation mark on the victory when he buried a goal in the 85th minute on a breakaway after he was freed for a long run down the left flank.  Rookie Sebastian Velasquez was given the start by Jason Kreis in the RSL midfield, while Luis Gil and Paulo Junior also started in an injury-hit side.  REAL SALT LAKE (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Chris Schuler, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert – Ned Grabavoy, Kyle Beckerman, Sebastian Velasquez (Yordany Alvarez 89) - Luis Gil (Javier Morales 67) - Paulo Junior (Alvaro Saborio 67), Fabian Espindola. TEAM NEWS  Real Salt Lake became the first team to defeat the defending MLS champion Galaxy on their Home Depot Center field since Oct. 16, 2010.  "I felt like we were the team that was really controlling the tempo of the match," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "I know that L.A. had some fantastic chances to score ... but really I felt like we were the team that was controlling

MLS GAME INFORMATION

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the tempo so I am very pleased with everybody's contribution not just the guys that came on in the last 30 to win the game for us." With both Javier Morales (quadriceps) and Alvaro Saborio (knee) held out of the first team, Sebastian Velasquez was given the start in midfield. “The first time I’d seen him was in preseason,” Kreis said to Salt Lake ABC affiliate KTVX. “He’s done well enough to earn a starting position tonight. I think it might be the first time any rookie under me has started the first match of the year, but he’s earned it.” Velasquez was the first rookie to start for RSL since Mehdi Ballouchy did vs. Chivas USA on April 2, 2006, also at The Home Depot Center. Velasquez was a surprise selection with the 36th overall selection in this year’s SuperDraft, out of Spartanburg Methodist College – just the second junior college player to be taken in the SuperDraft (along with Yura Movsisyan, out of Pasadena City College). “I was very excited,” Velasquez said. “It was an amazing feeling. It’s something that I’ll never forget. When we were looking at the lineup, [I realized that] Landon Donovan was going to be on my side.” Javier Morales scored his first goal since returning to the RSL lineup following a devastating ankle injury suffered last May. Morales was able to come back for the final five league games in 2011 – his last goal also came vs. LA, a 2-goal performance in a 4-1 in RSL win in the second game of the season last year. “It was a great feeling to score,” Morales said. “Because it’s in the first game of the season and it helped to win the game against the Galaxy. The MLS champions. I’m very happy for scoring my goal.” Striker Paulo Junior was given the start ahead of Saborio, partnering Fabian Espindola – who netted his first goal of the year to put the match away. Espindola scored 10 goals in 2011 for RSL, one off Saborio’s team lead. “I think it was a game that had some great soccer like always when we play against the Galaxy,” Espindola said. “We started the game trying to control the ball and them trying to get us on the counterattack and playing long balls, which is how they got their goal. We tied with an unfortunate play, but I think we played better throughout the course of the game.” Tony Beltran suffered a knee injury in the LA game and is expected to miss out this weekend. If he cannot, newcomer Terukazu Tanaka is the likely stand-in. “He’s got some bruising and some bleeding on the back of his knee,” GM Garth Lagerwey said to ESPN700 Sports Radio. “It’s real sore and painful right now. Our medical advice is that there’s no structural damage. There’s no ligament damage. There’s no cartilage damage. So he’s not risking himself by playing, but it’s a painful injury.”

NEW YORK RED BULLS The New York Red Bulls began their 2012 campaign with a 2-1 loss against FC Dallas at FC Dallas Stadium in the first game broadcast on the NBC Sports Network. LAST MATCH  FC Dallas opened their 2012 account after 11 minutes. Brek Shea whipped in a cross from the left flank that the Red Bulls struggled to clear, and Blas Pérez laid off a drop pass to Zach Loyd for a calm left-footed finish inside the back post.  The home side doubled the lead in the 61st minute after another Red Bulls miscue near midfield. New York defender Roy Miller made an errant pass that Pérez picked off and ran with before dropping it off to Ricardo Villar surging in from the right flank, setting up an easy finish.  The Red Bulls closed the gap 12 minutes from the end. Thierry Henry sailed a perfect through ball over the FCD backline and substitute Kenny Cooper beat onrushing FCD goalkeeper Kevin Hartman to the ball and nodded it home, marking the second goal against the team that gave him his start in 2006.  Juan Agudelo was given the start up top alongside Thierry Henry by head coach Hans Backe. Stephen Keel and Markus Holgersson formed the central defense partnership with Wilman Conde injured and Rafa Marquez suspended.  NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-4-2): Ryan Meara - Jan Gunnar Solli, Stephen Keel, Markus Holgersson, Roy Miller - Dane Richards (Kenny Cooper 63), Teemu Tainio, Dax McCarty (Mehdi Ballouchy 86), Joel Lindpere (Victor Palsson 77) - Juan Agudelo, Thierry Henry. TEAM NEWS  There was a bit of a surprise in the Red Bulls lineup with Juan Agudelo selected to partner Thierry Henry in attack ahead of Kenny Cooper.  “Kenny has played most of the games in the preseason, so it was a quite tough decision to put him on the bench for this game,” Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe said. “Now, with Agudelo for the Olympics, of course Kenny will be in.”  But Cooper did make his Red Bulls debut, coming on in the 63rd minute, and scored his first New York goal against the club where he made his professional start.  “He’s more of a striker that runs the channels, quite mobile,” Backe said. “He can come short but he is not a typical target player. With his size, he has decent pace, too, so it can be a little bit of a different game with him

MLS GAME INFORMATION

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starting because I think he can stretch the back fours a little bit more than Thierry and Agudelo does. But it probably helps us a little bit to stretch them to get even better possession the last third.” Agudelo will not be with the Red Bulls this week or next, after having been called into the U.S. U-23 national team for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament. “I feel it’s tough being by myself at times because Henry likes to check in the middle,” Agudelo said. “I felt like it was great when there were actually two forwards and Henry was able to check in the middle. I really enjoy having Henry as a sort of a midfield playmaker. That’s what he enjoys and I think that’s his best qualities. But when I have somebody next to me like [Kenny] Cooper, I think it helps us stretch the back line.” Rookie Ryan Meara, out of Fordham University in The Bronx, made his professional debut in goal. A year ago, five different goalkeepers played for the Red Bulls, tying an MLS record. “He was great. He was quite nervous before the game,” Backe said. “I could see it on his face, and it’s understandable. He had one cross he missed in the first half, otherwise he made two or three very good saves, so I’m happy for Ryan.” Rafa Marquez will complete his suspension received in last year’s MLS Cup Playoffs in missing out on the RSL match. "I know, when Rafa is playing in central midfield, nine out of 10 times, Thierry is also more of a high striker," Backe said to ESPN.com. "Rafa can then take over the final passes, and he's very precise in that. He definitely will be a key to Henry playing as a higher striker."

MLS GAME INFORMATION

2012 REAL SALT LAKE STATISTICS (1-0-0, 3 pts.) UNF POS PLAYER 7 F Fabian Espindola 11 M Javier Morales 15 F Alvaro Saborio 14 M Yordany Alvarez 5 M Kyle Beckerman 2 D Tony Beltran 21 M Luis Gil 20 M Ned Grabavoy 4 D Jamison Olave 23 F Paulo Junior 18 G Nick Rimando 28 D Chris Schuler 26 M Sebastian Velasquez 17 D Chris Wingert 27 F Cody Arnoux 12 F Emiliano Bonfigli 6 D Nat Borchers 44 D Leone Cruz 3 D Diogo de Almeida 1 G Eduardo Fernandez 8 M Will Johnson 19 M Enzo Martinez 16 M Nico Muniz 24 G Kyle Reynish 22 M Jonny Steele 53 D Terakazu Tanaka Own-goals received Team totals Opponent totals

GP 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

GS 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

MIN 90 24 24 2 90 90 66 90 90 66 90 90 88 90 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1

90 90

REAL SALT LAKE INDIVIDUAL GOALKEEPING UNF POS GOALKEEPER GP 18 G Nick Rimando 1 Team totals 1 Opponent totals 1

GS 1 1 1

MIN 90 90 90

G 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1

A 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SHT 4 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SOG 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

FC 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

FS 1 0 0 0 3 1 0 2 2 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

OFF 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CK 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

C 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1

13 16

4 4

10 14

14 10

4 3

2 5

2 0

0 0

SV 3 3 2

GA 1 1 3

GAME-WINNING GOALS: Javier Morales 1 GAME-WINNING ASSISTS: None PENALTY KICK GOALS/ATTEMPTS: None

SHTS 4 4 4

GAA 1.00 1.00 3.00

PG 0 0 0

PA 0 0 0

W 1 1 0

L 0 0 1

T 0 0 0

SO 0 0 0

2012 NEW YORK RED BULLS STATISTICS (0-1-0, 0 pts.) UNF POS PLAYER 33 F Kenny Cooper 14 F Thierry Henry 17 F Juan Agudelo 10 M Mehdi Ballouchy 5 D Markus Holgersson 22 D Stephen Keel 20 M Joel Lindpere 11 M Dax McCarty 18 G Ryan Meara 7 D Roy Miller 44 M Victor Palsson 19 M Dane Richards 8 D Jan Gunnar Solli 6 M Teemu Tainio 99 F Jose Angulo 27 F Jhonny Arteaga 25 M Brandon Barklage 3 D Jonathan Borrajo 2 D Wilman Conde 21 F Corey Hertzog 16 D Connor Lade 4 M Rafa Marquez 9 F Luke Rodgers 15 D Tyler Ruthven 24 G Jeremy Vuolo Team totals Opponent totals

GP 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

GS 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

MIN 26 90 90 3 90 90 78 87 90 90 12 64 90 90 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 90 90

NEW YORK RED BULLS INDIVIDUAL GOALKEEPING UNF POS GOALKEEPER GP GS 18 G Ryan Meara 1 1 Team totals 1 1 Opponent totals 1 1

MIN 90 90 90

G 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2

A 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2

SHT 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 11

SV 4 4 1

GA 2 2 1

SOG 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6

FC 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 13

GAA 2.00 2.00 1.00

PG 0 0 0

FS 0 3 1 0 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 11

OFF 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1

CK 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 2

C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1

GAME-WINNING GOALS: None GAME-WINNING ASSISTS: None PENALTY KICK GOALS/ATTEMPTS: None

SHTS 6 6 2

PA 0 0 0

W 0 0 1

L 1 1 0

T 0 0 0

SO 0 0 0

E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

REAL SALT LAKE 2012 SCHEDULE DAY DATE Sat. Mar.

OPPONENT 10 at Los Angeles

Sat. Sat. Sat. Wed. Sat. Sat. Sat. Wed. Sat. Sat. Wed. Sat. Sat. Sat. Wed. Sat. Sat. Wed. Sat. Sat. Wed. Sat. Fri. Sat. Sat. Sat. Fri. Sat. Thu. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat.

17 24 31 4 7 14 21 25 28 5 9 12 26 16 20 23 30 4 7 14 18 21 27 4 11 18 24 1 6 22 29 6 27

Mar. Mar. Mar. Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr. May May May May June June June June July July July July July July Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Oct. Oct.

RESULT W 3-1

ATT. 27,000

W-L-T POS. PTS NOTES: 1-0-0 T1 3 RSL: own goal (72) Morales (79) Espindola (84); LA: Buddle (70)

ATT. 20,906

W-L-T POS. PTS NOTES: 0-1-0 T3 0 NY: Cooper (77); DAL: Loyd (10) Villar (60)

New York Chivas USA at Portland Montreal Colorado at Sporting KC at San Jose at FC Dallas Toronto FC New England at Chicago at Seattle FC Dallas at Chivas USA Los Angeles San Jose at Columbus Seattle Portland at San Jose at Seattle Colorado Vancouver at Colorado at Vancouver FC Dallas at Philadelphia D.C. United at Houston Portland at Chivas USA at Los Angeles Vancouver

NEW YORK RED BULLS 2012 SCHEDULE DAY Sun. Sat. Sun. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sun. Sat. Sat. Wed. Sun. Sat. Wed. Sun. Wed. Sun. Sat. Sun. Sun. Wed. Sat. Sat. Fri. Fri. Sun. Sun. Wed. Sat. Wed. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat.

DATE Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr. May May May May May June June June June July July July July July Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Oct. Oct. Oct.

