NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Weekly Update

September 15, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


Real Salt Lake Looks to Gain Ground on First-Place Houston Dynamo Saturday

Real Salt Lake (9-9-7, 34 pts.) will face a steep challenge in its attempt to continue a three-game undefeated streak this Saturday, Sept. 19, when the Utah side will spend the first of two straight weekends in The Lone Star State, this time to take on the Western Conference-leading Houston Dynamo (11-8-7, 40 pts.). Kickoff from Robertson Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston is slated for 6:30 p.m. MT, with broadcast coverage on KUTV 2.2 Digital / Comcast 111 beginning a half hour earlier with the America First Credit Union Pre-Match Report. Fans can also follow the action live via RSL's official radio partners - KALL 700 Sports and "Ke Buena" 1600-AM.

Saturday's contest will end the 2009 series between the Western foes, the 0-0-2 mark between the teams this season bringing RSL's overall tally against the Dynamo to 2-5-4. Those two draws included a 1-1 stalemate at Robertson Stadium on June 20, a contest from which RSL nearly took the full three points on the strength of an early Fabian Espíndola tally, which was countered just one minute from time by Dynamo striker Brian Ching. That draw marked the first-ever point earned by Real Salt Lake in Houston, stopping a streak of four consecutive losses at Robertson Stadium. The squads also dueled to a scoreless tie one month ago at Rio Tinto Stadium back on August 15, a game in which Real Salt Lake outshot the visitors 16-3 and held the Dynamo without a shot on goal.

DF Jamison Olave's Spectacular Volley Up for MLS Goal of the Week Honor

Real Salt Lake's Jamison Olave re-opened his scoring account at Rio Tinto Stadium in spectacular fashion Saturday night, resulting in the towering Colombian being among seven nominees for the MLS Goal of the Week award. The hulking defender showed a striker's touch in the 72nd minute against Chicago, as he calmly picked MF Andy Williams' 50-yard lob out of the air with a sweeping right-footed volley that stunned Fire netminder Jon Busch, providing the final goal in the exciting 1-1 draw. To vote for Olave's superb strike, head on over to MLSnet.com by noon on Wednesday and click on the Goal of the Week link.

GK Nick Rimando's Late-Game Stop up for MLS Save of the Week Award

Another Real Salt Lake player is up for an MLS weekly honor, as GK Nick Rimando's late-game stop has been chosen as one of six nominees for the MLS Save of the Week. The 10-year veteran netminder helped keep the 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire even last Saturday night in the 90th minute, when he dove low to his left to stop a blast from the top of the box by Fire MF Peter Lowery. To vote for Rimando, visit MLSnet.com and click on the "Save of the Week" tab before the polls close Thursday at noon.

Mexico's Chivas de Guadalajara Visits Rio Tinto Stadium for October 7 Friendly v. RSL

Nearly three weeks remain until legendary Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara makes its first-ever visit to Utah to square off in an international friendly against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 7 (7:00 p.m. MT kickoff). The match will be RSL's second against international competition at its new Sandy home, following on the heels of a 1-0 victory over another Mexican giant, Club América, back on July 11, a result brought the Utah side's career record in friendlies to 6-4-2

All Real Salt Lake season ticket holders have first right of refusal for their current seats and will enjoy special, deeply-discounted pricing for the contest against Chivas de Guadalajara. All existing RSL season ticket holders will also have the ability to purchase additional tickets at a special discounted rate. For more information, please call the season ticket holder hotline at (801) 727.2702.

Advance sale ticket prices for the international friendly begin at $20, with group and season ticket holder purchase discounts available in every section of Rio Tinto Stadium. Prices start at just $20 for Upper Deck seats and those in the North and South Goals, $25 in the Corner Flag sections, $30 on the Lower Sidelines and $60 in the Front Row and Midfield areas. Advance purchase is encouraged, as day of game prices will increase $10 per ticket, regardless of location, for all seats purchased on Wednesday, October 7. For more information, please visit www.RealSaltLake.com or www.RioTintoStadium.com.

