The surprising connections between Burnley and their final US opponents

Burnley sign off their US tour tonight with a third and final friendly against Real Salt Lake - a side they have a surprising number of connections with.

New boss Nicky Hayen will take to the dugout for the first time, having opted to take a watching brief for the two games against FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew.

The Clarets began their Stateside trip with a 3-1 defeat to Cincinnati, in which Burnley performed well for the opening 45 minutes before making wholesale changes, including a raft of youngsters.

Oluwaseun Adewumi then struck a late equaliser to secure Burnley a 1-1 draw against Columbus on Sunday, as first-team coach Mike Jackson took charge for a second straight encounter.

Burnley’s final game of their US tour comes tonight, or more precise, in the early hours of Thursday morning as they travel to Utah to face Real Salt Lake at 2.30am UK time.

What do we know about Real Salt Lake?

Unlike Burnley’s previous two opponents, who play in the Eastern Conference, tonight’s opponents feature in the Western iteration.

Managed by Argentine Pablo Mastroeni, ‘RSL’ - as they’re known - sit third in their 15-team league, six points adrift of leaders Vancouver Whitecaps.

They have some strong links with the Clarets, having been founded by Burnley director Dave Checketts back in 2004.

Alan Pace, meanwhile, briefly served as the club’s president from May 2007 to April 2008.

Furthermore, Kealia Watt, former soccer player and wife of Burnley minority shareholder JJ, is a native of Draper, Utah, which is just six miles away from the America First Field, the location of tonight’s game.

Burnley will be the first English side to visit Real Salt Lake since Manchester United’s trip in 2017 and only the third overall, after Everton visited on two previous occasions.

Team news

The Clarets are expected to name a stronger side for tonight’s game, as suggested by defender Joe Worrall during his post-match interview after the Columbus game.

This suggests there will be fewer changes and perhaps less game time for some of the youngsters that have featured in the opening two friendlies.

A handful of first-team players were given 60-minute cameos on Sunday, rather than the usual 45, and we may see that approach deployed once again as the players continue to increase their game time ahead of the new season.

One player who won’t feature is Lesley Ugochukwu, who is closing in on a move to Galatasaray having already been captured landing in Istanbul.

Maxime Esteve has also played no part in Burnley’s pre-season tour amid an imminent departure to RB Leipzig.

Zian Flemming, another player that could leave this summer following Burnley’s relegation, hasn’t been involved either.

Hjalmar Ekdal, Shurandy Sambo, Hannibal, Zeki Amdouni and Lyle Foster have all been given extra time off following their involvement at the World Cup.

Axel Tuanzebe, who also starred for DR Congo at this summer’s tournament, is now officially a free agent - just like Ashley Barnes - after coming to the end of his contract.

Jordan Beyer and Josh Cullen remain injured.

Predicted XI: Weiss, Roberts, Walker, Humphreys, Pires, Florentino, Laurent, Edwards, Tresor, Banel, Hountondji