The Sports Inquirer

Report from Atlanta Silverbacks’ media relations staff:

In what is being billed as one of the biggest home games in franchise history, the Atlanta Silverbacks host Major League Soccer (MLS) side Real Salt Lake in the fourth round of the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.

The two teams met in last year’s Cup, with Real Salt Lake winning a 3-2 overtime thriller at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The Claret and Cobalt advanced all the way to the 2013 Cup final, where they fell to DC United, 1-0.

Real Salt Lake comes to Atlanta on a bit of a cold streak in MLS play. After opening the season with an impressive 12-game unbeaten streak, head coach Jeff Cassar’s team has only picked up one point in its last three games and has been outscored 8-2 by their opposition. The club’s most recent result was a 3-1 home loss to the Portland Timbers on Saturday. The visitors will also be without several key players on Saturday, as goalkeeper Nick Rimando (USA), midfielder Kyle Beckerman (USA), and forward Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica) are in Brazil with their respective national teams for the FIFA World Cup.

For the Silverbacks, they will look to get some revenge after last year’s 3-2 loss to Real Salt Lake in the Cup. Only six Silverbacks players that were named in the 18 at Rio Tinto Stadium last year remained with the club in 2014, making Wynalda’s side a bit of a mystery for Real Salt Lake. Midfielder Pablo Cruz, who just scored his first goal of the season last Saturday against Indy Eleven, found the net in last year’s Cup loss, adding to an earlier tally by forward Kellen Gulley.

The visitors will need to keep an eye on Silverbacks forward Jaime Chavez, whose two goals last Saturday moved him into a tie for the league lead in goals scored with five.

The winner of Saturday night’s game will await the winner of the Colorado Rapids (MLS)-Orlando City SC (USL Pro) matchup, which will be played on June 17 in Commerce City, Colorado. Should the Silverbacks pull the upset over Real Salt Lake, they will be traveling in the fifth round to either Colorado or Orlando.