MLS Real Salt Lake

U.S. Women's National Team Welcomes CONCACAF Rival Mexico To Rio Tinto Stadium For March 31st Friend

Published on February 9, 2010 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, February 9, 2010) - The United States Women's National Team will kickoff the 2010 schedule of soccer at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday, March 31, when the USA women will make their first visit to Utah in seven years by welcoming their rivals from Mexico to Sandy. The international friendly is set for a 7:00 p.m. MT kickoff and will be broadcast live on ESPN2, with fans also able to follow online via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.

"We are thrilled to bring the U.S. Women's National Team back to Utah and look forward to welcoming them and Mexico here at Rio Tinto Stadium," said Real Salt Lake and Rio Tinto Stadium President Bill Manning. "We look forward to another spirited atmosphere when the women come to Sandy on March 31."

Tickets starting at $18 go on sale to the public this Friday, Feb. 12, at 10:00 a.m. MT through ussoccer.com, by phone at 888-4RSLTIX (888-477-5849) (Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.), and at the Rio Tinto Stadium ticket office (open Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.).

A Real Salt Lake season ticket holder pre-sale opportunity for the USA-Mexico match will begin tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 10:00 a.m. MT and concludes Thursday, Feb. 11 at 2:00 a.m., with tickets available for purchase exclusively online through www.RioTintoStadium.com. Details and passwords for purchasing seats during the pre-sale window will be sent to ticket holders by this afternoon via e-mail.

As a sponsor of U.S. Soccer, Visa(r) is pleased to offer all Visa cardholders access to an advance ticket sale for this match before the sale to the general public. This advance sale starts Thursday, Feb. 11, at 10:00 a.m. MT and runs until Friday, Feb. 12, at 8:00 a.m. at ussoccer.com. Visa will be the only payment method accepted through the Visa presale and is the preferred card of U.S. Soccer. Terms and conditions apply.

Groups of 20 or more can obtain a discount order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (special VIP packages which include a premium ticket, a customized official U.S. national team jersey with name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available now exclusively through ussoccer.com.

The U.S. team has played just one match in its history in Utah, a 5-0 victory against Ireland before nearly 20,000 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2003. The U.S. WNT was scheduled to make its Rio Tinto Stadium debut last Memorial Day weekend against Japan, but the Japanese delegation canceled its pair of games in the United States at the time due to concerns over the H1N1 flu virus. The game in March will mark the second at the new Sandy venue for the U.S. Soccer program, the first taking place last Sep. 5, when the U.S. Men's National Team defeated El Salvador 2-1 in a CONCACAF region World Cup Qualifier.

The U.S. players will be called up from WPS pre-season training camps for what will be the final internationals for the U.S. team before the pro league kicks off on the weekend of April 10 and 11. The USA will open its 2010 schedule at the Algarve Cup in Portugal in late February.

"The challenge at this point is trying to mesh both the WPS season and finding games for the national team so that we're still getting good preparation as a team for World Cup qualifying," said U.S. Women's National Team Forward Abby Wambach. "I think it's always a work in progress to find the best solutions, but at the end of the day, getting these games in against Mexico after the Algarve Cup and before the WPS season is really valuable for the continuing development our team and the women's game. The more international games we can play, the better we will be."

The Mexico matches will mark the 24th and 25th meetings between the neighbors, but first since the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in April of 2008. During that tournament, the USA defeated Mexico 3-1 in front of a sell-out crowd of 22,280, during the group finale. The match featured a wild first half in which all four goals were scored.

Like the U.S., Mexico is preparing for CONCACAF qualifying for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Qualifying is tentatively scheduled for the fall of this year, but the host country and dates have yet to be finalized.

www.ussoccer.com / www.RioTintoStadium.com / www.RealSaltLake.com

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