HERRIMAN, Utah (Tuesday, May 9, 2023) – Real Salt Lake (3-5-2, 11 pts, MLS 11th West) continues its 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup journey Wednesday night, one of 24 Major League Soccer sides to have advanced to the Round of 32 in the 109-year old tourney. Unbeaten in five of its last six contests across all competitions, RSL now travels to Providence Park in Portland, Ore., to face fellow MLS rival Timbers with an 8:00 p.m. MT kickoff.
Two weeks ago, RSL won its first-ever Open Cup road match in 11 all-time attempts, needing 120 minutes to defeat the USL Championship Las Vegas Lights, 3-1, in a game that featured an extra-time brace from Captain Damir Kreilach – his first goal snapping a 431-minute scoring drought in the competition dating back to 2017. RSL also rode exquisite play to victory from Vegas natives Danny Musovski and Gavin Beavers, gutsy 120-minute performances from Emeka Eneli, Braian Ojeda and Maikel Chang, with flashes of brilliance from Andrés Gómez, Bertin Jacquesson and Diego Luna, among others.
Wednesday’s contest is the fifth of what could be a 14-game, 48-day stretch that sees Real Salt Lake manage multiple competitions, with several potential Open Cup and MLS three-game weeks on the horizon. In order to do so, however, RSL will have to capitalize on the momentum of the Vegas win two weeks ago, which snapped a seven-game overall winless streak in the U.S. Open Cup dating back to 2015, and an all-time 10-game winless streak on the road in Open Cup play.