11 17 25 31 7 14 22 28 5 9 13 19 23 17 20 24 30 8 15 18 21 28 3 10 19 26 29 15 19 22 29 6 20 27

OPPONENT RESULT at FC Dallas L 1-2 at Real Salt Lake Colorado Montreal at Columbus San Jose at D.C. United New England at Los Angeles Houston at Philadelphia at Montreal Chivas USA at Chicago at Vancouver D.C. United at Toronto FC at New England Seattle Chicago Philadelphia at Montreal at Houston Houston Portland at Sporting KC at D.C. United Columbus Sporting KC at New England Toronto FC Chicago Sporting KC at Philadelphia

REAL SALT LAKE INDIVIDUAL HIGH GAMES (2012) Goals 1 Fabian Espindola 1 Javier Morales Assists 1 Alvaro Saborio Shots 4 Fabian Espindola Shots on Goal 2 Fabian Espindola Fouls Committed 3 Kyle Beckerman Fouls Suffered 3 Kyle Beckerman 3 Sebastian Velasquez Offside 3 Paulo Junior Saves 3 Nick Rimando Shots Faced 4 Nick Rimando Goals Allowed 1 Nick Rimando

03/10/2012 03/10/2012

03/10/2012

at at

LA LA

W 3-1 W 3-1

TEAM HIGH GAMES (2012)

TEAM LOW GAMES (2012)

Goals 3 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Shots 13 03/10/2012

Assists 1 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Shots on Goal 4 03/10/2012

03/10/2012

03/10/2012 03/10/2012

03/10/2012

at at

LA LA

W 3-1

Fouls Committed 10 03/10/2012 at

W 3-1

Fouls Suffered 14 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Corner Kicks 2 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Fouls Suffered 14 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Offside 4 03/10/2012

W 3-1

W 3-1 W 3-1

W 3-1

Corner Kicks 2 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Saves 3 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Offside 4 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Shots Faced 4 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Saves 3 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Shots Faced 4 03/10/2012

W 3-1

Goals Allowed 1 03/10/2012

W 3-1

TEAM HIGH GAMES (2012)

TEAM LOW GAMES (2012)

03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Goals 1 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Shots 13 03/11/2012

Assists 1 Thierry Henry

03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Assists 1 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Shots on Goal 2 03/11/2012

Shots 5 Thierry Henry

03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Shots 13 03/11/2012

Shots on Goal 2 Kenny Cooper

03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Shots on Goal 2 03/11/2012

DAL

Fouls Committed 3 Teemu Tainio

03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Fouls Committed 11 03/11/2012 at

Fouls Suffered 3 Thierry Henry

03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Fouls Suffered 13 03/11/2012

Offside 1 Juan Agudelo 1 Thierry Henry

03/11/2012 03/11/2012

at at

DAL DAL

L 1-2 L 1-2

Shots Faced 6 Ryan Meara Goals Allowed 2 Ryan Meara

03/11/2012

DAL

Fouls Committed 10 03/10/2012 at

Goals 1 Kenny Cooper

03/11/2012

W 3-1

NEW YORK RED BULLS INDIVIDUAL HIGH GAMES (2012)

Saves 4 Ryan Meara

W 3-1

W 3-1 Shots on Goal 4 03/10/2012

03/10/2012

W 3-1 Shots 13 03/10/2012

03/10/2012

DAL

L 1-2

DAL

L 1-2

Fouls Committed 11 03/11/2012 at

DAL

L 1-2

Fouls Suffered 13 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Corner Kicks 9 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Offside 2 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Corner Kicks 9 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Saves 4 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Offside 2 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Shots Faced 6 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Saves 4 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Shots Faced 6 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

Goals Allowed 2 03/11/2012

DAL

L 1-2

2011 REAL SALT LAKE VS. NEW YORK RED BULLS (2-0-0) UNF 7 15 6 21 5 26 77 12 10 14 8 4 18 3 28 17

POS FWD FWD DEF MID MID MID MID MID MID MID MID DEF GK DEF DEF DEF

PLAYER Fabian Espindola Alvaro Saborio Nat Borchers Luis Gil Kyle Beckerman Collen Warner Andy Williams Jean Alexandre Arturo Alvarez Yordany Alvarez Will Johnson Jamison Olave Nick Rimando Robbie Russell Chris Schuler Chris Wingert ----------Team totals Opponent totals

GP 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 1

GS 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 2 2 2 1

MIN 180 173 180 80 90 100 150 10 30 90 177 90 180 180 180 90

G 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SHT 2 4 1 3 0 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

SOG 2 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

FC 5 2 0 2 0 1 4 0 1 2 2 1 0 2 0 0

FS 3 3 0 1 0 1 4 0 1 2 2 0 0 3 1 0

OFF 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CK 0 0 0 0 4 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 2

180 180

6 1

4 1

17 19

9 5

22 22

6 6

9 14

1 2

0 0

GAME-WINNING GOALS: Fabian Espindola 1, Nat Borchers 1 GAME-WINNING ASSISTS: Kyle Beckerman 1 PENALTY KICK GOALS/ATTEMPTS: Alvaro Saborio 1-1

UNF POS GOALKEEPER 18 GK Nick Rimando ----------Team totals Opponent totals

GP 2

GS 2

MIN 180

SHTS 5

SV 4

GA 1

GAA 0.50

PG 0

PA 0

W 2

L 0

T 0

2 2

180 180

5 9

4 3

1 6

0.50 3.00

0 1

2 0

0 2

0 0

SO O'TIME 1 0-0-0 1 0

0-0-0 0-0-0

2011 NEW YORK RED BULLS VS. REAL SALT LAKE (0-2-0) UNF 20 4 17 3 10 18 14 22 11 44 7 21 5 19 9 16 1 8 2

POS PLAYER MID Joel Lindpere MID Rafael Marquez FWD Juan Agudelo DEF Chris Albright MID Mehdi Ballouchy GK Bouna Coundoul FWD Thierry Henry DEF Stephen Keel MID*Dax McCarty DEF Carlos Mendes DEF Roy Miller MID Brian Nielsen DEF Tim Ream MID Dane Richards FWD Luke Rodgers MID John Rooney GK Frank Rost MID Jan Gunnar Solli MID Teemu Tainio ----------Team totals Opponent totals

GP 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 1

GS 2 2 1 2 1 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 2 2 1

MIN 180 180 126 105 90 45 180 45 135 75 90 4 180 90 54 21 135 159 86

G 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SHT 2 2 3 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 2 0

SOG 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

FC 2 3 1 2 1 0 2 1 1 0 3 1 0 2 2 0 0 1 0

FS 1 3 1 2 2 0 3 0 3 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

OFF 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0

CK 10 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

C 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 2

180 180

1 6

1 4

19 17

5 9

22 22

6 6

14 9

2 1

0 0

GP 1 2

GS 0 2

MIN 45 135

SHTS 2 7

SV 1 2

GA 1 5

GAA 2.00 3.33

PG 1 0

PA 1 0

W 0 0

L 0 2

T 0 0

2 2

180 180

9 5

3 4

6 1

3.00 0.50

1 0

0 2

2 0

0 0

GAME-WINNING GOALS: None GAME-WINNING ASSISTS: None PENALTY KICK GOALS/ATTEMPTS: None

UNF POS GOALKEEPER 18 GK Bouna Coundoul 1 GK Frank Rost ----------Team totals Opponent totals

SO O'TIME 0 0-0-0 0 0-0-0 0 1

0-0-0 0-0-0

NEW YORK RED BULLS VS. REAL SALT LAKE ALL-TIME REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS Red Bulls 4 wins, 20 goals Real 3 wins, 19 goals Ties 7 04/02/2005 07/04/2005

MET 0 vs RSL 0 RSL 2 vs MET 2

(ER) (RE)

04/15/2006 08/26/2006

RSL 1 vs NY 1 NY 6 vs RSL 0

(RE) (ER)

05/05/2007 09/29/2007

RSL 3 vs NY 3 NY 2 vs RSL 2

(RE) (ER)

09/13/2008 10/09/2008

NY 2 vs RSL 1 RSL 1 vs NY 1

(ER) (RT)

04/18/2009 10/14/2009

NY 2 vs RSL 0 RSL 2 vs NY 0

(ER) (RT)

09/04/2010 10/09/2010

RSL 1 vs NY 0 NY 0 vs RSL 0

(RT) (BA)

08/06/2011 09/21/2011

RSL 3 vs NY 0 RSL 3 at NY 1

(RT) (BA)

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Real Salt Lake 1 2 OT Tot. 9 10 0 19 65 110 0 175 35 43 0 78 76 78 0 154 30 23 0 53 24 46 0 70

Category Goals Shots Shots on Goal Fouls Offsides Corner Kicks

Red Bulls 1 2 OT Tot. 5 15 0 20 88 84 0 172 36 42 0 78 88 109 0 197 30 18 0 48 36 29 0 65

GOALS SCORED IN 15-MINUTE INTERVALS:

RSL NY

1-15 16-30 31-45 46-60 61-75 76-90 4 2 3 0 2 8 2 1 2 5 4 6

OT 0 0

Total 19 20

CAREER COACHING RECORDS: Jason Kreis vs. NY Hans Backe vs. RSL

4-2-4 (1.60 pts./game) 0-3-1 (0.25 pts./game)

ALL-TIME SERIES LEADERS:

MLS CUP PLAYOFFS 11/15/2008

NY 1 at RSL 0

(RT)

Goals Assists Shots Shots on Goal Fouls Committed Fouls Suffered

4 3 22 11 11 27

Real Salt Lake Fabian Espindola Beckerman/Findley Andy Williams Yura Movsisyan Javier Morales Andy Williams

3 2 26 14 11 12

Red Bulls Angel/Buddle 3 players tied Juan Pablo Angel Juan Pablo Angel Kandji/Mendes Dane Richards

Wins Losses Shutouts Saves Goals Allowed

4 2 4 28 8

Nick Nick Nick Nick Nick

2 2 1 17 5

Jon Conway Frank Rost 4 players tied Jon Conway Frank Rost

Rimando Rimando Rimando Rimando Rimando

ALL-TIME SERIES GAME HIGHS: Goals Assists Shots Shots on Goal Fouls Committed Fouls Suffered Saves Goals Allowed

2 2 10 5 7 7

Real Salt Lake Fabian Espindola (9/21/11) Findley/Beckerman Yura Movsisyan (9/13/08) Yura Movsisyan (9/13/08) Yura Movsisyan (9/29/07) Javier Morales (4/18/09)

7 Nolly/Rimando 6 Jay Nolly (8/26/06)

3 2 8 5 6 4

Red Bulls Edson Buddle (8/26/06) 3 players tied Juan Pablo Angel (9/29/07) Juan Pablo Angel (9/29/07) Jozy Altidore (5/5/07) 3 players tied

8 Conway/Cepero 3 Frank Rost (9/21/11)

2012 W-L-T BREAKDOWNS:

At Halftime: Leading Tied Trailing First Goal: Scored Allowed Goals Scored: 0 goals 1 goals 2 goals 3 goals 4 or more Goals Allowed: 0 goals 1 goals 2 goals 3 goals 4 goals

REAL SALT LAKE W-L-T Streak (started)

NEW YORK RED BULLS W-L-T Streak (started)

0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0

1 Ts (10/22/2011 1 Ws (3/10/2012) 5 Ls (7/30/2011)

0-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-0

4 Ws (9/17/2011) 1 Ls (10/15/2011 2 Ls (9/21/2011)

0-0-0 1-0-0

1 Ts (10/22/2011 1 Ws (3/10/2012)

0-0-0 0-1-0

4 Ws (9/17/2011) 2 Ls (10/15/2011

0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0

1 1 2 3 10

Ts Ts Ws Ws Ws

(10/14/2011 (10/22/2011 (9/3/2011) (8/6/2011) (8/9/2006)

0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0

2 1 2 1 5

Ls Ls Ws Ts Ws

(8/6/2011) (3/11/2012) (9/24/2011) (6/19/2011) (5/8/2009)

0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0

1 1 5 3 10

Ts Ws Ls Ls Ls

(10/14/2011 (3/10/2012) (5/28/2011) (8/20/2011) (7/9/2005)

0-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0

4 2 2 2 10

Ws Ts Ls Ls Ls

(9/17/2011) (9/10/2011) (10/15/2011 (8/6/2011) (5/25/2008)

REAL SALT LAKE CAREER STATISTICS VS. NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-3-7) PLAYER Fabian Espindola Chris Brown Jason Kreis Alvaro Saborio Kyle Beckerman Andy Williams Chris Klein Nat Borchers Jeff Cunningham Luis Gil Yura Movsisyan Jamison Olave Seth Trembly Robbie Findley Freddy Adu Alecko Eskandarian Leslie Fitzpatrick Will Johnson Javier Morales Collen Warner Chris Wingert Nelson Akwari Jean-Marc Alexandre Arturo Alvarez Yordany Alvarez Paulo Junior Mehdi Ballouchy Matt Behncke Tony Beltran Pablo Campos D.J. Countess Kenny Cutler Kenny Deuchar Brian Dunseth Luis Miguel Escalada Willis Forko Scott Garlick Nelson Gonzalez Ned Grabavoy Atiba Harris David Horst Ryan Johnson Ian Joy Brian Kamler Cameron Knowles Dema Kovalenko Luke Kreamalmeyer Matias Mantilla Clint Mathis Jay Nolly Kevin Novak Rusty Pierce Eddie Pope Nick Rimando Marlon Rojas Robbie Russell Chris Schuler Chris Seitz Dipsy Selolwane Douglas Sequeira Jafet Soto Jack Stewart Carey Talley Daniel Torres Jamie Watson Team totals Opponent totals

GP 5 4 4 3 8 12 3 8 3 2 5 6 1 7 1 1 1 7 6 2 7 4 2 2 1 1 3 1 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 3 1 1 4 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 2 5 9 1 7 2 1 1 2 1 2 4 2 1 14 14

GS 4 3 3 3 8 10 3 8 3 1 5 6 0 4 1 1 0 7 6 1 7 2 0 0 1 0 3 1 2 0 2 2 0 1 0 3 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 5 1 1 2 5 9 1 7 2 1 1 1 0 2 4 2 1 14 14

GOALKEEPER Nick Rimando D.J. Countess Scott Garlick Chris Seitz Jay Nolly ----------Team totals Opponent totals

GP 9 2 1 1 1

MIN 810 180 90 90 90

14 14

1260 1260

CURRENT REAL SALT LAKE PLAYERS CAREER STATISTICS VS. NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-3-7) MIN 349 214 296 263 720 849 258 720 270 80 420 540 14 374 90 90 45 627 532 100 630 269 10 30 90 22 174 90 180 40 180 180 13 45 25 270 90 15 119 106 65 9 95 166 76 6 18 90 440 90 64 104 450 810 72 579 180 90 90 116 12 71 341 180 90 1260 1260

G 4 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 20

A 1 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 15

SHT 12 3 8 4 10 22 4 4 5 3 21 2 1 8 1 3 0 9 15 1 4 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 1 0 175 172

SHTS 43 9 7 6 13

SV 28 7 6 3 7

GAA 0.89 1.00 1.00 3.00 6.00

PG 1 0 0 0 0

78 78

51 55

1.43 1.36

1 3

PLAYER Fabian Espindola Nat Borchers Alvaro Saborio Kyle Beckerman Luis Gil Jamison Olave Chris Wingert Will Johnson Javier Morales Yordany Alvarez Paulo Junior Tony Beltran Ned Grabavoy Nick Rimando Chris Schuler Team totals Opponent totals

