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It’s just about time for another trip to Rio Tinto Stadium as Sounders FC gets set to face Real Salt Lake on the road at 6 p.m. Saturday.
The stadium has hosted some wild games in the series.
Here’s a look:
8/8/2009 Real Salt Lake 1, Sounders FC 0
4/10/2010 Real Salt Lake 2, Sounders FC 2 (Saborio equalizer in stoppage time)
5/28/2011 Real Salt Lake 1, Sounders FC 2 (breaks RSL’s 29-game home unbeaten streak)
10/29/2011 Real Salt Lake 3, Sounders FC 0 (Western Conference semifinals)
7/4/2012 Real Salt Lake 0, Sounders FC 0
11/8/2012 Real Salt Lake 0, Sounders FC 1 (clinches Seattle’s first playoff series win)
3/30/2013 TBD
Seattle is actually unbeaten at Rio Tinto in three-straight regular games, a feat no other MLS team has ever accomplished. The Sounders also clinched of the great accomplishments in team history there: winning their first playoff series.
In 2011, of course, there was one of the worst results Seattle has ever suffered.
So how does the stadium feel as a venue to coach Sigi Schmid?
“I think we had one big defeat there, and obviously we paid for price for that one,” he said, “but I remember more the other side of it. I remember us stopping their streak and getting some good results — winning the game against the run of play when Lamar (Neagle) scored the goal at the far post on (goalkeeper Nick) Rimando. There are also some good memories. Again, we feel we’re a good road team. We felt like we were in the game all last week. We just need to get a result to get our confidence, or to substantiate our confidence, and then go from there.”