New Ticket Packages Available for RSL's Stretch Run at Rio Tinto Stadium

Only three home games remain on Real Salt Lake's 2009 schedule at Rio Tinto Stadium - the Oct. 7 friendly against Chivas de Guadalajara, the New York Red Bulls' visit on Oct. 14, and the Rocky Mountain Cup season finale v. Colorado on Oct. 24, presented by XanGo - so now's the time to secure your seats for the team's stretch run in Sandy! The Real Salt Lake Ticketing Department has plenty of options to choose from to make sure you have the best seats in the house, including the eight-voucher Flex Pack (starting at $128), single-game Family 4-Packs ($88), KFC Colonel's Corner vouchers ($15) and single-game tickets ($18-$60). To order any of these outstanding ticket deals, or to find out more information on a specific package, please call 800-838-3380, go online to www.RioTintoStadium.com, or visit the Rio Tinto Stadium Box Office in person during regular business hours, Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

In addition, two more multi-game options - the "Chivas-Plus Pack" and "OctoberFest Pack" - have been introduced to get fans ready for the final month of the campaign. These following ticket packs can only be purchased by calling the Real Salt Lake Ticketing Department at 801-727-2700 and will not be available online or in person at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office:

Chivas-Plus Pack: Offers convenience and flexibility, with the package including a seat to the Oct. 7 friendly against Chivas de Guadalajara, an exclusive pass to a Chivas training session during their Utah visit (time/date/location TBD), and a ticket to either of RSL's two remaining MLS regular season contests, all for $35 (North Goal) or $55 (Sideline).

OctoberFest Pack: Grants access to all three of Real Salt Lake's remaining Rio Tinto Stadium tilts against Chivas de Guadalajara, New York & Colorado. The OctoberFest Pack can be purchased for just $33 for seats in the North Goal, South Goal and Corners sections, providing a $21 savings in the goal sections and a $42 savings for the corner areas.

2010 Real Salt Lake Season Ticket Packages Now Available

Real Salt Lake has unveiled its 2010 Season Ticket Package, and whether you need to renew or add additional seats, or are looking to purchase season tickets for the first time, Real Salt Lake has what you are looking for. Prices for 2010 RSL Season Tickets will offer at least a 20% discount over day-of-game pricing in all general seating areas, with packages starting as low as $275! The 2010 RSL Season Ticket Package will include tickets to 15 MLS regular season contests and five (5) ticket vouchers for designated international exhibition and other cup competitions in addition to numerous additional benefits, including 25% off all items at the RSL Team Store, special rates on parking, an invitation to the annual "Meet the Team" event, and much more.

Current RSL Season Ticket Holders have until Saturday, Oct. 24 to renew their current seats and can do so by calling the RSL Season Ticket Holder Hotline at 801-727-2702, while those looking to purchase new Season Ticket packages can call 801-727-2700 to lock in their seats for RSL's sixth season. To see the full range of 2010 Season Ticket package options and benefits, click here or visit www.RioTintoStadium.com.

RSL Team Store Gives Discounted Fleece Warm-up Pants a Chance as "Item of the Week" Special

Fall is fast approaching, and the Real Salt Lake Team Store at Rio Tinto Stadium wants to get you ready for the impending cooler temperatures by putting the RSL/adidas fleece warm-up pants on sale for $30 as the "Item of the Week" special through this Saturday. In addition, the RSL Team Store's "Real Hours" from 4:00-6:00 p.m. this Friday will feature a 40% discount on the RSL Waste Basket, available for just $12 during the end-of-the-week sale opportunity.

To get a good look at this week's special items, make sure to check RSL's Behind the Shield blog, located at www.RSLtothecore.com. To take advantage of the store's weekly deals and to see the full range of officially licensed RSL gear, drop by the RSL Team Store during regular business hours: Monday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. MT. For more information on the Real Salt Lake Team Store - including the $10 shipping offer, phone orders, autographed and personalized merchandise, and how you can get 25% off all your purchases - call the RSL Merchandise Hotline at 801-727-2888.

"RSL on the Air": Rocky Mountain Chevy Dealers RSL Coach's Corner Heads to Larry H. Miller Chevrolet Tonight

Tonight's edition of the Rocky Mountain Chevy Dealers RSL Coach's Corner on KALL 700 Sports will roll into Larry H. Miller Chevrolet, located at 5650 S. State Street in Murray, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. MT, when RSL sideline boss Jason Kreis will join hosts Bill Riley and Spencer Checketts for the weekly hour on all things Claret-and-Cobalt. As always, RSL fans are invited to join the trio in person to ask their questions and voice their opinions, while those that can't make it are still encouraged to take part in the show by calling 877-353-0700 or texting 29909. Also, make sure to plan ahead for upcoming Rocky Mountain Chevy Dealers Coach's Corner shows at Young Chevrolet Company in Murray (Sept. 22), Murdock Chevrolet in Woods Cross (Sept. 29), and Gus Paulos Chevrolet, Inc. in West Valley City (Oct. 6)

Real Salt Lake In the Community: RSL and Rio Tinto to Host Three Free Youth Soccer Clinics Starting Next Week

Real Salt Lake is partnering with Rio Tinto to host a trio of free youth soccer clinics for children ages 5-17, each of which will feature a handful of Real Salt Lake players joining RSL Youth Camps staffers to tackle coaching duties. The series of clinics - which will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. MT - will kick off next Monday, Sept. 21, at Centennial Park from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in West Valley City and will continue two days later on Wednesday Sept. 23, at Cyprus High School (re-scheduled from Sept. 14), before concluding at Daybreak Elementary School in South Jordan on Monday, Sept. 28.