GP 5 13 3 19 2 6 15 8 6 1 1 2 12 28 2 14 14

GS 4 13 3 17 1 6 14 7 6 1 0 2 8 28 2 14 14

GOALKEEPER Nick Rimando ----------Team totals Opponent totals

GP 28

MIN 2517

14 14

1260 1260

MIN 349 1170 263 1500 80 540 1245 644 532 90 22 180 663 2517 180 1260 1260

G 4 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 20

A 1 1 0 5 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 15

SHT 12 12 4 20 3 2 9 9 15 0 1 0 9 0 0 175 172

SHTS 147

SV 91

GAA 1.29

PG 5

78 78

51 55

1.43 1.36

1 3

NEW YORK RED BULLS CAREER STATISTICS VS. REAL SALT LAKE (3-4-7) PLAYER Juan Pablo Angel Edson Buddle Dave van den Bergh Clint Mathis Amado Guevara John Wolyniec Todd Dunivant Macoumba Kandji Ante Razov Dane Richards Jordan Cila Francis Doe Joel Lindpere Mike Magee Eddie Gaven Dema Kovalenko Rafa Marquez Claudio Reyna Marvell Wynne Jeff Agoos Juan Agudelo Chris Albright Jozy Altidore Mehdi Ballouchy Danleigh Borman Andrew Boyens Michael Bradley Peter Canero Albert Celades Danny Cepero Gabriel Cichero Jon Conway Bouna Coundoul Youri Djorkaeff Hunter Freeman Sergio Galvan Rey Kevin Goldthwaite Taylor Graham Jeremy Hall Chris Henderson Thierry Henry Salou Ibrahim Diego Jimenez Carlos Johnson Steve Jolley Stephen Keel Chris Leitch Mark Lisi Thiago Martins Matthew Mbuta Dax McCarty Carlos Mendes Tony Meola Roy Miller Brian Nielsen Danny O'Rourke Ernst Oebster Alfredo Pacheco Jeff Parke Mike Petke Juan Pietravallo Tim Ream Tim Regan Luke Rodgers Jorge Rojas John Rooney Frank Rost Luke Sassano Khano Smith Jan Gunnar Solli Seth Stammler Greg Sutton Teemu Tainio Tony Tchani Sinisa Ubiparipovic Joe Vide Ronald Waterreus Zach Wells Team totals Opponent totals

GP 6 2 4 2 3 5 2 4 1 6 1 1 4 4 2 3 3 2 2 2 3 4 2 2 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 4 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 2 4 1 1 1 1 1 5 2 1 1 2 11 2 2 1 2 1 1 8 1 2 4 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 7 2 1 2 3 1 2 2 14 14

GS 6 1 4 1 3 3 2 4 1 6 0 1 4 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 1 4 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 3 0 2 1 2 3 1 2 2 4 0 1 1 0 0 4 2 0 0 2 8 2 2 0 2 0 1 8 1 2 4 0 1 2 0 2 0 1 2 6 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 14 14

GOALKEEPER

MIN

MIN 511 135 359 134 270 278 170 334 90 526 14 64 360 242 180 190 270 148 180 180 128 281 112 180 191 91 180 90 90 90 90 288 45 155 90 157 270 90 148 114 360 4 90 90 10 45 397 180 11 8 135 850 180 180 4 180 3 90 683 90 173 360 3 54 180 21 135 41 76 159 561 180 86 178 129 46 162 180 1260 1260

SHTS

G 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 19

A 0 0 2 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 17

SHT 26 8 4 7 7 6 1 4 6 10 1 3 4 6 3 4 5 2 2 2 3 3 4 3 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 6 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 172 175

GAA

Tony Meola Greg Sutton Zach Wells Jon Conway Ronald Waterreus Danny Cepero Bouna Coundoul Frank Rost ----------Team totals Opponent totals

2 2 2 4 2 1 1 2

180 180 180 288 162 90 45 135

10 9 9 24 7 10 2 7

9 8 6 17 4 8 1 2

0.50 0.50 1.00 1.25 1.67 2.00 2.00 3.33

0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0

14 14

1260 1260

78 78

55 51

1.36 1.43

3 1

CURRENT NEW YORK RED BULLS PLAYERS CAREER STATISTICS VS. REAL SALT LAKE (3-4-7) PLAYER Kenny Cooper Dane Richards Joel Lindpere Mehdi Ballouchy Rafa Marquez Dax McCarty Juan Agudelo Brandon Barklage Wilman Conde Thierry Henry Stephen Keel Roy Miller Luke Rodgers Jan Gunnar Solli Teemu Tainio Team totals Opponent totals

GP 11 6 4 8 3 10 3 1 4 4 2 2 1 2 1 14 14

GS 10 6 4 6 3 7 1 0 4 4 1 2 1 2 1 14 14

GOALKEEPER ----------Team totals Opponent totals

MIN

14 14

1260 1260

MIN 887 526 360 519 270 565 128 9 315 360 135 180 54 159 86 1260 1260

G 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 19

A 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 17

SHT 31 10 4 6 5 5 3 0 1 4 0 2 1 2 0 172 175

SHTS

GAA

78 78

55 51

1.36 1.43

3 1

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

SANDY, UT

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

DOWNLOAD 2012 RSL MEDIA GUIDE HERE:

RSL PROBABLE STARTERS v NY

For more in-depth player profiles, stats and club history, please visit: http://pressbox.mlssoccer.com/ content/2012-club-media-guides

17 WINGERT

RSL v NY BROADCAST INFO 18

RIMANDO

BECKERMAN

GIL

4 OLAVE

QUESTIONABLE: MF Jonny Steele (L knee internal injury), DF Nat Borchers (L quadriceps strain) PROBABLE: MF Javier Morales (R quadriceps strain), FW Álvaro Saborío (R knee internal injury)

RSL’S HOME OPENER HISTORY:

23 PAULO JUNIOR

GRABAVOY

53 TANAKA

RSL INJURY REPORT DOUBTFUL: DF Tony Beltran (R knee contusion)

7 ESPINDOLA

SCHULER

RADIO (SPANISH): 102.3 FM w/ Nelson Moran & Fernando Hortal

OUT: MF Will Johnson (R adductor strain),

26 VELASQUEZ

TV: ABC4 w/ Bill Riley & Brian Dunseth RADIO (ENGLISH): ESPN700 w/ Spencer Warne & Brian Kamler (pre-game show kicks off at 7:00p MT)

SANDY, UT

BENCH PRODUCTION STRONG IN OPENER:

Just minutes after MF Javier Morales and FW Alvaro Saborio came on field in the 67th minute, RSL surrendered an Edson Buddle header to go down 0-1 on the road at LA last week ... However, it was the rookie - surprise MF starter Sebastian Velasquez, a Colombian-born 21year old from Spartanburg Methodist Junior College (So. Carolina) whose service from the wing was deflected into the Galaxy net by Sean Franklin for the equalizing own goal ...

Saturday’s 2012 Home-opening “First Kick” for RSL - the earliest in team history - will be organization’s eighth, the team never losing, posting a 3-0-4 mark in all previous years ... This weekend’s tilt vs NY will be the Utah side’s fourth at Rio Tinto Stadium, Jason Kreis’ team posting identical 4-1 wins against defending MLS Cup / Supporters Shield holders in 2009 (Columbus) and 2011 (Los Angeles) around a 2-2 draw with Seattle in 2010 ... The all-time list:

In the span of 12 minutes, that OG was followed up by Morales’ first goal of the year, slamming home a ball served into the box by MF Ned Grabavoy, along with a back-breaking goal by FW Fabian Espindola, who opened his 2012 account after Saborio headed a Nick Rimando goal kick into space, juking LA defender AJ de la Garza and going in alone on Galaxy ‘keeper Josh Saunders ...

RSL All-Time Record in Home Openers: 4/16/05 Colorado W 1-0 RSL: Dunseth (81) 4/15/06 New York T 1-1 RSL: Kreis (89) 4/07/07 FC Dallas T 2-2 RSL: Cunningham (29,51) 3/29/08 Chicago T 1-1 RSL: own goal (71) 4/02/09 Columbus W 4-1 RSL: Findley (2,29,62) Beckerman (67) 4/10/10 Seattle T 2-2 RSL: Johnson (53) Saborio (90) 3/26/11 Los Angeles W 4-1 RSL: Williams(2) Morales(10,41) Paulo Jr.(68) 3/17/12 New York ???

The dramatics described above led RSL to only its 20th MLS regular-season road win in its now 8-season history, along with the franchise’s first-ever comeback road win by multiple goals ...

REVENGE BEST SERVED ... LATE?:

RSL kicked off 2012 with a come-from-behind, 3-1 win last week at the very same venue, against the very same opponent that ended the club’s 2011 campaign defending MLS Cup and Supporters Shield holders LA ... The victory gives RSL an all-time high of seven wins alltime at The HDC (four against LA with three vs Chivas), the Galaxy home is the venue in which RSL has posted the most road wins in its 8-year history ... RSL has also won a trio of away games at NE and SJ ...

COMEBACK / MULTI-GOAL ROAD HISTORY:

In eight of the 20 road wins, RSL has won by multiple goals, including 3x at LA against the Galaxy: ALL-TIME RSL REG-SEASON ROAD WINS by MULTIPLE GOALS

5/13/06 7/14/06 8/09/06 6/13/09 3/27/10 4/09/11 9/21/11 3/10/12

@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @

LA NE COL LA SJ NE NY LA

W W W W W W W W

3-0 3-1 4-1 2-0 3-0 2-0 3-1 3-1

In only four of those 20 road wins has RSL conceded the first goal and come back for victory: 8/16/06 9/01/07 9/27/08 3/10/12

@ @ @ @

CLB LA SJ LA

W W W W

2-1 2-1 3-2 3-1

RSL: Klein (75) Talley (90) RSL: Findley (67) Pope (71) RSL: Movsisyan(3,49) Morales (59) RSL:OG(72)Morales(79) Espindola (84)

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

SANDY, UT

HISTORIC WIN LAST YEAR at NEW YORK:

NEW YORK, RSL HISTORIES INTERTWINE:

The three goals in the first 21 minutes marked the fastest start to a 3-0 lead, surpassing the trio of first-half goals scored in 30 minutes on July 23, 2005 (v DAL) and in 41 minutes on March 26, 2011 (v LA) … That particular match also marked the first time EVER that RSL scored three goals in a half on the road …

A year later, in the midst of RSL’s best month during its first two MLS seasons – a 4-1-0 August – RSL suffered the worst loss in franchise history, losing 0-6 at New York after an 8th-minute red card to DF Jack Stewart, conceding all six goals after halftime …

Real Salt Lake’s previous record for three-goal outbursts came in a 3-1 victory last September 21 at Red Bull Arena against this week’s opponent, NY ... That win - paced by a seventh-minute Saborio goal followed by an Espindola brace in the next 15 minutes - allowed RSL to equal its all-time high for wins in a season (15), matching its 2010 total; it also gave RSL a new standard for road wins (5) in a season, surpassing the four away victories claimed in 2010 and 2006 …

For 48 glorious minutes on that day, prior to the 69’ consolation score by the Red Bulls Joel Lindpere, RSL saw its all-time club goal differential stand at EVEN … An amazing accomplishment, considering the seven-year old club was -39 its first two seasons and -45 prior to the Jason Kreis coaching era … In 219 all-time MLS regular-season matches, RSL has now scored 281 goals, while allowing 290 …

ALL-TIME HISTORY v NEW YORK: The RSL / NY

all-time regular-season series had never seen a road team win until the 17th try, with RSL gaining the W to give the visitors a 1-6-10 mark … However, NY dealt RSL its first-ever Rio Tinto Stadium loss, 1-0, in the 2008 Western Conference Final – the teams’ lone postseason meeting – in a result that still stings … On August 6 last year in New York’s last trip to Utah, RSL won 3-0 thanks to goals by Nat Borchers, Luis Gil and Alvaro Saborio … Jason Kreis’ side has never lost a regular-season game on Utah soil to NY, posting a 3-04 mark and outscoring the “Metro-Bulls” 13-7 … All-time results: Real Salt Lake record: 4-4-7 in all competitions Home games: 3-0-4 (13 GF, 7 GA) Road games: 1-3-3 (6 GF, 13 GA) Postseason: 0-1-0 (0 GF, 1 GA)* 4/02/2005 7/04/2005 4/15/2006 8/26/2006 5/05/2007 9/29/2007 9/13/2008 10/09/2008 11/15/2008 4/18/2009 10/14/2009 9/04/2010 10/09/2010 8/03/2011 9/21/2011

RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL RSL

0 at NY 0 T 2 vs NY 2 T 1 vs NY 1 T 0 at NY 6 L 3 vs NY 3 T 2 at NY 2 T 1 at NY 2 L 1 vs NY 1 T 0 vs NY 1 L* 0 at NY 2 L 2 vs NY 0 W 1 vs NY 0 W 0 at NY 0 T 3 vs NY 0 W 3 at NY 1 W

Giants Stadium Rice-Eccles Rice-Eccles Giants Stadium Rice-Eccles Giants Stadium Giants Stadium Rio Tinto Stadium Rio Tinto Stadium Giants Stadium Rio Tinto Stadium Rio Tinto Stadium Red Bull Arena Rio Tinto Stadium Red Bull Arena

Real Salt Lake and New York’s MLS club have shared a fascinating history since RSL’s addition to the league in 2005, with the Claret-and-Cobalt – founded by New York-based sports entrepreneur Dave Checketts – playing its first-ever game in April 2005 against the former MetroStars at Giants Stadium … That 0-0 road result was one of many firsts for RSL, as was the stoppage-time PK later that inaugural season by thencaptain Jason Kreis to salvage a point at Rice-Eccles Stadium …

In 2007, just three days after a shakeup that saw Checketts fire GM Steve Pastorino and replace John Ellinger with Jason Kreis, RSL scored two goals in the 90th minute or later against New York to draw 3-3 in Kreis’ first-ever MLS game as coach … In October 2008, RSL was re-born with its move to Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, a sold-out crowd of 20,008 in the house and a live ESPN2 audience watching as Red Bulls MF Dave van den Bergh scored the first goal in Utah’s premier sports and entertainment venue … RSL DF Jamison Olave scored 11 minutes later to salvage a draw on an otherwise spectacular night … 2008 was also the year the Red Bulls and RSL shocked the MLS Cup Playoff system, New York flipping to the West and upsetting Houston in the first-round series, while RSL handled expansion brethren Chivas to suddenly host the Western Conference Final … Red Bulls GK Danny Cepero stood on his head (with some help from the woodwork on several occasions) as RSL outshot NY, 24-11, but could not overcome another van den Bergh goal … In October of 2009, it was a 2-0 home win over New York on the heels of a bizarre 18-day break in the MLS schedule that catapulted RSL to a red-hot late-season run, culminating in an MLS Cup victory, the state of Utah’s first major-league professional championship in nearly 40 years … In 2010, RSL won the series between the teams with a hard-fought 1-0 win at home and a scoreless draw in the team’s first-ever visit to Red Bull Arena... Last year, RSL dominated the series, posting the 3-0 and 3-1 wins ... RSL has gone 4-0-1 in the last 5 games v NY, outscoring Red Bulls 9-1 and posting 4 clean sheets ... RSL FW Fabian Espindola has 4 goals in 5 games all-time against NY, including 2 game-winners ...

