Real Salt Lake Draws Costa Rican Side Herediano for Tuesday February 18 Kickoff of 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup

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Real Salt Lake Draws Costa Rican Side Herediano for Tuesday February 18 Kickoff of 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup

December 10, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah - Real Salt Lake (16-7-11, 59 points, 3 rd West MLS) today learned its path to the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, drawn against Costa Rican side CS Herediano in the two-game, home-and-home First-Round series. Specific dates and times for the matches will be announced by regional governing body CONCACAF in the coming days and weeks.

Tickets to all of RSL's home matches in its 21 st season are NOW AVAILABLE at www.RSL.com/tickets.

Real Salt Lake previously faced Herediano during the group stage of the 2012 CONCACAF Champions League tourney, the teams grouped alongside Panama's Tauro FC. RSL fell 0-1 away at Herediano in the San Jose-based Costa Rican National Stadium, 0-1, in a match marred by a Nat Borchers red card. After two wins against Tauro home and away, RSL needed a win to advance in the fourth and final group stage match against Herediano, instead suffering a scoreless draw as the Claret-and-Cobalt, without star striker Alvaro Saborio, were unable to score and support a clean sheet from GK Nick Rimando in a 0-0 result.

All-time, RSL's record in CONCACAF Champions League games is 11-5-6 (W-L-T), including a home mark of 8-1-2 (the lone loss coming in the 2010/11 final to Monterrey). In 2024, RSL posted an overall 17-9-13 (W-L-T) record across multiple competitions, also earning a berth in this 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the Claret-and-Cobalt's first foray in continental competition since the 2015/16 CCL run to the quarterfinals, where it was eliminated by Liga MX power Tigres by a 3-1 aggregate over two legs.

The mid-February 2025 kickoff at America First Field will be RSL's earliest since its 2010/11 foray into CONCACAF Champions League, where RSL advanced all the way to the final, dropping the two-legged affair to Mexican power Monterrey on a 2-1 aggregate scoreline, with an 0-1 loss at what was known as Rio Tinto Stadium in one of the Sandy venue's all-time most memorable moments.

This past year, RSL posted a dominant 12-3-3 / 39-point mark across all competitions at the 16-year-old venue.

During the 2024 season, RSL Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni's team established a new Club all-time single-season points record (59), its best in 20 seasons, and also clinched a return to the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup with a Decision Day 2-1, come-from-behind victory over Vancouver. RSL All-Star and eventual 2024 MLS Young Player of the Year MF Diego Luna scored his eighth goal of the season on a 73 rd -minute equalizer, just 10 minutes before

Luna set up DF Alex Katranis for what ended up being an 83 rd -minute game-winner on the Vancouver goalkeeper's own goal.

America First Field in Sandy is where the Claret-and-Cobalt excelled in the most recent season, with 11 wins and three draws against just three losses in MLS action, in addition to a 12th home win in last August's Leagues Cup tourney over LIGA MX power Atlas FC.

Despite an active eight-game unbeaten run, RSL was eliminated via the penalty-kick tiebreaker for a third consecutive season after advancing into the postseason for the 14 th time in the last 17 seasons, and for the fourth consecutive year under the guidance of Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni, who has improved the point totals and seeding in each of his four seasons. The 2024 campaign represents RSL's eighth 50-point season in Club history - and its first since 2019.

The Oct. 5 victory at San Jose - with a Luna game-winner and the Club's ninth clean sheet of the season - improved RSL's 2024 road record to 5-4-8 / 23 points, allowing RSL to accrue its second-highest road point total in 20 MLS seasons, trailing only last year's 28-point mark. In addition to the 2024 season's 59-point total eclipsing the 57 points accrued in the 2012 season, the 16th win in 34 games matches the Club's second-highest win total in its 20 MLS campaigns (2013, 2019), trailing only the 17 won in 2012.

This most recent campaign was also the highest-scoring season in Real Salt Lake's 20 MLS years, with 65 goals through 34 matches, eclipsing the 57 scored in 2013. RSL's pair of goals scored on Decision Day enabled the 2024 side to match the all-time Club mark of 38 goals on home soil, matching the 2018 season's production in Sandy.

Key 2024/25 MLS Offseason Dates & Roster Mechanisms:

(Dates, Times [MT] - Subject to Change)

- Wed., Dec. 11 - MLS Expansion Draft - San Diego FC (8:30p MT)

- Thu., Dec. 12 - MLS Free Agency period opens (11a MT)

- Fri., Dec. 13 - Re-Entry Process, Stage One (11a MT)

- Tues., Dec. 17 - 2025 MLS Schedule Unveiled for all 30 teams

- Thu., Dec. 19 - Re-Entry Process, Stage Two (11a MT)

- Fri., Dec. 20 - 2025 MLS SuperDraft (12 noon MT)

- Sat./Mon., Jan. 11-13 - 2025 RSL Preseason Begins

- Thu., Jan. 23 - depart for Preseason Trip #1 - Santa Barbara, Calif.

o Game #1 - Sat., Jan. 25

o Game #2 - Wed., Jan, 29

- Thu., Jan. 30 - return from Preseason Trip #1 - Santa Barbara, Calif.

- Mon., Feb. 3 - depart for Preseason Trip #2 - Indio, Calif.

o Game #3 - Wed., Feb. 5

o Game #4 - Sat., Feb. 8

o Game #5 - Wed., Feb. 12

- Thu., Feb. 13 - return from Preseason Trip #2 - Indio, Calif.

- Tue.-Thu., Feb. 18-20 - 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup Leg One - RSL v TBD

- Sat./Sun., Feb. 22 - 2025 MLS Regular Season // RSL Season #21 Kicks Off

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