Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer (MLS). They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won the MLS Cup in 2009, and reached the final of the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League. The team's head coach is former United States international Jason Kreis.
History
Major League Soccer awarded an expansion franchise on July 14, 2004 to SCP Worldwide, headed by Dave Checketts. RSL became the 12th MLS franchise and began play on April 2, 2005 in a match against the New York Metrostars. Future coach Jason Kreis became the first player in RSL history, coming in a trade from the Dallas Burn, and also scored the club’s first goal.
RSL’s first few years in MLS were marked by heavy losses and player turnover. Led by coach John Ellinger, the first season included a 10-match losing streak in route to a 5-22-5 inaugural season. RSL added veterans Clint Mathis, Eddie Pope, and Jeff Cunningham to these early teams.
In 2007, RSL Jason Kreis was hired as the new manager midseason and retired as an active player. Working with new General Manager Garth Lagerwey, RSL added several key players including Kyle Beckerman, Robbie Findley, Javier Morales, Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave. RSL advanced to the playoff for the first time in 2008.[1]
RSL won the 2009 MLS Cup by defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy in the November 22 final at Qwest Field. RSL played the L.A. Galaxy to a 1–1 tie through overtime and won the MLS cup (5–4 on penalties) to complete the upset. Goalkeeper Nick Rimando was named Man of the Match.[2]
In 2011, RSL became the first MLS team to ever reach the CONCACAF Champions League Final, losing to Monterrey 3-2.
Colors and badge
The team's official colors are claret red, cobalt blue, and Real gold.[3]
Stadium
- Rice-Eccles Stadium; Salt Lake City, Utah (2005–2008)
- Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah (2008–present)
In 2005 a soccer-specific stadium for the team was approved for Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City. However, funding for the stadium was still hard to come by. A vote in early 2006 struck down a funding proposal for the stadium. However, Tom Dolan, the mayor of Sandy, said that he would not give up on his fight to approve the proposal in Sandy. The funding plan was revised, but was struck down later in 2006 over disagreements in the appropriation of millions of hotel-tax dollars for a financially unproven sports franchise. The proposal for Sandy was declared "dead" by Checketts at that point, putting the team's future in doubt. Dave Checketts said that he wanted the team to remain in Utah, but would sell it if a proposal was not put forward by August 12, 2006.
Parties from several cities, including Rochester, New York[4] and St Louis, Missouri, expressed interest in purchasing the franchise and moving it. Other stadium sites in the area were also proposed, including the Utah State Fairgrounds in Salt Lake, and the tiny town of Vineyard, just west of Provo. Finally, on the very day Checketts had set as a deadline to have a stadium plan in place or decide to sell the team, and after months of up and down discussions with local municipalities, county, and state officials and a change in the funding structure, a tacit agreement between Checkets, Sandy City, and Salt Lake County was put in place, and Real Salt Lake announced that they would move forward with the construction of Real Salt Lake Stadium,[5] which would ultimately be named Rio Tinto Stadium. The groundbreaking, coinciding with the Xango Cup, Real's match against international power Real Madrid, took place that afternoon featuring elected leaders, team officials, as well as the entire rosters of both Real Salt Lake and Real Madrid. On August 15, the deal was officially approved by the Salt Lake County Council.[6]
The stadium plan encountered difficulties however after the Debt Review Committee of Salt Lake County voted against the stadium proposal 4–0 on January 26, 2007 citing what they saw as Real Salt Lake's financial inviability as the reasoning behind the lack of support. County mayor Corroon concurred with the DRC and the stadium plan was effectively killed on January 29, 2007. In response Real Salt Lake's owner announced the team would be sold and likely move out of the Salt Lake area after the 2007 season.[7]
The Sandy Stadium proposal was not completely dead, however: a new stadium proposal was made on February 2, that would divert 15 percent, roughly $2 million a year, of the county's hotel taxes to the stadium project beginning in July until 2017.[8] Such a deal would have to have been made by February 9, or the deal would have been completely off.[9] The bill was passed by the State Senate.[10]
After Governor Huntsman made a move that would allow the team to remain in Salt Lake County: the Utah House approved House bill 1SHB38, by a 48–24 margin, effectively approving $35 million towards the development of Real Salt Lake's new home. The governor was expected to sign the bill,[11] and ultimately did so.
