Real Salt Lake notebook: Injuries continue to plague goalie position

SANDY — For a team that used the same goalie for every minute of all 30 matches last season, Real Salt Lake is sure running into a spell of bad luck with injuries.

Backup keeper Chris Seitz, who filled in for dinged starter Nick Rimando the past three matches, injured his shoulder in the 67th minute of Saturday's match colliding with teammate Jamison Olave on the sequence that led to Kansas City's second goal of the match.

Seitz played the final 23 minutes with the injury but was noticeably favoring the shoulder and never once used his right arm to throw the ball.

Preliminarily it was termed a shoulder contusion, but he was expected to have an MRI this weekend to confirm the extent of the injury.

Fortunately for RSL, Rimando could be ready for next weekend's match at D.C. United. Rimando suffered a deep finger laceration at Colorado a few weeks back, a cut that required four stitches. He had those stitches removed on Saturday, which should clear him to get back into the starting lineup.

Rimando started all 30 matches last year, including six straight to start this season.

With Saturday's loss Seitz is still searching for his first career MLS victory. In six career starts with RSL in three seasons, his record now stands at 0-4-2.

Asked prior to Saturday's match if Seitz did enough during his replacement spell to warrant playing time even when Rimando is healthy, RSL coach Jason Kreis opted to wait until next week to comment on the situation.

That might not be an issue anytime soon following his shoulder injury.

"A little early to say, but when you look at him out there and he can't really raise his right arm I think there's real question marks," said Kreis.

FALLING BEHIND AGAIN: Josh Wolff's goal in the sixth minute Saturday marked the sixth time in eight matches this year Real Salt Lake has surrendered the first goal.

RSL's record in those six matches now stands at 1-5-0, with the lone victory coming after giving up the first goal to D.C. United in a 2-1 victory back on April 11.

Dating back to the final three games of the regular season last year and the playoffs, RSL has now trailed 1-0 in 11 of its past 15 matches.

Leaguewide, the combined record among teams that give up the first goal now stands at 5-37-23, including Saturday's night's six MLS matches.

A RARE SETBACK: Prior to Saturday night, Real Salt Lake had enjoyed an impressive 5-0-3 record at home after returning home from a shutout loss on the road. Kansas City ended that streak emphatically on Saturday.

E-mail: jedward@desnews.com