Article author:
Reuters
Real Salt Lake is trying to expand its homefield dominance on Saturday against the Columbus Crew team, which is trying to hold up until next month's arrival of a potential maker.
RSL (8-4-4, 28 points) has won four straight wins in Sandy, Utah and is currently 6-0-1, not losing at home throughout the season.
"I think the reason we did well at home is because we got the right to do well at home," said RSL director Pablo Mastroeni. "We cut off the tail. We play some good stuff, everyone is committed to both sides of the ball."
Crew (4) -5-5, 17 points) drew Charlotte FC 1-1 on June 18th and did not injure starters Jonathan Mensah, Artur, Pedro Santos and Lucas Serrarayan.
Mencer (head) is expected to play while Artur (legs) are not out. Serrarayan (thigh) — the highest scorer in the 4-goal crew — may be available off the bench, but Santos (thigh) is unlikely to play. Second-place scorers Derrick Etienne Jr. (3 goals) and Erik Hurtado have also been added to the suspicious list for leg and foot injuries, respectively.
"It's definitely a difficult stretch, especially if you're injured," said crew coach Caleb Porter. "But when I look at the last match, I'm disappointed with the draw, but the results continue to come out."
Losing Hurtado will be a blow. Since the national team's forward gascisor death was traded to Colorado in April, Hartad has responded to the increase in fractions by scoring three goals in five games, including goals from the last two games.
Still, the crew has suffered a 2-5-4 mark in the last 11 games, and the stretch has been shut out six times, so goal scoring remains a problem.
To that end, they signed the 23-year-old Colombian Camilo "Cucho" Hernandez with a transfer of over $ 10 million from the recently commissioned British club Watford on June 20th.
The earliest he was able to make his debut in Chicago on July 9th.
"We need a guy on the team who can lift us, and he can be a guy," said crew goalkeeper Eloy Room.
— Field-level media
