MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Weekly Update

Published on September 30, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


Real Salt Lake to Call Rio Tinto Stadium Home

Utah's premier sports and entertainment facility - Rio Tinto Stadium - officially unveiled its name, the Stadium's owner and operator, SCP Worldwide, announced during a press conference held on the nearly-completed Stadium's concourse on Monday. Rio Tinto, the parent company to Kennecott Utah Copper, Kennecott Land Company and Kennecott Exploration, has signed a multi-year naming rights agreement for the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue located at the heart of the Wasatch Front. Per company policies for both entities, terms were not disclosed. The venue is set to open next Thursday, October 9, when Real Salt Lake hosts the New York Red Bulls LIVE on ESPN2 for an 8:00 p.m. MT kick-off.

As the Stadium's sponsor, Rio Tinto and Kennecott will collaborate on the building's events to educate Utahns and visitors from around the world about the company, whose Oquirrh operation is in full view from the Stadium's northwest plaza, which will be called Kennecott Plaza. Inside the Stadium, exhibits, signage and activities will educate people about Kennecott's place in Utah's rich mining and natural history. Rio Tinto Stadium provides a stunning new home for world-class events, one with breathtaking views of both the Oquirrh and Wasatch Mountain ranges. For more information on the building's amenities, slate of events and ticket purchases, please visit the newly-launched www.RioTintoStadium.com website.

Single-Game Tickets for October 9 & 18 Contests at Rio Tinto Stadium Going Fast!

Only nine days remain until Rio Tinto Stadium opens its doors to the public, and individual game tickets for the debut events at RSL's new home in Sandy - the team's final two 2008 regular-season games, on Thursday, October 9 vs. New York (8:00 p.m. MT, live on ESPN2) and Saturday, October 18 vs. FC Dallas (7:00 p.m. MT) - still remain on sale. Fans can purchase seats for the historic dates at RSL's new home either online at www.RioTintoStadium.com and www.RealSaltLake.com, over the phone at 801-924-8585, or by visiting the RSL Front Office at the Trolley Corners building (515 S. 700 East, Suite 2R) in Salt Lake City.

Single-game tickets for the final two home contests of the regular season are available for $15 (Upper Deck), $18 (North Goal), $25 (Corner Flag), $30 (Lower Sideline), and $60 (VIP), with discounts in each section available for group purchases of 20 seats or more. A limited number of premium seats are available for $75 (Sideline Club), $100 (Club) and $125 (Center Circle).

Soccer Unites Utah Fundraisers for Williams Family Continue Tonight with Benefit Soccer Match at Juan Diego H.S.

Real Salt Lake players and coaches will join together with the soccer teams of Juan Diego and Judge Memorial High Schools this evening, as the RSL family and the two local schools will take part in a special Benefit Soccer Match hosted by Soccer Unites Utah. Soccer Unites Utah is a charitable group that is raising funds to offset the costs of chemotherapy treatments and a bone marrow transplant for Marcia Williams, the wife of RSL MF Andy Williams, after she was recently diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.

The Benefit Soccer Match at Juan Diego H.S. Stadium field in Draper (300 E. 11800 South) will kick-off at 6:00 p.m. MT, with the first of three mini-contests featuring the Boys teams of Juan Diego and Judge, followed by schools' Girls teams squaring off against each other with RSL coaches serving as their sideline bosses. The third mini-game will feature RSL players and coaches taking on a team consisting of local celebrities and media personalities. Tickets for the Benefit Match cost only $5 and can be purchased at the gate. Media interested in attending the Benefit Match are asked to RSVP with John Koluder in the RSL Communications Department either via phone (801-918-5050) or email (jkoluder@RealSaltLake.com) by 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.

In addition, Soccer United Utah invites one and all to attend its Casino Night fundraiser at the Salt Palace Convention Center on Saturday, October 11. Tickets for the Casino Night event cost $50, while the buy-in for a 32-spot Texas Hold 'Em Tournament is set at $100. Several prizes will be auctioned off at the event, including a drum head autographed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, copies of the Twilight book series autographed by author Stephenie Meyer, several autographed MLS jerseys, and many more unique items.

For more information on Soccer Unites Utah, including upcoming events, online donations and other ways to get involved in the fundraising efforts, please contact Deb Harper at soccerunites@aol.com, or visit www.soccerunitesutah.com.

"Talkin' about the Revolution": RSL Goes for Two Wins in a Row Saturday at New England

After gaining a crucial away victory last Saturday at the San Jose Earthquakes, Real Salt Lake (9-10-7, 34 pts.) will look for its first back-to-back wins of the season when it hits the road once again this Saturday, October 4, this time for a cross-conference affair against the New England Revolution (12-8-6, 42 pts). Kick-off from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. is set for 5:30 p.m. MT, with coverage on KSL-TV 5.3 Digital (Comcast Ch. 105) starting at 5:00 p.m. with the America First Credit Union Pre-Game Show. Fans can also follow the action live on RSL's official radio partners - KALL 700 Sports and "Ke Buena" 1600-AM.