Registration for each RSL/Rio Tinto youth soccer clinic is open to the public and will be available on-site at the three locations. For more information on this series of free clinics, including how to pre-register for the events, please contact Rachel King in RSL Sponsorship Department at rking@realsaltlake.com or 801-727-2792.

RSL/Rio Tinto Free Youth Soccer Clinics (players subject to change)

Monday, Sept. 21: Centennial Park - 5415 W. 3100 South in West Valley City

- MF Kyle Beckerman, DF Nat Borchers, MF Ned Grabavoy, MF Will Johnson, DF Robbie Russell & DF Chris Wingert

Wednesday, Sept. 23: Cyprus High School - 8623 W. 3000 South in Magna (rescheduled from Sept. 14)

- MF Jean Alexandre, DF Tony Beltran, MF Raphael Cox, M/F Rachid El Khalifi & GK Chris Seitz

Monday, Sept. 28: Daybreak Elementary School - 4544 Harvest Moon Drive in South Jordan (Players subject to change)

- FW Pablo Campos, FW Fabian Espíndola, M/F Nelson González, MF Javier Morales & GK Kyle Reynish

Real Salt Lake Helps Cricket Spread the Word on "Practicing Safe Text"

Real Salt Lake players and coaches joined Cricket in promoting its "Practice Safe Text" campaign on Tuesday morning by autographing a mobile billboard that will gather 10,000 signatures as it makes its way across the State of Utah in upcoming weeks. Cricket launched the statewide "Practice Safe Text" public safety campaign to inform Utahns about the dangers of texting while driving and to spread the word about the recently-passed bill HB 290, which makes it against Utah law to text while driving. To find out more details on the "Practice Safe Text" campaign and statistics on the dangers of texting while driving, please visit http://www.mycricket.com/practicesafetext.

Rio Tinto Stadium Calendar: Women's Soccer Fills RSL's Void in Stadium Schedule

While Real Salt Lake might not entertain at its Rio Tinto Stadium home until it welcomes Chivas de Guadalajara on Oct. 7, that doesn't mean that the Sandy venue will be void of soccer until then. In fact, it will be the ladies' turn to take to the Rio Tinto Stadium field beginning this weekend, when the varsity and junior varsity teams from Judge Memorial and Riverton High Schools will square off this Saturday, Sept. 19, with the doubleheader free of charge and open to the public (JV kickoff at 10:00 a.m., Varsity to follow at 12:00 noon). The women's soccer action continues next Thursday, Sept. 24, at the collegiate level, when the nationally-ranked University of Utah Utes (5-3-0) will welcome the Utah State University Aggies (4-2-1) to Sandy for a 7:00 p.m. MT kickoff. Tickets for that contest cost $10 for club seating areas and $5 for general seating areas, while children 17-and-under wearing any soccer jersey to the contest will be allowed free admittance with a paid adult ticket. For more information on Utah's newest state-of-the art sports and entertainment venue, including a full listing of events and information on purchasing tickets, please visit www.RioTintoStadium.com.

Follow Real Salt Lake on Your Favorite Social Networking Sites!

Now you can connect with Real Salt Lake through Twitter, Facebook and TXTwire text messaging to get all the behind-the-scenes news and insider scoop on your favorite MLS side. Real Salt Lake is continuing its live, in-game messaging with GM Garth Lagerwey, who continues to provide his entertaining and insightful thoughts to the masses via Twitter and Facebook during the squad's contests. To follow along with future guest Tweeters and receive exclusive scoops, specials, and promotions on Twitter, Facebook and TXTwire, click on the following links to sign up:

Official Real Salt Lake Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/realsaltlake

Click here for the Official Real Salt Lake Facebook page

Real Salt Lake TXTwire sign-up page: http://www.riotintostadium.com/mobile_alerts.php

Check out the Real Salt Lake Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from September 15, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central