FOR MORE RSL HISTORY v NEW YORK: Click below to access the RSL / NY “infographic” for a unique look at the series: http://www.RealSaltLake.com/infographic_ RSLvNYRB

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

RSL, NY CONNECTIONS: RSL “Original” Andy

Williams - now the club’s Head Scout - called the Meadowlands home for 19 games during the 2002 season after arriving via trade from NE, scoring twice and adding 13 assists in the “Red-and-Black” … As Williams’ Jamaican National Team career was winding down, that of NY FW Dane Richards was trending up … RSL FW Alvaro Saborio and Red Bulls left back Roy Miller have each appeared dozens of times together with the Costa Rican National Team … RSL GK Nick Rimando spent the 2007 preseason with the Red Bulls following a trade with RSL, who (fortunately) were forced to re-acquire Rimando following the sudden retirement of Scott Garlick just 20 days prior to the season … Red Bull playmaker Medhi Ballouchy was RSL’s top overall pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, playing in 46 games (2 goals, 2 assists) before being traded to Colorado for Kyle Beckerman … Beckerman and RSL DF Chris Wingert were teammates on the 2006-07 Colorado Rapids teams with current NY GK Bouna Coundoul …

SANDY, UT

LONGEST-TENURED CORE IN MLS HISTORY:

The Kreis/Lagerwey “Team is the Star” mantra has long been lauded for its simple, unselfish approach that has redefined the culture of an organization and enabled a small-market club to compete annually with DP-laden payrolls ... The philosophy that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts is perfectly epitomized by the fact that TEN players return this year, with the 2012 MLS season marking the group’s fifth or sixth campaign in Claret & Cobalt ... The list: Player GK Kyle Reynish GK Nick Rimando DF Chris Wingert MF Kyle Beckerman MF Javier Morales FW Fabian Espindola DF Tony Beltran DF Nat Borchers DF Jamison Olave MF Will Johnson

Acquisition Date Jan., 2007 Feb. 2007 June, 2007 July, 2007 August, 2007 August, 2007 Jan., 2008 Feb., 2008 March, 2008 July, 2008

RSL GP 5 144 123 122 99 96 57 119 100 88

RSL assistant coach Miles Joseph appeared in 96 MLS reg. season & playoff games for the former MetroStars from 1996-2000, scoring 10 goals …

This group last Saturday marked 5+ seasons together and set a new MLS record, breaking the current one held by New England, which saw 8 players compete together from the 2003-07 seasons ... That group was: Joe Franchino, Jay Heaps, Shalrie Joseph, Marshall Leonard, Pat Noonan, Steve Ralston, Matt Reis & Taylor Twellman ...

RSL BACK IN CONCACAF, THANKS TO LA:

UNPRECEDENTED TURNOVER FOR KREIS:

With Los Angeles’ 2011 MLS Western Conference Semifinal win over NY, RSL Nation was disappointed to not be able to host the West Final … However, the Los Angeles victory did benefit RSL by allowing Jason Kreis’ club to secure passage to the 2012/13 CONCACAF Champions League tourney, by virtue of the Galaxy’s “duplicate” spots between the 2011 Supporters’ Shield berth and its trip - and eventual win - in MLS Cup ... Duplicate berths fall to the next best regular-season finisher, and with Seattle – last year’s #2 overall seed – already owning a 2012/13 spot thanks to its U.S. Open Cup title, RSL is next in line as the overall MLS #3 seed … This Fall’s CCL tourney will be played under a new format, as all 24 teams go directly into group play, with only the 8 winners who emerge from a 3-team, 4-game group stage advancing to the Championship round ... Despite Wednesday night’s disappointments in the current CCL iterations, fellow Western powers Los Angeles and Seattle will be joined this fall in the next CONCACAF tourney by RSL and Houston, which qualified as a 2011 MLS Cup participant ...

DOWNLOAD 2012 RSL MEDIA GUIDE HERE: For more in-depth player profiles, stats and club history, please visit: http://pressbox.mlssoccer.com/ content/2012-club-media-guides

The price of keeping that group together, however, came in the form of a massive offseason overhaul of the team’s depth, Kreis, Lagerwey and the RSL technical staff introducing 8 new faces to the 2012, the most since the 2007/08 offseason, the duo’s first in charge of the club ... Gone are GK Tim Melia (0 RSL games played), FW Chris Agorsor (1 gp), DF Blake Wagner (2 gp), DF Rauwshan McKenzie (11 gp, now signed with Chivas), MF Collen Warner (37 gp, selected by Montreal in expansion draft), MF Jean Alexandre (38 gp, traded to SJ) and DF Robbie Russell (78 gp, traded to D.C. United) ... The most notable absence from RSL’s locker room on Saturday will be that of MF Andy Williams, whose sevenyear tenure as an “RSL Original” came to end with his retirement in December, 2011 ... Williams played 14 years in MLS, bouncing from Columbus, to New England, to New York, to Miami and finally to Chicago in his first 7 seasons, the 1998 Jamaica World Cup veteran coming to RSL in November, 2004 as the club’s top selection in the expansion draft ... Williams went on to play a club-record 189 games for RSL (122 starts, second only to GK Nick Rimando), with 14 goals, 29 assists and one MLS Cup ring marking his time on the Wasatch Front ...

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

SANDY, UT

IDENTIFYING NEW BLOOD, THE RSL WAY:

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE:

Those players include:

Gil displayed speed, athleticism, vision and attacking prowess, belying his 18-year old age and increasing professional experience in a year during which much is expected ... Gil will assume many of the minutes vacated by Wiliams’ retirement, as well as available time due to injuries suffered by Morales and MF Will Johnson ...

The RSL time for “Bomma” is not over, however, as Williams immediately accepted a position as the club’s Head Scout, working with Lagerwey, Kreis and the technical staff to identify players of all ages for RSL’s senior, academy and youth teams, including many of the new faces beginning their MLS and/or professional careers now ...

GK Lalo Fernandez (signed as Home Grown) DF Terukazu Tanaka (Discovery - Jan. 2012) DF Leone Cruz (via trade from SEA 1/17/12) DF Diogo de Almeida (MLS SuperDraft 2012) MF Jonny Steele (Discovery - Feb. 2012) MF Sebastian Velasquez (MLS SuperDraft 2012) MF Enzo Martinez (MLS SuperDraft 2012) FW Emiliano Bonfigli (MLS Supplemental Draft 2012)

VELASQUEZ A FIRST DURING KREIS ERA:

When rookie MF Sebastian Velasquez took the field for the starting whistle Saturday in LA, he became the only first-year player to receive a starting nod on Opening Day during Jason Kreis’ five full seasons as the RSL boss ... The last RSL rookie to start a season opener was current NY MF Medhi Ballouchy, who started in RSL’s 0-3 L at Chivas in 2006 ... Velasquez acquitted himself well in his “baptism-byfire” moment against the defending champs in LA last week, starting and playing 89 minutes on the left side of Kreis’ midfield diamond, his searching cross for FW Alvaro Saborio near post being knocked home for the equalizing own goal by LA DF Franklin to spark the RSL comeback ...

SCHULER STEPS UP ONCE AGAIN, TOO:

Third-year RSL DF Chris Schuler joined Velasquez in the starting lineup at LA, the tall, athletic and tactically-solid center-back moving once again into prime candidacy to see significant minutes when RSL’s 2010 Best XI duo and perennial MLS DF of the Year center-backs Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave cannot play … Schuler’s first-ever MLS start came in September, 2010, at Qwest Field, with RSL earning a 0-0 draw before 36,000+ … That venue was also the site of his first-ever post-season start last year … Throughout the 2011 campaign, Schuler started 20 games and appeared in 25 in all competitions, scoring two goals – both game-winners – at New England and vs Philadelphia … As a rookie in 2010, Schuler also appeared in the team’s 1-2 aet Open Cup loss at D.C. United and started RSL’s 3-2 victory in CCL play at Panamanian club Arabe Unido … RSL has understandably struggled since RSL’s Cup-winning 2009 campaign, across all competitions, without the vaunted Borchers/ Olave combo, affectionately known as “Bor-Lave” ... The team’s record, with goals and goals against average: RSL CBs 2009-12 2011 only “Bor-Lave” 40-21-27 (80 / 0.92) 10-4-8 (22, 1.00) Other combos: 12-15-6 (51 / 1.56) 6-9-0 (19, 1.27)

Another third-year player, MF Luis Gil, was the third “young gun” to start last week, playing 67 minutes in the attacking midfield role before giving way to Argentine sensation Javier Morales ...

GRABAVOY GETS IT - FOR 4 MORE YEARS:

Another beneficiary of the changing midfield guard for RSL is actually a versatile veteran, one who has won two MLS Cups, joined Johnson as one of only two players to see action in all 12 of RSL’s 2010/11 CONCACAF matches and ended up being one of the heroes of last year’s dramatic postseason series vs Seattle ... Of course we are referencing MF Ned Grabavoy, who clinched the Sounders series thanks to his 88thminute dagger in Leg One that proved to be the serieswinning goal ... Grabavoy signed a new 4-year deal in the offseason that will keep the former Galaxy Cup ‘05 champion in the Claret-and-Cobalt … The former Indiana University champion was drafted by the Galaxy in 2004 and appeared in 33 MLS Playoff or reg. season games during his first two seasons with the club, including four consecutive starts on the road to winning MLS Cup 2005 with LA … Grabavoy’s goal at Rio Tinto Stadium against Seattle came on the six-year anniversary of his only other postseason goal, 10/29/05 for LA in a 1-1, seriesclinching draw against San Jose … Grabavoy was claimed off waivers by RSL from San Jose prior to the 2009 campaign, and since then has been a critical component to RSL’s three seasons of success, appearing in 90 reg. season, Playoff and CONCACAF matches – starting 54 – and coming up huge in all phases of the game …

OTHERS MAKE RSL DEBUTS IN DALLAS:

Several other new RSL faces made their official Claret/ Cobalt debuts Tuesday in Frisco, losing a 1-3 reserve game decision a FC Dallas Stadium ... Argentine FW Emiliano Bonfigli - selected with a supplemental pick this season - was set up by FW Cody Arnoux for the only RSL goal, while Japanese DF Terakazu Tanaka, former SMU teammates DF Leone Cruz and DF Diogo de Almeida and first-round RSL SuperDraft pick Enzo Martinez each started the match, all playing a full 90, save Martinez (66’) ...