Real Salt Lake will be looking to sweep the two-game season series with the Revolution on Saturday and even up the overall series against New England, which RSL trails 2-3-2 heading into the weekend. Real Salt Lake took the first meeting between the two sides on June 21, as FW Tino Nuñez's first career MLS goal around the hour mark stood as the game-winner in a 2-1 triumph at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Real Salt Lake is 1-1-1 all-time at Gillette Stadium and will be looking to go undefeated in its third straight contest at "The Razor," this after escaping with a 0-0 draw last June 2 - a game in which GK Nick Rimando made a career-high 13 saves - and recording its second-ever away win on July 14, 2006, via a thorough 3-1 victory.

Official RSL Watch Parties Held Saturday at Stadium Pizza in Clearfield and International Soccer Sports Grill in Woods Cross

In most cases two is always better than one, and that certainly holds true for the Official RSL Watch Parties for this Saturday's tilt against the New England Revolution. You can join up with fellow RSL fans beginning at 5:30 p.m. MT at two family-friendly locations to take in Saturday's roadie at the Revs: Stadium Pizza in Clearfield (540 E. 1700 South) and the International Soccer Sports Grill in Woods Cross (512 W. 750 South). The RSL Merchandise Department has teamed up with Budweiser to present the viewing shindig at Stadium Pizza, which will also double as the restaurant's Grand Opening, with specials including large pizzas with unlimited toppings for $15.99 and pitchers of beer for $6. The International Soccer Sports Grill - which will feature the game on several TV's, including a projector screen - will be offering fans a sweet deal as well, as any fan ordering an entrée during the viewing party will receive a free desert.

In preparation for the Watch Parties, the RSL Merchandise Department will open up its headquarters in the Trolley Corners building (515 S. 700 East, Suite 2-B1) on Saturday afternoon from 2:00-3:45 p.m., when they'll be offering 50% off ALL official RSL gear on hand. At 4:00 p.m. sharp, the RSL Merchandise crew will pack up shop and lead a caravan to the Stadium Pizza location, where plenty of giveaways and prizes from Real Salt Lake, Stadium Pizza, Monster Energy, Smith Optics and Budweiser will be provided. For more information on this Saturday's Official RSL Watch Parties, please contact Marc Maybee in the RSL Merchandise Department at 801-924-8572 or mmaybee@RealSaltLake.com.

MLS Cup Playoff Race Update: RSL Claims Possession of Second Wild Card Spot with Win at San Jose

As the Major League Soccer regular season heads into its final month in October, all 14 MLS squads are still within reach of grabbing a spot in the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs, including Real Salt Lake, which would qualify for its first postseason berth via one of two "wild card" spots if the playoffs began today. Thanks to its 3-2 win at San Jose last Saturday, Real Salt Lake kept pace with its neighbors in the ever-tightening Western Conference standings, the three-point result moving the squad to 34 points on the campaign and allowing the Utah side to remain in a third-place tie in the West alongside the Colorado Rapids. While the Rapids would qualify for the West's third and final automatic spot thanks to the second tie-breaker of overall goal differential (first tie-breaker is head-to-head record, which stands tied at 1-1-0), RSL jumped past D.C. United (33 pts.) to claim the second wild card slot with four games remaining for all but two teams (Houston & San Jose have a game-in-hand on the field).

Tickets for Nov. 8 USA Rugby Doubleheader at Rio Tinto Stadium Now on Sale

Real Salt Lake has announced that Rio Tinto Stadium, the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue in Sandy, Utah, will host a USA Rugby doubleheader featuring teams from New Zealand, Uruguay and the United States on Saturday, November 8. The day of rugby kicks off at 1:15 p.m. MT with the U.S. Select XV Team versus New Zealand Heartland. The main event, which will boast the United States and Uruguay National Teams, will kick off at 4:00 p.m. MT. Tickets to the USA Rugby doubleheader are now on sale to the public and begin at $15 (end zone seating); other categories are $25 (lower sideline), $40 (VIP) and $75 (premium). Please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/usa_doubleheader for more information on the matches. For more information on Rio Tinto Stadium or for ticket information, please visit www.RioTintoStadium.com or call 801-924-8585.

RSL Reserves Update: RSL's Bid for First Shook Up in 5-0 Defeat at San Jose

The Real Salt Lake Reserves saw their second bid to capture a share of first-place in the 2008 MLS Reserve Division go by the wayside last Sunday, as the squad fell 5-0 to the San Jose Earthquakes Reserves at Stanton Field on the campus of Santa Clara University. Former RSL M/F Ryan Johnson scored two goals for the 'Quakes Reserves, while Shea Salinas, Davide Somma and Mikel Arce also tallied to give San Jose the comprehensive victory.

With the loss, Real Salt Lake (6-3-1, 19 pts.) was bumped down to third-place in the MLS Reserve Division's single-table standings, yet it still remains within one win of both second-place Kansas City (6-1-2, 20 pts.) and the division-leading Houston Dynamo (7-1-1, 22 pts.).

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Major League Soccer Stories from September 30, 2008


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