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MLS Real Salt Lake

RSL adds international defenders Gustavo Cabrera and Robert Scarlett

July 31, 2005 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SALT LAKE CITY (Sunday, July 31, 2005) - Real Salt Lake General Manager Steve Pastorino and Head Coach John Ellinger today announced the acquisition of international defenders Gustavo Cabrera (Guatemala) and Robert Scarlett (Jamaica). RSL must clear roster space for in the coming weeks for the duo, neither of whom can play in MLS regular-season contest prior to Monday, August 15, in compliance with international transfer rules dictated by FIFA, the world governing body of soccer. RSL also completed the signing of MF Adolfo Gregorio, whose rights were acquired from Colorado on June 29. The former Darlington (English Second Division) player signed with MLS and will also be eligible for selection on August 15.

"Each of these players solidified their standing in our eyes with their recent Gold Cup performances," said Ellinger. "We had submitted discovery claims on each player several months ago, expecting them to be eligible for the second half of our season, and their play with Guatemala and Jamaica during the month of July in the CONCACAF Gold Cup warrants their addition to our team as we make the playoff push in August and September."

Cabrera, 25, began his professional soccer career with famed Central American club Comunicaciones in 1995 and has spent 10 seasons with the team, scoring eight goals and adding five assists. The left-sided and central defender has been a member of the Guatemalan National Team since 1999, anchoring the team's defense during the past six years. Cabrera follows in the footsteps of Guate teammates Carlos Ruiz (FC Dallas) and Pando Ramirez (Los Angeles Galaxy), each of whom have enjoyed professional success in Major League Soccer.

"Gustavo Cabrera is a talented, ambitious player who will bring great poise to our defense," Pastorino said. "Not only is he fulfilling a lifelong dream to play internationally, but he is one of the main reasons Guatemala is on the cusp of its first-ever appearance in the World Cup next year. We're excited to have him."

Scarlett is one of an emerging crop of attacking Jamaican defenders whose speed, skill and ability to carry the ball quickly along the flanks pose problems for opponents. The left-footed defender began his career with Harbour View FC when he was 12 years-old, notching 21 goals and 53 assists in nine seasons. Scarlett spent a brief three-month stint during the 2003 season with Russian giant Spartak Moscow, and was part of that season's UEFA Champions League roster.

"We learned prior to the Gold Cup that Robert Scarlett would be available on a free transfer and jumped at the opportunity to bring him in," Pastorino said. "He is a very fast left-sided player who will give us much-needed depth at defense and midfield."

ELLINGER ELECTED TO MLS REFEREE COMMITTEE: RSL Head Coach John Ellinger was tabbed by MLS Assistant to the Deputy Commissioner for On-Field Competition Dr. Joe Machnik to participate in the 2005 MLS Sierra Mist All-Star Weekend's Referee Committee meetings as a coaching representative, along with Kansas City Wizards Head Coach Bob Gansler. Player representatives were Los Angeles Galaxy FW Landon Donovan and FC Dallas DF Greg Vanney, while Colorado Rapids Governor Charlie Wright, New England Revolution Director of Soccer Mike Burns, U.S. Soccer Referee Brian Hall and Assistant Referee Craig Lowrie also participated. Topics of discussion included means of evaluating and improving the current pool of U.S. Soccer referees, especially as it pertains to the speed of Major League Soccer competition, as well as interpretation of the offside rule. The committee convenes again at MLS Cup Weekend on November 14 in Frisco, Texas.

RSL BRASS FEATURED ON TONIGHT'S LOCAL SPORTS SHOWS: RSL General Manager Steve Pastorino will be Tom Kirkland's guest on Sports Beat Sunday on KSL 5 TV tonight at 11:00 p.m. MT, while Head Coach John Ellinger goes one-on-one with Talkin' Sports anchor David James on KUTV Channel 2 tonight at 10:30 p.m. MT.

RICE-ECCLES COULD BE HOME TO MLS SCORING MILESTONE: Major League Soccer's first regular-season contest following the All-Star break kicks off at 4:00 p.m. MT on live national television as ESPN2 features the League's two MLS expansion teams when Real Salt Lake hosts CD Chivas USA. During the first 10 MLS seasons, 4,998 goals have been scored, with the historic 5,000th goal possibly coming on the Rice-Eccles FieldTurf.

CAMERA DAY: GET YOUR PHOTO TAKEN WITH YOUR FAVORITE RSL PLAYER: RSL fans will be able to take a picture with their favorite RSL player on Saturday, August 6 following the team's final game against expansion brethren Chivas USA, which kicks off early at 4:00 p.m. MT, live on ESPN2. RSL players will set up on the East and West concourses beginning at 6:15 p.m. MT.

CABRERA & GARCIA TO PERFORM POST-GAME AUTOGRAPH SESSION ON AUGUST 6: RSL fans who purchase 10 corner flag tickets at $15 each to the next home game against Chivas USA on Saturday, August 6 will receive a special invitation to a post-game autograph session featuring Chivas USA's newest player, MF Juan Pablo Garcia and RSL's Guatemalan addition DF Gustavo Cabrera as part of the day's Budweiser Hispanic Heritage Night celebration. To purchase tickets to the post-game autograph session, please call Real Salt Lake at (866) 9-SOCCER or log onto https://secure.mlsnet.com/MLS/rsl/tickets/2005/autograph/ for more details.

