Sporting KC will travel to face Real Salt Lake in a battle of the top teams from each conference on Saturday evening. Sporting KC currently leads the Eastern Conference with 33 points while Real Salt Lake is top of the Western Conference standings with 37 points. Both teams play similar attacking styles and are near the top of the league in average possession and passes per match.
Team News
There are four regular starters who will be missing for Real Salt Lake due to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando, and Tony Beltran are all with the U.S. Men's National Team who will face El Salvador and Alvaro Saborio is with the Costa Rica Men's National Team ahead of their quarterfinal match against Honduras.
Recent Form/Results
Real Salt Lake have the hottest team in Major League Soccer with wins in six of their last eight regular season matches. Their current form has been impressive for a number of reasons as they've been without several key players due to injuries and international committments. RSL's only home loss this season was against the LA Galaxy on April 27. Since that match, Real Salt Lake has won four of their last six home MLS matches with a goal difference of +9.
Key Players
Javier Morales - The Argentine playmaker is a leading candidate for MLS MVP this season with five goals and seven assists
Olmes Garcia - An exciting young player who has five goals in 13 appearances
Nat Borchers - The central defender will need a strong performance with Beckerman, Rimando, and Beltran unavailable
Recent Lineups
<strong>vs Philadelphia Union</strong> |
<b>at FC Dallas</b> |
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