Sandy City, along with the state of Utah and representatives of the team, finally came to an agreement regarding the placement of the Real stadium. The deal was shot down about a week prior to the agreement by the Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon saying it was too risky. However, Utah's governor, Jon Huntsman, Jr. said that soccer was here to stay. The $110 million dollar stadium was built in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City. Rossetti's California office was the architecture firm responsible for the design of the new stadium. The stadium's opening date was set for October 9, 2008, when Real Salt Lake hosted the New York Red Bulls.[12]
Club culture
Name
The title "Real" (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal]) is derived from the Spanish language where it is traditionally used by certain Spanish football clubs, the best known being Real Madrid of La Liga. Meaning "royal" in English, it is traditionally taken by teams that are given the title by the King of Spain whether through favoritism or otherwise. In 2006, Real Salt Lake established a relationship with Real Madrid, reinforcing the bond between the club and its Spanish inspiration.
Dave Checketts and SCP Worldwide partners Dean Howes, Kenneth Munoz, Michael McCarthy, and Chris Bevilacqua chose Real Salt Lake for the team's name because they desired to associate the team with a successful soccer club, Real Madrid,[citation needed] as well as to develop a brand that was clearly associated with association football.
The choice of Real Salt Lake was initially met with derision in the fan community, as many fans thought the name should more accurately reflect the Salt Lake area.[citation needed] Other team names considered were Salt Lake City Highlanders, Salt Lake Soccer Club, Alliance Soccer Club and Union SLC.[13] However, in recent years, criticism from local fans and the media has waned, and the club has instituted a formal relationship with Real Madrid.[14]
Real Madrid and Youth Academy
As of September of the 2006 season, Real Salt Lake and Real Madrid have signed a 10-year co-operative agreement. Among the provisions of the deal are a biennial friendly match between the two teams to take place in Salt Lake City, annual February training for RSL at the Real Madrid practice facility in Spain, and, perhaps most importantly, the creation of a $25 million elite youth academy in SLC that will train up to 200 players from ages 12 to 18.[15] The academy, a co-operative project for which Real Madrid will pay half the cost, will include academic facilities and dormitory housing, arguably becoming the first true soccer "youth system" in MLS. In this sense, it is part of a growing league-wide trend toward the emphasis of youth development, a trend which has been encouraged by the main office and jump-started by the league's decision to allow individual teams to maintain rights to the products of potential youth development systems.
Rivalries
RSL's major rivals are the Colorado Rapids, which it competes with for the annual Rocky Mountain Cup. With Major League Soccer's expansion in 2005, Real Salt Lake became the second team in the Rocky Mountain region and the Colorado Rapids' closest neighbor. The supporters of the two clubs created a competition between the two sides to foster and memorialize this budding rivalry. Colorado won the Rocky Mountain Cup in its inaugural year, 9 points to 3, and successfully defended the Cup in 2006 by a margin of 7 points to 4. Real Salt Lake won the Rocky Mountain Cup in the 2007 Season, 7 points to 4 points, and defended the cup successfully in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
Other teams considered rivals for Real Salt Lake are Chivas USA, which also joined Major League Soccer in 2005, and the Los Angeles Galaxy, whom RSL defeated in the 2009 MLS Cup.
Supporters groups
Real Salt Lake has eight official supporters groups, The Loyalists, RCB (Rogue Cavaliers Brigade), SCU (Salt City United), Section 26, La Barra Real, Union de Real, TRP (The Royal Pride),[16] and the newest group The Royal Army. All supporters groups except Section 26 and The Royal Army (which is dispersed throughout the stadium) sit in the south stands.
