The Seattle Sounders are visiting Real Salt Lake in Week 2 of the MLS season on Saturday. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 3 p.m. PT at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on FOX 13+ and Prime Video.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on iHeart Radio and El Rey 1360AM.
OPENING WEEKEND RESULTS: The Sounders fell 1-0 at home to Nashville SC, while Real Salt Lake played to a scoreless draw with the Houston Dynamo in Texas.
PLAYOFF REMATCH: The Sounders and RSL meet early in 2022 after squaring off in Round One of the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs. Salt Lake defeated the Sounders in penalty kicks after finishing regulation and extra time scoreless.
TOUGH PLACE TO PLAY: The Sounders have struggled at Rio Tinto Stadium over the past decade. Seattle hasn’t won away at RSL since November 2012 in the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals.
RUSNÁK RETURNS: Much like Sounders Assistant Coach Freddy Juarez last year, another former RSL mainstay will head back to Utah for the first time as a member of the opposition. The Sounders acquired Albert Rusnák via free agency in the offseason after the Slovakian international recorded 41 goals and 39 assists in 140 MLS appearances in five seasons with the Claret and Cobalt.
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Come watch the Rave Green take on Liga MX powerhouse Club León in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals tonight!
RUIDÍAZ OUT: Sounders forward Raúl Ruidíaz missed the MLS season opener last weekend with right hamstring pain, and Head Coach Brian Schmetzer ruled out his talisman again for Saturday. Ruidíaz scored 17 goals last season en route to his second consecutive MLS Best XI selection.
BRUIN BACK: While Ruidíaz is out, forward Will Bruin returns after missing the opening two Concacaf Champions League matches and last weekend against Nashville with a right calf strain. Schmetzer said that the longtime MLS veteran would be available for selection on Saturday.
STRIKER SERGIO: Real Salt Lake landed big Venezuelan forward Sergio Córdova on loan from Germany’s FC Augsburg this past offseason. The 24-year-old had nine goals in 98 Bundesliga appearances for both Augsburg and Arminia Bielefeld and also has 15 caps for the Venezuelan national team. He made his MLS debut as a second-half substitute last weekend.
March to the 50th
This is your club. As we approach 50 years of the Seattle Sounders, help us shape what the future looks like.
WATCH FOR KREILACH: RSL is led by attacker Damir Kreilach, who is now in his fifth season in Utah and has taken over the captain’s armband. The 32-year-old Croatian had his best season yet last year, tallying 16 goals and nine assists in nearly 2,900 minutes.
INJURY CONCERNS: Forward Rubio Rubin, who scored eight goals and added five assists last year in his first season in MLS, is out while still recovering from offseason surgery. Starting goalkeeper David Ochoa started 25 matches in 2021 but he missed the season opener last weekend after landing awkwardly in RSL’s final preseason match. His status is questionable for Saturday, with veteran Zac MacMath in waiting.
