REAL SALT LAKE v COLORADO RAPIDS SATURDAY APRIL 7 2012
7:00PM MT
FIRST OF FIVE “3-GAME WEEKS” IN 2012:
This week’s POR / MTL / COL trio of games marks the first of at least five stanzas this year that sees RSL play 3 games in 8 days, testing depth, travel legs and stamina for the roster ... 3/31 @ POR (3-2 W); 4/4 v MTL (1-0 W); 4/7 v COL 4/21 @ SJ; 4/25 @ DAL; 4/28 v TOR 5/5 v NE; 5/9 @CHI; 5/12 @ SEA 6/16 @ CHV; 6/20 v LA; 6/23 v SJ 6/30 @ CLB; 7/4 v SEA; 7/7 v POR
-> 2-0-0
Should RSL progress through the first 2 Open Cup rounds (May 29 & June 5), the 2012 Lamar Hunt USOC Quarterfinal Rounds would be on Tues, June 26 a 7th game in the 23-day span from June 16 to July 7 ...
THREE-GAME WEEKS PILE UP: In the Jason Kreis era, RSL has played 3 games in a week a total of 18 times (in all competitions), registering a 27-21-17 record … As indicated in RED below, RSL is 5-1-2 when opening a 3-game week on the road, followed by a pair of home tilts … The overall list: 2011:
4/5 @ SAP (1-2 L); 4/9 @ NE (2-0 W); 4/13 v COL (1-0 W) 6/4 v VAN (2-0 W); 6/8 @ CLB (1-2 L); 6/11 @ PHI (1-1 T) 6/18 v DC (1-1 T); 6/22 @ CHI (1-1 T); 6/25 v TOR (3-1 W) 7/4 v NE (3-3 T); 7/9 v DAL (2-0 W); 7/12 @ DAL (0-2 L) 7/30 v CLB (0-2 L); 8/3 @ KC (0-2 L); 8/6 v NY (3-0 W) *9/17 v KC (1-0 W); 9/21 @ NY (3-1 W); 9/24 @DC (1-4 L) *9/28 v CHI (0-3 L); 10/1 @ LA (1-2 L); 10/6 @ VAN (0-3 L) *6 games in 19 days from Sept. 17 – Oct. 6
-> 2-1-0 -> 1-1-1 -> 1-0-2 -> 2-1-0 -> 1-2-0 -> 2-1-0 -> 0-3-0
2010:
4/10 v SEA (2-2 T); 4/14 @ SJ (3-3 T); 4/17 @ LA (1-2 L) -> 0-1-2 5/29 v KC (4-1 W); 6/2 @ DC (1-2 L aet); 6/5 @ DC (0-0 T) -> 1-1-1 8/7 @ KC (1-1 T); 8/11 @ PHI (1-1 T); 8/14 v CLB (2-0 W) -> 1-0-2 9/15 v TOR (4-1 W); 9/18 v CHI (1-0 W); 9/22 @ AUO (3-2 W) -> 3-0-0 9/25 v COL (1-1 T); 9/28 @ TOR (1-1 T); 10/2 @ NE (2-1 W) -> 1-0-2 10/16 vDAL (2-0 W); 10/19 vCAZ (3-1 W); 10/23@ COL (2-2 T) -> 2-0-1
2009:
5/2 @ COL (0-2 L); 5/6 v LA (2-2 T); 5/9 @ CHV (0-1 L) -> 0-2-1 8/23 @ NE (1-3 L); 8/26 v CHV (4-0 W); 8/29 @ KC (1-0 W) -> 2-1-0 10/10 v GUA (1-1 T); 10/14 v NY (2-0 W); 10/17 @ TOR (0-1 L) -> 1-1-1
2008:
4/26 @ DC (1-4 L); 4/30 v SJ (4-0 W); 5/3 @ LA (2-2 T) 5/24 @ DAL (1-2 L); 5/27 @ CLB (0-2 L); 5/31 v SJ (3-1 W) 6/14 @ CHV (1-0 W); 6/18 v SJ (0-0 T); 6/21 v NE (2-1 W)
-> 1-1-1 -> 1-2-0 -> 2-0-1
2007:
4/14 v CLB (0-0 T); 4/18 v KC (2-1 W); 4/21 @ CHV (0-4 L) -> 1-1-1 5/20 @ DAL (1-2 L); 5/23 @ COL (1-2 L); 5/27 @ CHI (0-0 L) -> 0-2-1 7/14 @ KC (0-1 L); 7/21 v EVE (2-0 W); 7/24 v BOC (1-1 T) -> 1-1-1 8/26 @ CHV (0-1 L); 8/29 v KC (3-1 W); 9/01 @ LA (2-1 W) -> 2-1-0 * doesn’t include the 5 games in 15 days in late 2007: 9/8 @ HOU (3-4 L); 9/12 @ DC (1-2 L); 9/15 @ TOR (0-0 T); 9/19 v LA (2-2 T); 9/22 v COL (1-0 W)
-> 1-2-2
RIO TINTO STADIUM SANDY, UT
FANTASTIC FABIAN FOREBODING FINDLEY:
FW Fabian Espindola scored his 28th career regularseason goal on 3/17 v NY, providing the game-winner in the 2-0 home win against the Red Bulls ... That strike leaves Fabi - recipient of a new 4-year contract this offseason - just one goal shy of matching former RSL FW Robbie Findley’s 29 career goals for the club’s alltime lead ... Saborio is not far behind, with 24 career goals in 54 games, nearly half as many all-time games played as Findley (96) and Espindola (99) ... Espindola has increased his goal output each year with RSL, sharing time with Findley, Yura Movsisyan, Paulo Junior and Saborio, primarily ... 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 single-season 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
SABORIO STRIKES BACK:
On Saturday, RSL assumed the early lead when a superb pass by FW Alvaro Saborio freed MF Ned Grabavoy in alone on Timbers GK Troy Perkins, but Grabavoy’s controlling touch was slapped down intentionally by DF Rodney Wallace ... Saborio then buried the resultant PK, making him a perfect 9-for-9 from the spot in an RSL uniform (6-for6 in reg. season games, 3-for-3 in CONCACAF) ... RSL improves to 21-3-5 in games in which Saborio - who has 35 goals in 65 games since arriving in Utah in early 2010 - finds the back of the net ... (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 13-15-14 mark when he plays and does not score, as well as RSL’s 7-3-4 record when Sabo is unavailable …
SCRATCH PORTLAND OFF THE LIST:
Saturday’s dramatic comeback win allowed the team to defeat the Timbers for first time in 3 tries and scratch Portland off list of places the team has never won, which now includes just Philadelphia (2 attempts), Canada (7) and Texas (17) ... RSL travels to Philly (Aug. 24), Vancouver (Aug. 11), Dallas (April 25) and Houston (Sept. 6) later this year ... Since Jason Kreis took over in May, 2007, RSL’s MLS road mark is 17-39-22, with the new team mark of five road wins in 2011 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) …