Real Salt Lake back in action Friday at Seattle in huge MLS matchup


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SANDY — Following a bit of a break, Real Salt Lake returns to action Friday night on the road to face Major Leagues Soccer Western Conference rival the Seattle Sounders in a match that’s being called the game of the year.

What’s on the line between the two sides? The first place slot in the Western Conference for another week and above the red line in the race for this season’s Supporter’s Shield.

“It’s a big one,” RSL head coach Jason Kreis told ESPN 700 on Tuesday. “There has been a lot of big ones and I think there’s going to continue to be a lot of big ones for us this season. I don’t want to overplay it; it’s another game for us, we want to stay on top of the Supporter’s Shield race against the team that’s right behind us. Looking forward to it, for sure.”

For a number of weeks, the Salt Lake side has sat comfortably at the top of the MLS West and in the race for the Supporter’s Shield, but Seattle has crept up slowly on its current hot winning streak.

It’s something Kreis attributes to the Seattle club acquiring forward Clint Dempsey, which took place Aug. 3. Following that acquisition, Seattle, which currently sits in the second slot in the West with a 14-8-4 record and 46 points, enters the match on a four-game winning streak and has won six out of its last seven matches.

“I think they’ve gained a lot of positive momentum since the Dempsey acquisition,” said Kreis. “I think that it’s a team that’s just finding ways to win and a lot of that goes with a little bit of positivity and a little bit of confidence from such a big name signing. I think all the guys around (Dempsey) feel like they are in a much better place and just a lot of positivity surrounding their group. A team that’s been finding ways to win in multiple ways — they’ve won games in really creative attacking ways and they’ve won games by playing a little ugly and getting the job done.”

Aside from sitting atop the West with a 14-8-6 record and 48 points on the season, the Salt Lake side enters the match on a two-game win streak and unbeaten in its last three matches. RSL also enters the match rested and recharged off nearly a two-week break.

Something Kreis says was much welcomed for his roster.

“We had several guys that were carrying slight injuries that were really just playing through them and now they’ve had a chance to get a full week break — kind of walk away from training and get their bodies right and their minds right,” said Kreis.

RSL will, however, be without its leading scorer, forward Alvaro Saborio, who returned from international duty with Costa Rica early this week with a calf injury sustained following Costa Rica’s World Cup qualifier last week.

“(Saborio) got the injury the next morning in training and it wasn’t quite right, wasn’t quite feeling great about it so we got him home (Monday) on a flight from Costa Rica, had a look at him today and it looks like he’s pretty questionable for (Friday),” said Kreis. “They’re thinking that he’s got a real good chance to be back for San Jose, but I think that’s even in question as well so it’s looking like a one to two-week injury.”

RSL also has international duty players, midfielder Kyle Beckerman and goalkeeper Nick Rimando, back following the U.S. Soccer Men’s National team World Cup qualifiers this month. Seattle also has two players back who returned from duty with the USMNT, Dempsey and forward Eddie Johnson.

Following Friday night’s match, the Salt Lake club will return home to host Western Conference opponent the San Jose Earthquakes on Sept. 21 inside its fortress, Rio Tinto Stadium. Kira Terry is a sports writer covering Real Salt Lake for KSL.com. Follow her on Twitter @kiraterry.

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