DOWNLOAD 2012 RSL MEDIA GUIDE HERE: For more in-depth player profiles, stats and club history, please visit: http://pressbox.mlssoccer.com/ content/2012-club-media-guides

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

SABORIO SPECIAL FOR RSL STRIKE FORCE:

RSL’s predatory striker Álvaro Saborío provided the late 1st-half game-winner in the highlight-reel 2011 playoff win at home vs. Seattle, marking the 12th GWG for Saborio in his now 66 RSL games in all competitions over the last two-plus seasons … When Saborío – the first DP in RSL’s seven-season history – finds the back of the net, Jason Kreis’ team is a dominating 20-3-5 in all competitions (the last loss coming in the 2011 West Final at LA, and the only loss prior to 9/24 at DC was the rain-soaked 4-5 loss at Cruz Azul), compared to the 12-14-14 mark when he plays and does not score, as well as RSL’s 7-3-4 record when Sabo is unavailable …

ESPINDOLA MOVES UP TO NEW LEVEL: RSL’s

“other” FW, Fabian Espindola, scored his 27th career regular-season goal last week in LA, providing the dagger in the 3-1 road win against the Galaxy ... That strike leaves Fabi - recipient of a new 4-year contract this offseason - just two goals shy of matching former RSL FW Robbie Findley’s 29 career goals for the club’s all-time lead ... Saborio is not far behind, with 23 career goals in 51 games, nearly half as many all-time games played as Findley and Espindola (96 each) ... With both Saborio and Espindola notching 10 goals last season, RSL boasted a pair of double-digit scorers for the first time in its seven-year history … RSL’s singleseason double-digit scoring list: SINGLE-SEASON GOALS – RSL YEAR PLAYER GP 2011 Alvaro Saborio 23 Fabian Espindola 27 2010 Alvaro Saborio 27 2009 Robbie Findley 27 2006 Jeff Cunningham 31

GOALS 11 10 12 12 16

KYLE & JAVI SHOW RETURN FOR YEAR 6:

The longest and most devastating absence RSL saw last year involved MF Javier Morales, the team’s 2010 MVP and a 2010 MLS Best XI selection … Morales – out from May 7 to Sept. 28 due to the ankle fracture / dislocation suffered following a bad Marco Mondaini tackle against Chivas USA – made his sixth consecutive start and seventh consecutive appearance Wednesday at Seattle, playing 509 of RSL’s last 540 minutes, seeking to remove the rust from his form and get on the same page as his teammates during the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs … When Morales and Beckerman – together for 96 games since arriving on the Wasatch Front in mid-2007 – saw the pitch together on Oct. 29 in the 3-0 home win vs SEA, it marked the first time in RSL’s last 29 games / 2745 minutes since Mondaini’s late first-half tackle shattered Morales’ ankle …

SANDY, UT

MORALES BACK IN THE SADDLE, (ALMOST):

Argentine playmaker Javier Morales had played 116 games for RSL (93 MLS regular-season, 8 playoff, 3 Open Cup, 12 CCL) prior to his return last Sept. 28 vs. Chicago in a 30-minute substitute appearance … His first of what would become six consecutive starts to wrap up the 2011 season came just 3 days later on Oct. 1 at Los Angeles, where he tallied the first of three assists in the six games since returning from the gruesome May 7 ankle injury suffered at home vs. Chivas five months ago … The maestro pulled the string with assists on each of RSL’s first two goals in its home playoff win last year against Seattle, with FW Alvaro Saborio finding the back of the net on both efforts in the 41’ and 56’ minutes in the eventual 3-0 win … Throughout the Playoffs, however, it was apparent that Morales - despite the brave face and commitment to return to action - was unable to bear the physical burden brought by three games in seven days, including a game on artificial turf and the SLC - SEA - SLC - LA travel demands ... Doctors went back into Morales’ ankle in December to remove bone spurs in a procedure unrelated to the fracture dislocation suffered in May ... Due to his sixmonth recovery last year along with the rehab this winter, Morales suffered muscle fatigue and atrophy that have hampered him this preseason ... Last week at Los Angeles, Morales came on for the final 23 minutes and scored for the first time since coming back from the horrific injury, as he was absolutely buzzing around the field, signifying that he is close to finding the form that has made him a perennial MLS MVP candidate the last several years ... Morales’ last three goals have come against LA, including the brace he had in the home-opening 4-1 win against the Galaxy last March 26 ...

ALL-TIME RESULTS, WITHOUT JAVIER:

Since Javier Morales arrived on the Wasatch Front, RSL has played 51 MLS regular-season/playoff, CCL or Open Cup games without its playmaker, posting a 22-1614 overall mark (only 7-12-5 away from home) … Head Coach Jason Kreis’ team has gone 17-14-12 in MLS reg. season play, 0-0-1 Playoff, 3-0-0 in CONCACAF and 1-2-1 in Open Cup sans Javi … Since 2009, that record is 1813-11, scoring 2+ goals in only 20 of those 42 games ...

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

SANDY, UT

CAPTAIN KYLE, BACK IN ACTION:

FRANCHISE-HIGH 45 GAMES COULD PALE:

Playing a man down for 80 minutes after already conceding an 0-1 lead to the Fire, RSL suffered its worst home loss in the team’s seven-year history on that night, then proceeded to lose 10/1 @LA and 10/6 @VAN without Beckerman, before managing to secure one-point draws on 10/14 @COL – allowing Beckerman to become the only undefeated, 7-time Rocky Mountain Cup winner – and on 10/22 v POR …

Last year’s 45 games (34 MLS, 3 Playoff, 6 CCL and 2 Open Cup) games set a new franchise-high, exceeding by three the 2010 season’s 42-game total (30 MLS, 6 CCL, 2 Open Cup, 2 exhibitions and 2 Playoff) …

RSL was ecstatic to welcome back its Captain, Kyle Beckerman, to the lineup during last season’s three Playoff games, after missing “KB5” for the final four games of the regular season due to either U.S. Men’s National Team duty or the 3-game suspension as a result of his 10’ red card received on Sept. 28 at home vs. Chicago on Sept. 28 …

All told, RSL managed a 2-3-3 mark across MLS, CCL and Open Cup games not started by its Captain, who was forced in heartbreaking fashion to miss the second (home) leg of the 2010/11 CONCACAF Champions League Final vs. Monterrey back in April due to yellow card accumulation as well …

ROAD WARRIORS SEEK 2012 TURNAROUND:

The win at Los Angeles on 3/10 in the team’s last reg.season road trip snapped RSL’s winless away streak at four games, following the team’s three-game road win streak from Aug. 27-Sept. 21, matching the franchise high set back in August, 2006 … Once the worst road team in the history of MLS, Real Salt Lake has recently stepped up on the road when competition is fiercest, winning critical postseason matches (2-4-0, with two shootout wins) on the road and performing well away from home (1-2-3, with one loss at Saprissa still winning series) in hostile CONCACAF Champions League territory … A recent advent of road success places the squad’s all-time MLS regular season road mark at 20-63-27 (.298; 103 GF / 183 GA) following the 110th road contest in League play on March 10 at LA …

ADDITIONAL ROAD-WEARY NUMBERS:

Since Kreis took over, RSL’s MLS road mark is 16-3922, with the new team mark of five road wins last year exceeding the four achieved in 2010, and more than doubling the two earned in each of the 2007-09 seasons … Last year’s 5-8-4 road mark was good for 19 points, matching the 2010 team-record total (4-4-7 in 2010) … Starting back on Aug. 13 at Toronto, and factoring in the new Oct. 6 date north of the border, the Claret-andCobalt played 9 of its final 13 regular season contests – and 5 of the last 7 – away from the friendly confines of Rio Tinto Stadium … “RSL Nation” was unable to scratch Canada off the list of places its beloved Claret-andCobalt have never won (Texas, Canada, Philadelphia, Portland) …

Participation this year in a 34-game MLS regular-season, a 4-game newly-formatted CONCACAF Champions League group stage and what RSL hopes is (for the first time ever) a deep Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run (4 or 5 games), Jason Kreis’ team enters 2012 with the mentality that depth will be tested en route to another 5 MLS Cup Playoff contests, the team could approach a new high of nearly 50 games played in a calendar year across multiple fronts ...

During the 2009 MLS Cup-winning season, RSL played only 37 games (30 reg. season, 1 Open Cup, 2 exhibition and 4 Playoff) … A year earlier, when RSL emerged as the #3 West seed, defeated Chivas and saw wild-card NY bounce top-seeded Houston (allowing RSL to host the West Final), RSL played a total of 38 games …

YET ANOTHER FINAL DURING KREIS ERA:

Since the 2008 campaign – the first full season under head coach Jason Kreis and GM Garth Lagerwey – Real Salt Lake has advanced to five so-called “finals” of either the conference, League or continental variety … They are: Year Final Result 2008 West Final vs New York L, 0-1 2009 East Final @ Chicago T, 0-0 (5-4 PKs) MLS Cup vs Los Angeles T, 1-1 (5-4 PKs) 2010 -2011 CCL Final v Monterrey T, 2-2 / L, 0-1 West Final @ Los Angeles L, 1-3 RSL has never won a “final” game in regulation, officially posting an 0-3-3 mark since each of the club’s PK shootout victories are recorded as ties … In both of the 0-1 losses (2008 v NY, 2011 v Monterrey), RSL dictated the pace and tempo of the game, out-shooting the opponent and testing the woodwork, but ultimately could not score to lift hardware before its home fans …

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

SANDY, UT

RSL INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (ALL-TIME) INCLUDES GAMES OF March 10, 2012 (active players in claret) GAMES PLAY / START Andy Williams Nick Rimando Chris Wingert Kyle Beckerman Nat Borchers Jamison Olave Javier Morales Fabian Espindola Robbie Findley Will Johnson

GP 189 144 123 122 119 100 99 96 96 88

GS 122 144 113 118 119 99 92 78 59 81

MINUTES PLAYED Nick Rimando Andy Williams Kyle Beckerman Nat Borchers Chris Wingert Jamison Olave Javier Morales Will Johnson Fabian Espindola Tony Beltran

MIN 12905 11536 10549 10509 10155 8676 7928 7358 6455 6110

GOALS Robbie Findley Fabian Espindola Alvaro Saborio Jeff Cunningham Javier Morales Jason Kreis Yura Movsisyan Andy Williams Kyle Beckerman Jamison Olave

GP GOALS 96 29 96 27 51 23 38 19 99 18 58 17 53 15 189 14 122 13 100 10

GAME-WINNING GOALS Robbie Findley Javier Morales Alvaro Saborio Fabian Espindola Kyle Beckerman Jeff Cunningham Andy Williams Jason Kreis 6 players tied with 2

GP 96 99 51 96 122 38 189 58

ASSISTS Javier Morales Andy Williams Kyle Beckerman Robbie Findley Jeff Cunningham Clint Mathis Fabian Espindola Chris Klein Jason Kreis Robbie Russell Carey Talley Chris Wingert

GP ASTS 99 34 189 29 122 17 96 13 38 11 66 11 96 10 43 9 58 9 78 9 60 9 123 9

GWG 9 9 9 7 4 4 4 3

GAME-WINNING ASSISTS GP Kyle Beckerman 122 Javier Morales 99 Robbie Findley 96 Andy Williams 189 Fabian Espindola 96 Clint Mathis 66 Robbie Russell 78 Jeff Cunningham 38 5 players tied with 2

GWA 10 7 5 5 4 4 4 3

HAT TRICKS Robbie Findley

GP 96

HATS 1

MULTI-GOAL GAMES Jeff Cunningham Alvaro Saborio Robbie Findley Javier Morales Fabian Espindola Yura Movsisyan Kyle Beckerman Chris Brown Atiba Harris Jason Kreis

GP 38 51 96 99 96 53 122 60 43 58

2+ G GM 5 5 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 1

PENALTY-KICK GOALS Alvaro Saborio Jeff Cunningham Jason Kreis Robbie Findley Carey Talley Freddy Adu Alecko Eskandarian Fabian Espindola Will Johnson Dema Kovalenko Javier Morales Andy Williams

GP 51 38 58 96 60 11 17 96 88 22 99 189

PKG 5 5 4 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

SHOTS / SOG Andy Williams Fabian Espindola Kyle Beckerman Robbie Findley Javier Morales Will Johnson Yura Movsisyan Jason Kreis Alvaro Saborio Jeff Cunningham

GP 189 96 122 96 99 88 53 58 51 38

SHT 232 188 169 157 145 144 143 132 117 94

SOG 83 94 67 69 69 59 65 57 46 52

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

SANDY, UT

RSL INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (ALL-TIME) INCLUDES GAMES OF March 10, 2012 (active players in claret) FOULS COMMITTED Andy Williams Kyle Beckerman Javier Morales Chris Wingert Jamison Olave Fabian Espindola Carey Talley Atiba Harris Nat Borchers Mehdi Ballouchy

GP 189 122 99 123 100 96 60 43 119 46

FC 198 164 132 131 128 122 95 92 86 82

FOULS SUFFERED Andy Williams Javier Morales Kyle Beckerman Fabian Espindola Will Johnson Carey Talley Robbie Findley Ned Grabavoy Chris Wingert Mehdi Ballouchy

GP 189 99 122 96 88 60 96 69 123 46

FS 269 221 130 100 95 91 85 79 76 75

CAUTIONS (YELLOWS) Kyle Beckerman Jamison Olave Andy Williams Will Johnson Chris Wingert Fabian Espindola Javier Morales Nat Borchers Clint Mathis Carey Talley

GP 122 100 189 88 123 96 99 119 66 60

CAUT 30 26 21 19 19 18 17 14 14 14

EJECTIONS (RED CARDS) Jamison Olave Andy Williams Nat Borchers Fabian Espindola Clint Mathis 20 players tied with 1

GP 100 189 119 96 66

EJECT 4 3 2 2 2

CORNER KICKS Javier Morales Andy Williams Chris Klein Kyle Beckerman Clint Mathis

GP 99 189 43 122 66

CK 355 225 76 59 52

OFFSIDES Fabian Espindola Robbie Findley Alvaro Saborio Jeff Cunningham Jason Kreis

GP 96 96 51 38 58

OFF 97 60 59 45 44

GAMES PLAYED IN GOAL GP Nick Rimando 144 Scott Garlick 31 D.J. Countess 27 Jay Nolly 7 Chris Seitz 7 Kyle Reynish 5 Brian Kamler 1 MIN PLAYED IN GOAL Nick Rimando Scott Garlick D.J. Countess Chris Seitz Jay Nolly Kyle Reynish Brian Kamler

GS 144 31 27 6 7 4 0

MIN 12905 2745 2422 630 585 415 8

GOALS AGAINST AVG.