RSL ANNOUNCES REGULAR SEASON TELEVISION CHANGE: RSL's road game against the New England Revolution on Wednesday, August 10 at 5:30 p.m. MT, previously scheduled to air live on Fox Sports Network Rocky Mountain, will now be replaced by RSL's lone visit to RFK Stadium to face the defending MLS Cup Champion D.C. United on Wednesday, August 31 beginning at 5:00 p.m. MT live on Fox Sports Network Rocky Mountain. The new info is as follows:

Day Date Matchup Time (MT) TV

Wed. Aug. 10 @ New England Revolution 5:30 p.m. Direct Kick

Wed. Aug. 31 @ D.C. United 5:30 p.m. FSN

RSL's trip to Foxboro against the Revolution will still be shown live on the MLS Direct Kick subscription package, on DirecTV, Dish Network and digital cable via Fox Sports New England.

FIELDTURF BECOMING SUCCESSFUL GROUND FOR RSL: On June 4, Real Salt Lake and the Utah soccer community hosted the biggest international event to hit the Beehive State since the 2002 Winter Olympics when the United States Men's National Team defeated Costa Rica 3-0 in front of 40,589 fans in a World Cup Qualifier. RSL laid 93,000 square feet of natural grass sod in Rice-Eccles Stadium in preparation for the June 4 World Cup soccer qualifier between the United States and Costa Rica with an installation and maintenance cost of $130,000.

With the exception of two home games played on grass within seven days of the World Cup Qualifier, RSL has played nine games on the Rice-Eccles FieldTurf during its inaugural season, boasting a home record of 4-0-3 and earning 15 of its 16 total points. The lone remaining point earned also came on turf this season, as Real Salt Lake's single road point came at Giants Stadium in the team's April 2 inaugural game. Turf is a popular choice for Real, but is apparently becoming an increasingly popular choice for UEFA and FIFA, as UEFA recently approved the use of artificial turf for the Champions League, UEFA Cup and Inter Toto Cup for the 2005/06 season. UEFA's adoption of artificial turf will not include the 2006 World Cup in Germany as the decision was made after the competition regulations for the finals were written. Despite this, a number of qualifying matches have been played on artificial turf, including San Jose in Costa Rica, where FieldTurf again laid the pitch. FIFA is hoping that more surfaces will be laid after UEFA agreed on March 1, 2005 to adopt the world body's quality mark for artificial turf.

RSL INJURY REPORT:

PLAYER STATUS INJURY

DF Eddie Pope QUESTIONABLE L ankle sprain

GK DJ Countess PROBABLE L ankle sprain

DF Rustin Pierce PROBABLE R hamstring strain

JOIN THE JUNIOR LOYALISTS: RSL invites local youth fans ages 14 and under to join the RSL Kids Club, known as the Chevron Junior Loyalists! The next replica giveaway will be on Saturday, August 13 where registered Jr. Loyalist members will receive FREE replica Real Salt Lake socks and shinguards! Kids 14 and under can sign-up to be a Jr. Loyalist at more than 90 participating Chevron locations along the Wasatch Front. The Kansas City Wizards game represents the third of five Junior Loyalist "build-a-uniform" dates, with the other RSL memorabilia nights as follows:

DAY/DATE OPPONENT GIVEAWAY

Saturday, Aug. 13 Kansas City Replica socks / shinguards

Saturday, Sept. 3 New England RSL soccer ball

Saturday, Sept. 24 Columbus RSL uniform bag

Pick up a registration form at any of the more than 90 Wasatch Front Chevron locations!

RSL'S FLEX PLAN SEASON TICKET OPTION STILL AVAILABLE: To add more options for fans, RSL continues to offer the Flex Season Ticket Package, which is comprised of twenty vouchers of the same price category (North Goal, Corner Flag, Premium and VIP) that allows the purchaser to determine which games they would like to see in the regular season and how many tickets needed for that game. Prices for the 2005 Flex Package are $260 for the North Goal, $320 for the Corner Flag, $440 for the East Sideline and $560 for the VIP seats. Tickets can be redeemed in the following way: one could use all the vouchers and bring 20 people to one game or 4 people could attend five games. Flex vouchers are discounted from the day of game pricing making it an even greater value. Vouchers can be redeemed in advance through the Real Salt Lake Front Office by mail or in person or on the day of the game at the Real Salt Lake Customer Service Window. Seating is best available per price category at the time of redemption.

ACCESS REAL: Real fans can now receive up-to-date information on the team by signing up for the RSL Weekly Newsletter on our website at http://real.saltlake.mlsnet.com/MLS/rsl/fans/.

MLS CAMPS: MLS Camps, the Official Camp and Clinic of Major League Soccer, has partnered with Real Salt Lake to provide Packaged Camps, Clinic & Training Services and Supply Opportunities to the Greater Utah Community. To host a Program in your community, call (800) 680-6272 or by logging onto www.MLScamps.com and register for a program near you.

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 31, 2005


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