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SANDY — Real Salt Lake kicks off its three-game home stint Saturday as it hosts Major League Soccer Western Conference opponent Chivas USA at Rio Tinto Stadium.
“It’s going to be huge, we’re pumped to be back at home,” RSL defender Chris Wingert told ESPN 700 during a Thursday radio interview. “Five of the first seven on the road is a tough way to start off the season. I think we’ve done a decent job, a little unfortunate not to get all three points this past weekend, but we’re really looking forward to three in a row at home.”
The Claret and Cobalt return to Rio Tinto off a two-game road stint that took the Salt Lake club to face the Colorado Rapids and the Vancouver Whitecaps, which yielded a single point for RSL, putting them at eight points on the season in seven matches.
Chivas USA enters the match on Saturday on a bit of a hot streak compared to previous seasons with a record of 3-2-1. The past three seasons Chivas USA has been near the bottom of the MLS Western Conference with 9th place finishes in 2012 (7-18-9) and 2010 (8-18-4), and 8th place in 2011 (8-14-12).
The 2005 expansion team, which is playing under first-year coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola, has won two of its last three MLS matches. Its single loss in the last three MLS matches came last week against the Colorado Rapids 0-1 at home.
“You have a group of players who have really bought into the coach's philosophy, is working extremely hard and it’s always been my feeling — continues to be my feeling — that if a team wants it badly enough in our league, they’re going to get results,” RSL head coach Jason Kreis told ESPN 700 earlier this week.
The match Saturday will be the Salt Lake club’s third home match this season. RSL is 1-0-1at home thus far this season.
Kreis will have many more players to choose from for the Saturday match as the RSL injury list is beginning to thin a bit from the lengthy list that has shortened the active roster the past couple weeks.
For Saturday, only one player is out and three are questionable. RSL midfielder Cole Grossman (concussion) is the only player listed as out, while team captain and midfielder Kyle Beckerman (rib dislocation), midfielder Sebastian Velasquez (right hand fracture) and forward Robbie Findley (left adductor strain) are listed as questionable.
Following Saturday’s match with Chivas, the RSL will return to Rio Tinto the following weekend to host the Los Angeles Galaxy April 27, facing off with the L.A. based club for the first time this season. RSL will host the Whitecaps May 4 for its final match in the three-game home stand.
Kira Terry is a sports writer covering Real Salt Lake for KSL.com. Follow her on Twitter, @kiraterry.