PLAYER GP MIN SHTS SVS GA GAA W-L-T SHO Nick Rimando 144 12905 651 491 160 1.12 56-48-40 51

WINNING PCT Nick Rimando

GP WON LOST TIED PCT 144 56 48 40 .528

WINS Nick Rimando Scott Garlick D.J. Countess Kyle Reynish Jay Nolly Chris Seitz

GP WON 144 56 31 10 27 4 5 1 7 1 7 1

LOSSES Nick Rimando D.J. Countess Scott Garlick Jay Nolly Chris Seitz

GP LOST 144 48 27 19 31 12 7 4 7 4

SAVES Nick Rimando D.J. Countess Scott Garlick Jay Nolly Chris Seitz Kyle Reynish

GP 144 27 31 7 7 5

SHUTOUTS Nick Rimando D.J. Countess Scott Garlick Kyle Reynish Chris Seitz

GP SHO 144 51 27 4 31 4 5 2 7 1

SAVES PERCENTAGE Nick Rimando

GP 144

SVS 491 112 108 41 19 14

SAVES SOG PCT 491 677 72.5

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

LALO FERNANDEZ

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

GOALKEEPER

SANDY, UT

TONY BELTRAN

DEFENDER

HEIGHT: 6-3 WEIGHT: 170 DOB: 12/16/92 HOMETOWN: El Paso, TX ACQUIRED: Signed as Home Grown Player, 1/11/12 LAST CLUB: C.A. Penarol (Uruguay) PRONOUNCIATION: LAW-lo LAST GAME: yet to appear in an RSL league or reserve match

HEIGHT: 5-8 WEIGHT: 150 DOB: 10/11/87 HOMETOWN: Claremont, CA ACQUIRED: PRONOUNCIATION: BELL - trann LAST SEASON: Played 28 games (23 starts) in all competitions, scoring one goal, adding one assist LAST MLS GOAL: yet to score in 78 career MLS games LAST MLS ASSIST: 03/19/11 @ SJ (64’) - 21 games ago LAST GAME: 03/10/12 - start/90’ in 3-1 W @ LA; injured R knee

Real Salt Lake’s eye towards the future was bolstered in February with the signing of promising goalkeeper Lalo Fernandez as the club’s third-ever Homegrown Player. The addition of Fernandez marks the second dip into the Homegrown Player well by Real Salt Lake in less than a year, following on the heels of fellow RSL-Arizona Academy product Nico Muñiz (Sept. 2011) and Donny Toia (May 2011).

After playing the second-most minutes of his career in 2011, Tony Beltran again showed why he belongs in the discussion with the best outside backs in Major League Soccer. For the second time in his career the 24-year-old made more than 20 starts and helped solidify a back line that was depleted by injuries all season long – until he unfortunately suffered one of his own, limiting his minutes in the final two months of the season.

The 19-year-old Fernandez has kept busy over the last year-and-a-half, helping the RSL-Arizona Under-18 squad begin its first season in U.S. Soccer Development Academy in October 2010 and going 5-3-3 (1.00 GAA, 4 shutouts) in 11 appearances through the spring of 2011. After initially agreeing to play collegiately at the University of Wisconsin, Fernandez tacked course and tested the international waters, first spending a training stint with Mexican first division side Atlas – based in his birthplace of Guadalajara – before signing with Uruguayan power C.A. Peñarol last August.

While his staunch 1-v-1 defending continued to be rock solid, the cerebral and supremely fit Beltran has also provided more consistency when jumping into the attack, his flying runs up either flank ending with dangerous service into the area more often than during his previous two seasons of play. It can’t be long until Beltran sheds the status of one of the most underrated outside defenders in Major League Soccer, but, until then, the RSL braintrust will be more than happy to unleash the mature-beyond-his-years winger upon opponents that may underestimate the UCLA product’s considerable talent and tenacity.

The 6-foot-3, 165-pound Fernandez has been involved in the Youth National Team set-ups of both the United States and Mexico, playing for the Mexican Under-17s and training with the U.S. Under-20s last November. The El Paso, Texas, native’s goalkeeping skills run in the family, as his father, enjoyed a career as a professional netminder in Mexico.

DIOGO DE ALMEIDA

DEFENDER

HEIGHT: 6-0 WEIGHT: 175 DOB: 1/2/89 HOMETOWN: Piricicaba, Brazil ACQUIRED: 2012 MLS SuperDraft PRONOUNCIATION: dee - OH -go DAY al - MAY - duh LAST SEASON: Played 22 games (all starts) in goal for D.C. United, registering five shutouts and a 1.68 goals-against average LAST GAME: 03/13/12 - start/90’ in 1-3 L @ DAL (reserves)

JAMISON OLAVE

DEFENDER

HEIGHT: 6-3 WEIGHT: 210 DOB: 4/21/81 HOMETOWN: Medellin, Colombia ACQUIRED: March, 2008 PRONOUNCIATION: HAW-miss-son oh-LAW-vay LAST SEASON: Played 31 games (all starts) in all competitions, scoring 3 goals, adding 1 assist and named MLS Best XI LAST MLS GOAL: 07/23/11 v SJ (83’) - 9 games ago LAST MLS ASSIST: 7/4/11 v NE (83’) - 11 games ago LAST MLS GAME: 03/10/12 - start/90’ in 3-1 W @ LA

Real Salt Lake’s search for a naturally left-footed fit on its back line may very well have come to an end with its selection of SMU product Diogo de Almeida back in January. Other outside back options were on the board towards the start of the second round, RSL was enamored with the athletic de Almeida’s size and speed, not to mention his technical ability, which was no surprise after his progression from forward to midfielder to defender during his first three years with the Mustangs. While RSL will not expect the 23-year-old to fill in minutes right away, the Brazilian’s progress throughout the year will prove vital to the planned wing-back rotation system that could prove crucial to the Utah side’s late-season success.

It seemed to take a couple of years for MLS fans and pundits to fully appreciate the depth of talent that RSL center back Jamison Olave possessed. However, now that he’s a known commodity, the RSL center back can’t seem to stop the plaudits coming his way, the ultra-athletic center back garnering spots on the MLS Best XI and MLS All-Star teams for a second consecutive season in 2011. He began the year by not only displaying his usual defensive prowess, but also securing himself an even bigger spot in RSL lore courtesy of some offense, as it was his goal at Deportivo Saprissa that would swing the CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal series the Utah side’s way. While RSL fans loved seeing “The Verb” represent the Claret-and-Cobalt against Manchester United in the All-Star Game once again, they were also left holding their collective breath after a sliding tackle sidelined him with an MCL sprain in his left knee. Success, it appeared, might come at a price. However, Olave would return after missing only a month, using his unique blend of size and closing speed – in addition to a growing sense of comfort with the ball at his feet – to keep opposing forwards on lockdown. Olave would again suffer from injury, this time a quadriceps strain, during the 2011 postseason, but the 2012 preseason sees the Colombian fit as a fiddle and ready to lead the RSL backline to more impressive and historic numbers – more specifically the ones in the “W” and “SO” columns. And, speaking of numbers, the 30-year-old Olave will hit a nice round one the next time he sees the field, as his next appearance on the fiels will mark his 100th in MLS regular season play.

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

KYLE BECKERMAN

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

MIDFIELDER

HEIGHT: 5-11 WEIGHT: 165 DOB: 4/23/82 HOMETOWN: Crofton, MD ACQUIRED: Trade with Colorado for Mehdi Ballouchy on 6/17/07 LAST SEASON: Played 36 games (34 starts) as Captain, scoring 3 goals & 9 assists (6 game-winners), earning USMNT call-ups and All-Star consideration LAST MLS GOAL: 09/3/11 v PHI (18’) - 4 games ago LAST MLS ASSIST: 09/17/11 v KC (54’) - 2 games ago LAST GAME: 03/10/12 - start/90’ in 3-1 W @ LA Many players start to think about the next stage of their careers after a dozen seasons in the pros, the portion involving final contracts, farewell tours and the like. However, most players aren’t like Kyle Beckerman, whose 12th season only propelled him towards bigger heights both with his club and for his country, as 2011 saw the RSL captain go from a perennial MLS All-Star and part-time U.S. Men’s National Team performer to a legitimate league MVP candidate and First XI stalwart for Jurgen Klinsmann’s USA squad. Beckerman’s ability to step up his game in the absence of main playmaker Javier Morales showed both on and off the stat sheet, his increased leadership role on the field during an adversityfilled 2011 proving just as crucial as his career-best nine assists (including six game-winning helpers) across regular season play. The 29-year-old Beckerman is hitting his peak as he enters 2012, a year in which he’ll likely leap into the league’s all-time top 20 in games played and started while also playing an integral role for the US Men’s National Team as it begins its qualifying journey for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Finals in Brazil. While an offseason adductor strain might have slowed RSL’s heart-and-soul down temporarily, Beckerman should be ready to set the tone for the Claretand-Cobalt right out of the gates in what he hopes is a lucky 13th season in MLS.

FABIAN ESPINDOLA

FORWARD

SANDY, UT

NAT BORCHERS

DEFENDER

HEIGHT: 6-2 WEIGHT: 175 DOB: 4/13/81 HOMETOWN: Pueblo, CO ACQUIRED: Feb. 2008 PRONOUNCIATION: NATT LAST SEASON: Played team-high 37 games (all starts), scoring 4 goals & 1 assist as MLS DF of the Year Finalist LAST MLS GOAL: 9/17/11 v KC (54’) - 6 games ago LAST MLS ASSIST: 05/7/11 v CHV (87’) - 24 games ago LAST GAME: 03/10/12 - start/45’ in 1-3 L @ DAL (reserves) Ever since he crashed the Colorado Rapids roster as an undrafted camp invitee back in 2003, Nat Borchers has been tough to take off the roster sheet … make that nearly impossible to take off. While missing four of 34 regular season games like Borchers did in 2011 wouldn’t be noteworthy for most players, for the “Ironman of MLS” it was more than a bit out of the ordinary. And even with that said, Borchers’ 30 starts last season allowed him to become the only player across Major League Soccer with at least 29 starts in each of the last four years. Death … Taxes … Borchers, indeed. The big story for Real Salt Lake as it approaches its season opener in Los Angeles might just be if the three-time RSL Defender of the Year winner will be in Jason Kreis’ First XI. The right quadriceps strain the 30-year-old backline staple suffered in last October’s postseason opener against Seattle has forced a cautious approach during this year’s preseason camp, but Borchers vows to be ready to go for rematch of the Western Conference Championship … a game the ever-steady center back would have certainly been a difference-maker in had he been able to give it a go.

WILL JOHNSON

HEIGHT: 5-9 WEIGHT: 160 DOB: 5/4/85 HOMETOWN: Buenos Aires, Argentina ACQUIRED: 8/07 PRONOUNCIATION: fah - bee - AHN ess - PEEN - doh - lah LAST SEASON: Played 34 games (32 starts) in all competitions, scoring career-high 11 goals & 5 assists LAST MLS GOAL: 3/10/12 @ LA (85’) - ACTIVE

HEIGHT: 5-10 WEIGHT: 155 DOB: 1/21/87 HOMETOWN: Woodridge, IL ACQUIRED: July, 2008 PRONOUNCIATION: LAST SEASON: Played 33 games (30 starts) in all competitions, scoring 2 goals & 2 assists LAST MLS GOAL: 07/04/11 v NE (24’) - 14 games ago

LAST MLS ASSIST: 10/22/11 v. POR (46+’) LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - start/90’/GOAL in 3-1 W @ LA

LAST MLS ASSIST: 07/9/11 v DAL (94+) - 13 games ago

MIDFIELDER

Seemingly overshadowed by other forwards every since he joined Real Salt Lake five years ago, the attention turned Fabian Espíndola’s way in 2011 seemed to increase. Then again, everything involving Espíndola seemed to be ratcheted up a notch last season – his focus, an already-high energy-level and even his notoriety across the league all received noticeable bumps. However, the most important thing the fiery Argentine increased last year was his production, as Espíndola knocked home a career-best 10 goals in league play and added a goal and two assists during RSL’s CONCACAF Champions League run that allowed to Utahns to continue their historic path to the tourney’s finals.

Will Johnson was a busy guy in 2011, but when you’re depended upon to be a stalwart for both your club and country, well, that just goes with the territory. But with Johnson possessing one of – if not the best – motors in all of Major League Soccer, the industrious 25-year-old not only has the stamina to handle the added workload, but the pride and character to relish it. He also has the history to prove he can handle the added miles as well, playing at least 2,000 minutes and in at least 25 regular season contests for the Claretand-Cobalt in each of his first three full seasons … and that’s not counting the additional wear-and-tear (and pressure) endured during Cup competitions.

It’s easy to forget that Espíndola was a part of the massive rebuilding process that Jason Kreis began midway through 2007; and yet, at the same time, it seems hard to think about RSL without the passion and grit of the 26-year-old forward. Re-signing Espíndola was priority #1 for Real Salt Lake this past offseason, and when two sides were able to agree to a four-year pact you could almost hear an audible sigh of relief from Claret-and-Cobalt fans near and far. With his regular up-top running mate, Álvaro Saborío, a question mark for the start of the campaign, the scoring burden will likely fall to Espíndola – then again, that’s something the confident striker will likely pick up as well.

With another round of World Cup qualifying in store for his Canadian National Team and another run in the CONCACAF Champions League on the docket for Real Salt Lake, it’s going to be another chock full calendar in 2012 for Johnson, who will again be depended upon to man the left side of RSL’s midfield diamond. While a procedure to correct a sports hernia issue might slow Johnson down for the first few weeks of the season, the RSL faithful can rest assured his odometer will start spinning furiously sooner rather than later.

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

JAVIER MORALES

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

MIDFIELDER

HEIGHT: 5-9 WEIGHT: 165 DOB: 1/10/80 HOMETOWN: Buenos Aires, Argentina ACQUIRED: 8/07 PRONOUNCIATION: HAW-vee-err LAST SEASON: Played 16 games (15 starts) in all competitions, scoring 5 goals & 4 assists in injury-shortened campaign LAST MLS GOAL: 3/10/12 @ LA (80’) - ACTIVE LAST MLS ASSIST: 10/1/11 @ LA (45’) - 4 games ago LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - sub/final 23’/GOAL in 3-1 W @ LA Perhaps no player in Major League Soccer was poised to have a better 2011 than Javier Morales. From the get-go, the Argentine midfield maestro was pulling the strings for a Real Salt Lake side on the cusp of international glory, his infectious attitude, quiet leadership and abundant skill helping a pioneering club earn plaudits from every corner of America’s soccer landscape. So while RSL’s disappointment at the end of its CONCACAF Champions League run in late April was a tough blow for the squad, it’s quite telling that the result’s effect on the team’s season paled in comparison to the loss of Morales to an ankle injury just 10 days after the stinging defeat. It is also telling that, during a stretch of two weeks when clumsy challenges like the one Morales suffered from felled some of MLS’ other brightest attacking talents, RSL’s playmaker vowed to come back before season’s end. Anyone who saw the incident must have thought Morales’ thoughts were wishful thinking at best, but they also weren’t witness to the hard work he put in day after day. While the air was sucked out of the building that day, Morales knew it wasn’t sucked out of the season, and he wanted to make sure he could help the squad finish the challenge it had laid down at the start of the year – add hardware to the trophy case.

