Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
With just three regular season matches to go, Real Salt Lake faces the Los Angeles Galaxy tonight at the Home Depot Center in a matchup with playoff implications for both clubs.
Real Salt Lake enters tonight’s match hot off a 4-0 win over Chivas USA last weekend, a win it earned in the exact same stadium as it will enter tonight. The Galaxy enter tonight’s match coming off a draw with the Colorado Rapids six days ago.
The Claret and Cobalt aims to hold on to its standing in the top three playoff spots before the end of the season as the lower fourth seed will have a longer road to MLS Cup by having to play a wild-card match against the fifth seed.
RSL and the Galaxy sit just two points apart, with RSL in second place in the Western Conference with 52 points and the Galaxy in third place with 50. Both have played 31 games played this season.
This weekend’s matchup is the third meeting of the season between the clubs with each earning bragging rights from one win a piece; each win came in an away game for each club, respectively.
Immediately following tonight’s match, NBC Sports Network will air an MLS 36 episode featuring RSL’s captain and midfielder, Kyle Beckerman.
Earlier this season, NBC Sports Network was in Utah to film the episode where it followed Beckerman around to capture his regular daily routine. The Beckerman episode will be the final episode of the MLS 36 profile series.
Following tonight’s match, RSL will have an 11-day break before returning to MLS action. RSL will travel to Seattle Oct. 17 to face the Sounders in another critical pre-playoff matchup.
The Claret and Cobalt will then return to Rio Tinto on Oct. 23 to play one final Champions League match this season as it hosts the Costa Rican club Herediano and also play its final MLS regular season match as it will host the Vancouver Whitecaps on Oct. 27.
Kira Terry is a sports writer covering Real Salt Lake for KSL.com. Follow her on Twitter, @kiraterry.
