Real Salt Lake vs. Houston Dynamo | 2016 MLS Match Preview

REAL SALT LAKE vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO
Rio Tinto Stadium | Sandy, Utah
Saturday, September 17 | Week #28 | MLS Game #290
9:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE, ROOT Sports SW, KMYU)

A key contest in the Western Conference playoff picture kicks off when Real Salt Lake take on the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real return home in fourth place in the conference, sitting six points above the red line, following their 1-0 loss at the Portland Timbers last weekend. The Dynamo sit at the foot of the West table, 12 points behind sixth-place Portland, despite coming back for a dramatic 3-3 draw at Sporting Kansas City last weekend.

• RSL had their three-game undefeated streak put to an end, dropping a 1-0 decision at the Portland Timbers on Saturday evening, their third consecutive defeat away from Rio Tinto Stadium.
• The Dynamo saw their winless run extended to three games but came back for a dramatic point, with Raúl Rodriguez claiming the equalizer deep into stoppage time in their 3-3 draw at Sporting Kansas City on Friday evening.
• The teams are meeting for the third time this season, splitting the first two. Jordan Allen netted a second-half equalizer, then set up Yura Movsisyan for the game-winner for a 2-1 RSL victory April 30 at Rio Tinto Stadium; on May 15, Giles Barnes scored the game’s lone goal for a Dynamo victory in a match delayed a day by weather at BBVA Compass Stadium.
• The Dynamo win in the last meeting snapped a five-game RSL winning streak in the series, dating back to 2013. It also ended a two-game RSL winning streak in Houston – their first wins ever there. They suffered eight defeats and one draw in their first nine road games against the Dynamo. RSL has taken points from their last eight home games vs. Houston, with five victories in that time.

REFEREE: Silviu Petrescu. AR1 (bench): Gianni Facchini; AR2 (opposite): Cameron Blanchard; 4th: Alex Chilowicz
MLS Career: 119 games; FC/gm: 27.6; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 18; pens: 27

SUSPENDED: RSL: Sunday Stephen (through Sept. 18)
WARNINGS: 
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Sunday Stephen
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Aaron Maund, Chris Wingert … HOU: Alex
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD 
ALL-TIME (23 meetings): Real 8 wins, 35 goals … Dynamo 10 wins, 31 goals … Ties 5
AT SALT LAKE (11 meetings): Real 6 wins, 13 goals … Dynamo 1 win, 5 goals … Ties 4

2016 (MLS): 
4/30: RSL 2, HOU 1 (Allen 62; Movsisyan 70 – Miranda 54) 
5/15: HOU 1, RSL 0 (Barnes 65)

• The teams are meeting for the third time this season, splitting the first two. Jordan Allen netted a second-half equalizer, then set up Yura Movsisyan for the game-winner for a 2-1 RSL victory April 30 at Rio Tinto Stadium; on May 15, Giles Barnes scored the game’s lone goal for a Dynamo victory in a match delayed a day by weather at BBVA Compass Stadium.
• The Dynamo win in the last meeting snapped a five-game Real winning streak in the series, dating back to 2013. It also ended a two-game RSL winning streak in Houston – their first wins ever there. They suffered eight defeats and one draw in their first nine road games against the Dynamo. RSL has taken points from their last eight home games vs. Houston, with five victories in that time.
• Coaches record: Jeff Cassar vs. HOU: P5 W4 L1 T0 … Wade Barrett vs. RSL: first game

LAST MEETING (MLS):

• The game, postponed to Sunday afternoon due to inclement weather the day before, finally had its breakthrough in the 65th minute. A punt from Dynamo goalkeeper Joe Willis downfield bounced through a group of players, with Giles Barnes running onto the ball before taking it down and slotting it past RSL 'keeper Jeff Attinella.
• Willis was credited with two saves in keeping the clean sheet for Houston.
• HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-2-3-1): Joe Willis - Sheanon Williams, David Horst, Agus, DaMarcus Beasley - Alex, Ricardo Clark - Andrew Wenger (Leonel Miranda 67), Cristian Maidana, Giles Barnes (Will Bruin 90) - Erick Torres (Boniek Garcia 77).
• REAL SALT LAKE (4-2-1-3): Jeff Attinella - Tony Beltran, Justen Glad, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert (Jordan Allen 75) - John Stertzer (Luke Mulholland 74), Kyle Beckerman - Javier Morales - Juan Manuel Martinez (Olmes Garcia 82), Yura Movsisyan, Joao Plata.