The Basics
Real Salt Lake (No. 2 seed in Western Conference) vs. FC Dallas (No. 3 seed in West) at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
FC Dallas boast an all-time 12-6-1 advantage over their West opponents, and lead the aggregate Western Conference semifinal series 2-1 after Jeff Cunningham and Eric Avila helped overcome an early Fabian Espindola strike. FC Dallas have lost all three previous encounters at Rio Tinto Stadium.
TV Info
10 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel
Game Intro
Both teams enter this match in a do-or-die situation. For Real Salt Lake, they must overcome the one goal FC Dallas advantage in order to advance. Meanwhile, FC Dallas will be looking to maintain their advantage with at least a draw in this match.
Both clubs are known for their attacking styles and a consistently high level of play throughout the season. In each of their three meetings this season, the home team won. RSL will be looking to maintain that trend while Dallas will look to break it.
The winner of the series will either travel to the Los Angeles Galaxy or host the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference championship game.
Real Salt Lake
RSL will be without playmaker Javier Morales, who was ejected in the first leg after picking up two yellow cards. Andy Williams will likely be tasked with replacing Morales' creativity. Meanwhile, Will Johnson should get the start after playing a reserve role in the previous match.
The status of team leading scorer Alvaro Saborio is in question as he nurses a lingering knee injury aggravated in the first leg.
As they chase the game, Real Salt Lake will need to handle the mounting pressure they'll likely face as the game progresses. However, head coach Jason Kreis is confident they his players can use the deficit to their advantage.
“I think that our team is at their absolute best when their backs are firmly against the wall," he said, "and now that’s exactly where we are."
FC Dallas
The Hoops got the result they wanted in the opener, grabbing the 2-1 goal advantage as they head into Rio Tinto Stadium. This gives them the luxury of either continuing to play attacking soccer, as they did in Frisco, or playing it safe with a defensive mindset.
All signs point to to the former as head coach Schellas Hyndman said he would like to see his side "replicate its game" in Utah.
“The way we played in the second half [in Frisco], we’d like to do that again,” he said.
They will attempt to do so without Atiba Harris, who picked up a red card in the first leg of this series. Harris made a strong impact on the game at Pizza Hut Park, helping the team pressure the RSL back four.
Heroes and Villains
RSL midfield vs. FCD midfield: Real Salt Lake are widely regarded to have the top midfield in the league. Though their counterparts may have received slightly less recognition, they're similar in quality. One could argue that last week’s game was decided largely in the midfield, and it's likely that will be the case on Saturday. Real Salt Lake will miss their playmaker Morales, but they have demonstrated the ability to dominate possession regardless of who lines up. Whichever team wins the battle in the middle could find itself moving on to the next round.
Stat that makes you go, “Hmm ..."
In 11 matches, neither of these teams have managed even a point on each other’s current home turf, although Dallas did have three wins in Utah before the opening of Rio Tinto Stadium.