SANDY, UT

EMILIANO BONFIGLI

FORWARD

HEIGHT: 5-10 WEIGHT: 150 DOB: 4/15/88 HOMETOWN: Bahia Blanca, Argentina ACQUIRED: 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft PRONOUNCIATION: bone-FIGG-lee LAST GAME: 3/13/12 - start/90’/GOAL in 1-3 L @ DAL (reserves)

Five years ago, Real Salt Lake brought a young Argentinean striker into its side by the name of Fabian Espíndola … and now the Utah side is hoping it has unearthed a similar talent in his countryman, Emiliano Bonfigli. The lanky striker proved worth taking a flyer on in the MLS Supplemental Draft, the 23-year-old showing more than enough finishing prowess during RSL’s opening preseason camp to earn a spot on the team’s forward depth chart. With a congested schedule ahead, expect Bonfigli to be firmly in the mix for the “spot starter” role up top alongside fellow “young guns” Paulo Jr. and Cody Arnoux.

While that goal wouldn’t come to fruition, the comeback of Morales inspired not only his teammates, but the RSL faithful as well, who could not get enough updates on the status of “Javi” and when – not if – he would return to the field. While Morales was never back to 100% during the final six weeks of the season, he showed plenty enough to make it clear that he was closer than anyone, save himself, might have thought. But, perhaps more than anything, his comeback allowed everyone the opportunity to remember a different image of #11 at Rio Tinto Stadium in 2011 – the thunderous standing ovation he received upon entering the Sept. 28 match against Chicago in front of the largest crowd in the stadium’s history. 20,762 fans, all there to pay tribute to the heart-and-soul of RSL, to see the maestro pick up his baton once again. The start of the 2012 campaign sees Morales continuing to overcome injury, an offseason procedure to clean out bone spurs in his left foot and a right quad strain suffered during the preseason limiting him during the squad’s preparations for the upcoming season. But if 2011 proved anything, it’s that Morales will be able to overcome any challenge thrown at him … and likely sooner than anyone could imagine.

YORDANY ALVAREZ

MIDFIELDER

ALVARO SABORIO

HEIGHT: 5-10 WEIGHT: 165 DOB: 5/24/85 HOMETOWN: Cienfuegos, Cuba ACQUIRED: Sept. 2011 PRONOUNCIATION: jor-DONN-ee LAST SEASON: Played 5 games (4 starts) on loan from Orlando City, where he was named 2011 USL PRO MVP as championship-winner LAST MLS GOAL: yet to score in 6 games

HEIGHT: 6-0 WEIGHT: 170 DOB: 3/25/82 HOMETOWN: San Carlos, Costa Rica ACQUIRED: March 2010 PRONOUNCIATION: AL-vuh-ro sabb-oh-REE-oh LAST SEASON: Played 29 games (28 starts) in all competitions, scoring team-high 13 goals (incl. 5 game-winners) & 4 assists LAST MLS GOAL: 10/22/11 v. POR (46+’) - 1 game ago

LAST MLS ASSIST: yet to assist in 6 games LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - sub/final 1’ in 3-1 W @ LA

LAST MLS ASSIST: 3/10/12 @ LA (85’) - ACTIVE LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - sub/final 23’/ASSIST in 3-1 W @ LA

When it came to taking advantage of an opportunity in 2011, nobody did it better than midfielder Yordany Alvarez, who parlayed his USL PRO League MVP performance for Orlando City S.C. into a quasi-starting gig last September shortly after joining Real Salt Lake on loan at the roster freeze deadline. The one-time Cuban international provided quality cover for Kyle Beckerman, whose suspensions and U.S. MNT call-ups across the last quarter of the season forced Alvarez onto the field for five contests. The 26-year-old performed well enough during the impromptu “trial by fire” that RSL sought to secure his services on a more permanent basis, and the Utah side did just that in February by coming to buyout terms with Orlando and locking up the holding midfielder via a new three-year deal. With Beckerman again slated to pull double-duty for club and country during much of 2012, fans can expect to see Alvarez back in the Starting XI mix on many more occasions.

FORWARD

As a forward there’s always pressure to perform, and in 2011 the pressure seemed to be both a blessing and a curse for Álvaro Saborío, who began the year with a new contract that heaped on the added weight of becoming Real Salt Lake’s first-ever “Designated Player” (though the title was more a technicality thanks to the transfer fees involved in obtaining his full rights). The roller-coaster season saw Saborío bag goals in bunches and in some critical moments, but also included some droughts and mountains of adversity on the national team front for his native Costa Rica. A part of that ebb-and-flow of output was due to injury, as Saborío rushed back from offseason knee surgery quickly in order to help keep his hot hand in the CONCACAF Champions League going from the prior fall. While he indeed helped carry the squad to the tournament’s finals, his production and availability would suffer in the months to follow, only to ratchet back up during a torrid stretch in mid-summer. When the dust settled, “Sabo” had collected 16 goals across 32 games in all competitions, keeping pace with the 18 tallies in 36 contests the season prior. The wear-and-tear resulted in another surgery on his right knee immediately after the season, making his return to the line-up at the start of 2012 a question mark. However, the “Tico Terror” won’t be sidelined for long, as he has progressed strongly during the club’s preseason camps and is expected to be on the field and creating havoc for the opposition by April at the very latest.

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

NICO MUNIZ

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

MIDFIELDER

HEIGHT: 5-10 WEIGHT: 155 DOB: 10/18/92 HOMETOWN: Albuquerque, NM ACQUIRED: Signed as Home Grown player in Sept. 2011 PRONOUNCIATION: MOON-yees LAST GAME: 3/13/12 - start/90’ in 1-3 L @ DAL (reserves)

NICK RIMANDO

CHRIS WINGERT

DEFENDER

HEIGHT: 5-11 WEIGHT: 170 DOB: 6/16/82 HOMETOWN: Babylon, NY ACQUIRED: Trade with COL, 6/14/07 LAST SEASON: Played 29 games (28 starts) in all competitions, tallying one assist LAST MLS GOAL: 05/22/10 @ CHV - 41 games ago LAST MLS ASSIST: 08/26/09 v. CHV (85’) - 51 games ago LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - start/90’ in 3-1 W @ LA

Real Salt Lake broke new ground last fall when it agreed to terms with Nico Muñiz, making the midfielder the first RSL-Arizona Academy member to jump straight to the “big club” from Casa Grande. While technically unable to perform for the MLS outfit until the new year, the now 19-year-old Muniz joined the first team in Utah upon the announcement in September, giving him a leg up on preparations for his first professional campaign with what amounted to a seven week “sneak peek.” Muñiz started three of his six appearances (346 min.) as a regular call-up for the RSL Reserves in 2011, and the Albuquerque native should expect to see his development continue largely through opportunities in MLS Reserve League fixtures during the 2012 campaign.

SANDY, UT

GOALKEEPER

HEIGHT: 5-9 WEIGHT: 185 DOB: 6/17/79 HOMETOWN: Montclair, CA ACQUIRED: Trade with NY, March, 2007 LAST SEASON: Played 39 games (all starts) in all competitions in goal for RSL, with 16 wins and 15 shutouts and a 1.08 GAA LAST MLS WIN: 3/10/12 @ LA - ACTIVE

The outside back position in RSL’s 4-4-2 system is perhaps one of the most challenging spots in Major League Soccer – to call them “defenders” is simply not doing them justice. The role requires players to have the physicality to defend one-on-one, the speed and stamina to make run after run up and down the flank to provide width in attack and the technical acumen to make things happen with the ball, be it by providing crosses into the area or quick combinations with the midfield. You have to be smart, disciplined and in ridiculously good shape … in other words, you almost have to be Chris Wingert. The 29-year-old Wingert will enter the 2012 season as RSL’s longest-tenured field player, beating out his former ex-Colorado teammate Kyle Beckerman for the honor by three days courtesy of their back-to-back trades in mid-July 2007. That longevity has not only shot him up the RSL all-time rankings in numerous categories, but it’s also allowed him to master the abilities necessary to thrive on the island that can sometimes be the outside back position in Jason Kreis’ preferred line-up. To protect against the wear-and-tear that saw nagging injuries effect the three-man rotation of Wingert, Tony Beltran and the departed Robbie Russell last season, the Claret-and-Cobalt will hope Wingert can mentor whichever two players emerge in the back-up battle out wide during preseason to increase the rotation to four by midseason. If there’s anyone up for the task of mentoring it would be Wingert, a locker room leader who also has the NSCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor from his Senior season at St. John’s in his back pocket.

ENZO MARTINEZ

MIDFIELDER

HEIGHT: 5-7 WEIGHT: 160 DOB: 9/29/90 HOMETOWN: Rock Hill, SC ACQUIRED: 2011 MLS SuperDraft, 17th overall pick, 1/15/12 PRONOUNCIATION: ENN-zoh LAST GAME: 3/13/12 - start/66’ in 1-3 L @ DAL (reserves)

LAST MLS SHUTOUT: 10/14/11 @ COL - 2 games ago LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - start/90’/ 3 saves in 3-1 W @ LA Nick Rimando would have been hard-pressed to duplicate the record-setting 2010 campaign he presided over between the posts for Real Salt Lake, but his 2011 season was not all that far behind. Once again finishing at or near the top of Major League Soccer in goals against average, shutouts and wins, Rimando’s 12th MLS season gave credence to the theory that the shelf life of the American goalkeeper is almost limitless … a good sign now that the 32-year-old Rimando is the elder statesman of the Claret-and-Cobalt after the offseason retirement of Andy Williams. That being said, it takes more than age to climb towards the top of MLS’ record books, which is exactly what Rimando has done by ranking second in all-time shutouts (87) and third in wins (121), games played in goal (288), starts in goal (also 288) and minutes in goal (26,073). Much like teammate Kyle Beckerman, Rimando’s international career has also picked up steam once again, as the Southern California native has been a regular call-up under the new regime of Jurgen Klinsmann since his appointment as USMNT’s sideline boss last summer. If Rimando can continue to produce sparkling performances like the first half he turned in against Panama in January, it will be a busy year of shuffling between club and country for the RSL fanbase’s favorite “homeboy.”

Some things are just meant to be, and that seemed to be the general consensus when highly-touted midfielder Enzo Martinez fell right into the lap of Real Salt Lake late in the first round of January’s MLS SuperDraft in Kansas City. Why the key cog for North Carolina’s College Cup-winning side slid to the 17th overall pick will never be known, but what is for certain is that the motivated midfielder’s savvy on the ball, mature decision-making and industrious workrate will make the native Uruguayan a perfect fit in the diamond midfield RSL has perfected under Jason Kreis. While the RSL Technical Staff gushed about the Generation adidas product’s production and ability, it was even more impressed with his maturity off the field, forcing many of the pundits who questioned where the 21-year-old might fit on the field for many teams to also admit that the Claret-and-Cobalt might just have come away with the steal of draft day.

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

NED GRABAVOY

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

MIDFIELDER

HEIGHT: 5-7 WEIGHT: 150 DOB: 7/1/83 HOMETOWN: New Lenox, IL ACQUIRED: Waivers from SJ Earthquakes, 3/--/09 LAST SEASON: Played 33 games (25 starts) in all competitions, scoring playoff-series-clinching goal vs SEA in West Semis LAST MLS GOAL: 10/16/10 v. DAL (59’) - 26 games ago LAST MLS ASSIST: 07/31/10 v. DC (13’) - 35 games ago LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - start/90’ in 3-1 W @ LA

With Williams retiring during the offseason, the versatile Grabavoy will be depended upon even more by Head Coach Jason Kreis to set the tone on the field and in the locker room as one of the team’s core members. The good news for Kreis and fans of RSL is that, thanks to a new offseason contract, the 28-year-old midfielder will put his masterful on-theball ability, vision and tenacity on display at Rio Tinto Stadium for at least the next three seasons.

JONNY STEELE

LUIS GIL

MIDFIELDER

HEIGHT: 5-10 WEIGHT: 155 DOB: 11/14/93 HOMETOWN: Garden Grove, CA ACQUIRED: Trade with KC, 3/10 PRONOUNCIATION: GILL LAST SEASON: Played 27 games (16 starts) in all competitions, scoring 2 goals LAST MLS GOAL: 8/20/11 @ HOU (60’) - 8 games ago LAST MLS ASSIST: none in 23 career appearances LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - start/67’ in 3-1 W @ LA

During his third season in Claret-and-Cobalt in 2011, Ned Grabavoy continued to find more minutes in the platoon system with Andy Williams on the right side of Real Salt Lake’s diamond midfield, but, due to injuries and national team call-ups, the veteran also found himself at other spots in the diamond through necessity. Despite suffering from a nagging hamstring injury of his own late in the campaign, the gritty Grabavoy was able to register the second most appearances, starts and minutes of his eight seasons in Major League Soccer.

