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SANDY — The Claret and Cobalt return to Champions League action Tuesday night in Panama as they face Tauro FC for the second time.
The first meeting between the two clubs came exactly four weeks ago as the Salt Lake side hosted the Panamanian club at Rio Tinto Stadium. It was a match-up that ended in a 2-0 victory for RSL and the Claret and Cobalt getting a taste of what they’ll face again Tuesday night.
RSL captain and midfielder Kyle Beckerman won’t see the pitch Tuesday, nor did he make the trip to Panama due to a red card ejection during the club's last meeting.
Although Beckerman won’t make an appearance, according to RSL communications, RSL defender Jamison Olave is likely to return to the pitch after a lengthy injury recovery.
Olave hasn’t seen the pitch since suffering an injury when RSL faced Heradiano in Costa Rica on July 31.
The Salt Lake club is coming off a lengthy break after a loss to Major League Soccer opponent the Houston Dynamo on Sept. 6 in Texas.
Tuesday’s match in Panama is the second trip there in club history. The first was when the club chased the CONCACAF Champions League back in 2010 and traveled to Panama to face the Arabe Unido club. It was a meeting that was victorious with a 3-2 win.
With a 1-0-0 record in the Central American country, RSL will look for a victory in the match-up to help the club toward its goal of winning the Group 2 stage of the 2012-13 Champions League.
Following Tuesday’s CONCACAF match-up, Champions League action will also return to Rio Tinto for one final match this season, Oct. 23, as the Claret and Cobalt host Herediano in a second meeting this year.
RSL will have a quick turnaround following Tuesday night's Champions League match as it returns to Rio Tinto Saturday night to host the Portland Timbers in the second to last home match in the MLS regular season.
Kira Terry is a sports writer covering Real Salt Lake for KSL.com. Follow her on Twitter, @kiraterry.
