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SANDY — After returning home from beating Chivas USA in California over the weekend, Real Salt Lake learned Tuesday it would host the Atlanta Silverbacks of the NASL on May 28 in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Even better news came Wednesday when RSL learned it could possibly host a second Open Cup match in June.
“I think it’s another sign that things appear to be lining up for us this year to really go after this U.S. Open Cup,” RSL head coach Jason Kreis told ESPN AM 700 during a radio interview Wednesday.
A victory over the Silverbacks next Tuesday in the third round would give RSL the hosting rights to a fourth-round match on June 12, where it would face either fellow MLS side San Jose or the USL's Charleston Battery.
The Earthquakes and the Battery play next Tuesday in Charleston, S.C.
“I feel real positive about this tournament this year than I have in a real long time,” Kreis said.
This season, Kreis sees his deep roster as a positive for Open Cup play and says his club is going after the trophy.
“I feel like we’ve got a deep team, a team that’s very competitive in every training session. I feel like we’ve got guys competing for their jobs every week. I think we’ve got an extremely high number of players that have already contributed and even started in MLS matches this year, so I think that we are well-positioned to try to go about this the right way and go after wining it,” Kreis told ESPN 700.
The Claret and Cobalt fell out of the tournament last season in the third round as it was defeated 3-1 by Minnesota of the NASL. RSL has had success in the tournament in previous seasons, though. In the 2006 and 2011 seasons, the Salt Lake club reached the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
Prior to its U.S. Open Cup match next Tuesday, RSL returns to its home pitch, Rio Tinto Stadium, Saturday night as it opens a four-match MLS homestand by hosting Chicago.
Kira Terry is a sports writer covering Real Salt Lake for KSL.com. Follow her on Twitter, @kiraterry.