SANDY, UT

MIDFIELDER

HEIGHT: 6-0 WEIGHT: 180 DOB: 2/7/86 HOMETOWN: Larne, Northern Ireland ACQUIRED: via discovery option in Jan., 2012 PRONOUNCIATION: LAST GAME: 3/13/12 - start/90’ in 1-3 L @ DAL (reserves)

Real Salt Lake’s philosophy for the development of Luis Gil had always been “slow and steady,” but then Javier Morales’ devastating ankle injury and a slew of national team callups hit in the spring, and the acceleration of Gil’s learning curve soon followed. RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis originally took a committee approach to replacing Morales as the summer progressed, but the rotation would eventually include a heavy dose of the then-17-year-old Gil, who indeed proved capable of rising to the challenge while also doing plenty of “on-thejob” training. While inconsistent, as most teenagers growing up in a professional league tend to be, Gil more often than not showed glimpses as to why he was coveted by some of the world’s top sides prior to joining the Claret-and-Cobalt back in 2010. The physicality of the opposition might not be as much of a problem in 2012, as Gil entered RSL’s preseason camp noticeably bigger and more confident, both on the ball and within the squad. With regular starters Morales and Will Johnson both dealing with injuries heading into the season, Gil may very well find himself a member of the starting XI when March rolls around

PAULO JUNIOR

FORWARD

HEIGHT: 5-7 WEIGHT: 155 DOB: 1/23/89 HOMETOWN: Teresina, Brazil ACQUIRED: via loan in August, 2010 (purchased Jan., 2012) PRONOUNCIATION: PAUL-low LAST SEASON: Played 13 games (5 starts) in all competitions, scoring 2 goals & 4 assists LAST MLS GOAL: 4/9/11 @ NE (47’) - 10 games ago LAST MLS ASSIST: 9/24/11 @ DC (85’) - 3 games ago LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - start/67’ in 3-1 W @ LA

Jonny Steele has squeezed a career’s worth of stops into his first eight professional seasons, but the preseason pact he signed with Real Salt Lake might just allow the 26-year-old midfielder to stop and settle down for awhile … besides, there’s precedence for this sort of thing with the Utah side (see Williams, Andy). After years of hopping between second divisions clubs and indoor teams, the native of Northern Ireland has finally earned the opportunity to display his talents on the North American continent’s top stage, eight years after his stateside journey began with a trial for FC Dallas. While Steele’s presence will ratchet up the amount of bite in the RSL midfield, thinking of him as simply a “hardman” would be a mistake, as the former Wolverhampton performer didn’t win the 2008 USL-1 MVP award for the Puerto Rico Islanders on hard tackles alone.

As explosive as the fall 2010 debut of Paulo Jr. onto the Real Salt Lake scene was, it appeared that the Brazilian’s 2011 was equally as disappointing … but one look at the limited sample size of stats might just prove otherwise. While the swashbuckling striker missed exactly half of the season due to lingering hamstring and hip flexor injuries over the summer, when he was on the field he was able to produce, notching a pair of goals and five assists in what amounted to just under 600 minutes across MLS and CONCACAF play. The diminutive forward’s season got off to a sparkling start, as he recorded a goal, an assist or both during his first four overall appearances. However, the injury bug would strike soon afterwards, derailing a promising start and limiting him to substitute and spot-start duty across the last three months of the season. Despite the health concerns, Real Salt Lake recognized Paulo Jr.’s potential this past offseason and acquired the 23-year-old’s player rights from the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers in February. The Utah side hopes a new three-year contract will provide the stability and confidence the still-developing striker needs in order to perform, which would result in a dangerous complement to first-choice forwards Fabian Espíndola and Álvaro Saborío.

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

KYLE REYNISH

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

GOALKEEPER

HEIGHT: 6-3 WEIGHT: 190 DOB: 11/3/83 HOMETOWN: Valencia, CA ACQUIRED: 2007 MLS SuperDraft LAST SEASON: Played 3 games (all starts) in goal for RSL, registering 2 wins, 2 shutouts and a 0.67 GAA LAST MLS WIN: 4/9/11 @ NE (1 career win) LAST MLS SHUTOUT: 4/9/11 @ NE – 2nd career clean sheet LAST GAME: 3/13/12 - start/90’ in 1-3 L @ DAL (reserves) With the retirement of Andy Williams this past offseason, goalkeeper Kyle Reynish becomes the recipient of the “current longest tenured RSL player” title, as the netminder drafted on Jan. 18, 2007 will begin his sixth full season with the squad in 2012. As the back-up to the 2nd-longest tenured player, Nick Rimando, the UC-Santa Barbara native hasn’t had many occasions to show his stuff in recent seasons, but when he was able to in 2011 he would deliver, notching two shutout wins in his three first-team appearances. The 27-year-old ‘keeper will not only continue to be perhaps the league’s most underrated understudy, but will also be looked at to help mentor young Lalo Fernandez, RSL’s latest Homegrown addition to the roster.

CODY ARNOUX

FORWARD

SANDY, UT

SEBASTIAN VELASQUEZ

HEIGHT: 5-7 WEIGHT: 140 DOB: 2/11/91 HOMETOWN: Greenville, SC ACQUIRED: 2012 MLS SuperDraft LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - start/89’ in 3-1 W @ LA

If you were not aware of Sebastian Velasquez when Real Salt Lake selected him towards the end of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, well, you weren’t alone … the plucky playmaker was the first Junior College player to be selected on draft day since Kansas City took another member of the RSL family, Yura Movsisyan, six years earlier. The Wasatch Front is a long way from Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina, but when word from collegiate scouting contacts about the “diamond-in-the-Upstate” came across RSL’s attention, due diligence by assistant coach Miles Joseph paid off for the now-21-year-old midfielder via an invite to the club’s December combine in Arizona. Velasquez impressed enough there to earn the nod to the next level, where he will be allowed plenty of time to learn how pull the strings on the top of RSL’s midfield diamond behind Javier Morales and Luis Gil.

CHRIS SCHULER

HEIGHT: 5-10 WEIGHT: 170 DOB: 4/13/88 HOMETOWN: Wilmington, NC ACQUIRED: via special MLS lottery in March, 2011 PRONOUNCIATION: arr-KNOW LAST SEASON: Played 2 games (0 starts) in all competitions for RSL, totaling 69 minutes

HEIGHT: 6-4 WEIGHT: 185 DOB: 9/6/87 HOMETOWN: Aurora, IL ACQUIRED: 2010 MLS SuperDraft (37th) PRONOUNCIATION: SHOO-ler LAST SEASON: Played 23 games (18 starts) in all competitions, scoring 2 goals LAST MLS GOAL: 9/3/11 v PHI (26’) - 7 games ago

LAST MLS GOAL: yet to score LAST MLS ASSIST: yet to assist LAST GAME: 3/13/12 - start/90’/ASSIST in 1-3 L @ DAL (reserves)

LAST MLS ASSIST: yet to record assist in 21 career games LAST GAME: 3/10/12 - start/90’ in 3-1 W @ LA

The 2012 season can almost be considered a fresh start for forward Cody Arnoux, who was injured upon joining Real Salt Lake last February and couldn’t return to the field from injuries until the season was mostly through. However, with a year of seasoning in RSL’s system under his belt, a completely clean bill of health and plenty of work ethic in tow, the former Wake Forest standout will be ready to make up for lost time and contribute major minutes off the bench during the Claret-and-Cobalt’s busy campaign.

MIDFIELDER

DEFENDER

What a difference a year made for defender Chris Schuler. After showing a glimpse of promise that was cut short due to injury in 2010, the Chicagoland native returned to the field with a vengeance in 2011, playing in 27 matches across all competitions as injuries and suspensions wrecked havoc at times on the RSL backline. Five months after breaking his foot just the day after RSL clinched a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League knockout phase, it was perhaps fate that Schuler would be called upon to serve in place of the suspended Nat Borchers right off the bat against Columbus in the CCL Quarterfinals. The 24-year-old would pass that test with flying colors, and, as the RSL Technical Staff began to grow more and more comfortable with him, Schuler would also begin to draw assignments at outside back as situations dictated. While some may think it unfortunate to sit behind one of the best center back tandems in league history on the depth chart, it is clear during the 2012 preseason that Schuler has been soaking up knowledge from Borchers and Jamison Olave over the course of his first two pro seasons. Learning the tricks of the trade from those pillars both technically and leadership-wise will certainly pay off with even better performances when called upon down the road, which may occur just as much this season with another congested schedule on the docket for the Claret-and-Cobalt.

REAL SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK RED BULLS SATURDAY MARCH 17 2012

LEONE CRUZ

8:00PM MT RIO TINTO STADIUM

DEFENDER

HEIGHT: 6-1 WEIGHT: 170 DOB: 6/13/87 HOMETOWN: Round Rock, TX ACQUIRED: Trade with Seattle, 1/17/12 PRONOUNCIATION: lee-OH-knee KRUZE LAST GAME: 3/13/12 - start/90’ in 1-3 L @ DAL (reserves)

JASON KREIS

TERAKAZU TANAKA

DEFENDER

HEIGHT: 5-8 WEIGHT: 150 DOB: 7/14/85 HOMETOWN: Ibaraki, Japan ACQUIRED: via Discovery option in Jan., 2012 PRONOUNCIATION: tuh-KNOCK-uh LAST GAME: 3/13/12 - start/90’ in 1-3 L @ DAL (reserves)

The path to the ranks of Major League Soccer for Leone Cruz was not a common one, but, in the end, the talented center back appears to have found a willing dance partner in Real Salt Lake the second time around. After failing to stick around with Seattle Sounders FC after being drafted by the Cascadia outfit in 2011, Cruz chose to finish up his studies at Southern Methodist University and stay soccer-sharp by playing in matches in the newly-resurrected Reserve League. Those stints included a pair of games in Claret-and-Cobalt last summer, when RSL reaffirmed its pre-draft assessments of Cruz’s skills and kept the Texas native on its radar through January, when it swung a deal with Seattle during the Supplemental Draft to bring the defender on board. After winning a spot on the roster during preseason, Cruz will be expected to form a solid bond with fellow reservist Chris Schuler – with the added benefit of being able to learn from two of the league’s best “middle men” in Jamison Olave and Nat Borchers.

SANDY, UT

HEAD COACH

ALL-TIME RECORD: 58-50-43 (MLS); 73-64-52 (all comps) COLLEGE: Duke ‘94 HOMETOWN: Omaha, NE APPOINTED: May 3, 2007 PRONOUNCIATION: KRYSE LAST SEASON: 15-11-8 (MLS); CCL Finalist; lost in Open Cup Qtrs AS A PLAYER: scored 108 career goals w/ Dallas (1996-2004) & RSL (2005-07)

Real Salt Lake Head Coach Jason Kreis traded in his record-setting boots and captain’s armband on May 3, 2007 to become the organization’s second head coach, overhauling a previously moribund locker room to become just two seasons later the youngest Cupwinning coach in MLS history, guiding RSL to the title in 2009. Under his watch, RSL has also advanced to three of the last four Conference Finals, become the first American side to win a CONCACAF Champions League group and the first U.S. team to advance to the CCL Finals. With back-to-back 15-win MLS seasons in 2010 and 2011, Kreis’ teams have earned points in two out of every three matches they play, as the intense, demanding leader now owns an all-time 73-64-52 mark as a head coach, breaking down as follows: MLS regular-season (58-50-43), CONCACAF Champions League (6-3-3), MLS Cup Playoff (4-4-4), Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2-5-1) and international friendlies (3-2-1).

As proof the RSL Technical Staff is committed to leaving no stone unturned in its search for talent, enter Terukazu Tanaka, an outside back prospect GM Garth Lagerwey spotted during a combine in Tokyo shortly after the end of the 2011 season. The 26-year-old right-sided defender brings five years of professional experience in the Japanese first and second divisions with him across the Pacific, a pedigree he hopes will earn him not only a spot on the RSL roster, but a regular slot in the outside back rotation alongside returning vets Chris Wingert and Tony Beltran.

JEFF CASSAR

ASST. COACH

COLLEGE: Florida International University ‘97 HOMETOWN: Livonia, MI APPOINTED: May 2007 PRONOUNCIATION: cuss-SARR AS A PLAYER: Played 11 seasons as a goalkeeper for Dallas, Miami and New York from 1996-2006 ...

MILES JOSEPH

ASST. COACH

COLLEGE: Clemson ‘98 HOMETOWN: Clifton Park, NY APPOINTED: February, 2010 PRONOUNCIATION: AS A PLAYER: Played in six MLS seasons from 1996-2001 for New York and Dallas, scoring 12 career goals in 125 games ...

At the time of his hire, Mr. Kreis became the youngest active head coach in MLS at 34 years and 127 days of age. Kreis works closely with former Blue Devil and Dallas Burn teammate and current RSL General Manager Garth Lagerwey regarding player acquisitions, scouting, the MLS Draft and all player personnel-related matters. The Kreis-Lagerwey partnership has resulted in the implementation of a culture where players, staff and fans work as one for the RSL shield, epitomizing a “Team is the Star” attitude. Kreis, Lagerwey and the team’s coaching staff – Jeff Cassar, Miles Joseph and C.J. Brown – compose the lone technical staff among MLS’ 18 teams comprised entirely of ex-MLS players. This distinction means that the RSL braintrust now boasts cumulative MLS experience of 74,811 total minutes, covering 923 games and including 128 goals and 22 shutouts (the equivalent of nearly 30 complete seasons of service). The RSL staff has the unparalleled ability to tap into personal experience as it guides, assists and develops RSL players.

C.J. BROWN

ASST. COACH

COLLEGE: Cal-State Hayward ‘96 HOMETOWN: Hayward, CA APPOINTED: January, 2011 PRONOUNCIATION: AS A PLAYER: Won 4 U.S. Open Cups and one MLS Cup during 13-year MLS career with Chicago Fire ... Will be inducted into Chicago’s “Ring of Fire” as part of RSL visit to Toyota Park on May 9 ...

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