Mascot
Leo the Lion is the official mascot of Real Salt Lake.
Songs
The post-victory song is the Bob Marley anthem, "Iron Lion Zion". It was decided after an internal vote, because it fit the team's criteria for a celebration song. The team anthem is called "The Mighty R-E-A-L" and is performed by Indie rock group and Utah natives Meg & Dia.[17] There is an alternate anthem created by Alban and Tony of the CBG called "RSL Anthem.".[18] Alban and Tony made yet another song upon Real Salt Lake clinching a spot in the MLS Championship game. The song is called "Glory RSL" and can also be searched on YouTube. When a goal is scored by Real Salt Lake in Rio Tinto Stadium, the song "The Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani is played throughout the stadium.
Sponsorship
On November 17, 2006, RSL announced a multi-million dollar jersey sponsorship deal with XanGo. Additional sponsors include JetBlue Airways and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Broadcasting
Radio broadcasts are on KALL AM 700 (English) and KTUB AM 1600 (Spanish). KTVX and KUCW are set to handle local television broadcasts for the 2012 season. With 10 games being broadcast on KTVX and 20 games on KUCW for the 2012 season. Bill Riley enters his eighth year as an RSL play-by-play personality on radio and TV, while 10-year MLS veteran and “RSL Original” Brian Dunseth assumes color analyst duties on RSL broadcasts for a seventh consecutive season. [19]
Players and staff
Current roster
As of February 24, 2012.[20]
Reserve Team Players
This list shows players who have played for the team in official 2011 MLS Reserve Division games, but are not part of the senior roster.[21]
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Defender | Julio Alarcon |  United States |
| — | Goalkeeper | Eduardo Fernandez |  Mexico |
| — | Midfielder | David Flores | United States |
| — | Midfielder | Phanuel Kavita | United States |
| — | Midfielder | Ricardo Velasco | United States |
| — | Forward | Maikon Orellana |  El Salvador |
Notable former players
This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.
|
|
- See also All-time Real Salt Lake roster
Retired numbers
- 9 Jason Kreis Player/Head Coach.
Head coaches
- John Ellinger (2005–2007)
- Jason Kreis (2007–present)
Achievements
- CONCACAF Champions League
- Runners-up (1): 2010-11
- MLS Supporters' Shield
- Runners-up (1): 2010
- MLS Eastern Conference
- Winners (Playoff) (1): 2009
- Minor Trophies
- Rocky Mountain Cup: (5) 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
- Carolina Challenge Cup: (1) 2009
Record
Year-by-year
| Year | Regular Season | Playoffs | US Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions' League |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5th, West | Did not qualify | Third Round | Did not qualify |
| 2006 | 6th, West | Did not qualify | Fourth Round | Did not qualify |
| 2007 | 6th, West | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2008 | 3rd, West | Semi-Finals | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2009 | 5th, West | Champions | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2010 | 2nd, West | Quarter-Finals | Did not qualify | Finals (2010–11) |
| 2011 | 3rd, West | Semi-Finals | Quarter-Finals | Did not qualify (2011–12) |
| 2012 | Qualified (2012–13) |
Year-by-year stats
| Year | League Record | Top Scorer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | F | A | Pts | Name | G | |
| 2005 | 32 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 30 | 65 | 20 | Jason Kreis | 9 |
| 2006 | 32 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 45 | 49 | 39 | Jeff Cunningham | 16 |
| 2007 | 30 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 31 | 45 | 27 | Chris Brown | 5 |
| 2008 | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 39 | 40 | Yura Movsisyan | 7 |
| 2009 | 30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 43 | 35 | 40 | Robbie Findley | 12 |
| 2010 | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 45 | 20 | 56 | Álvaro Saborío | 12 |
| 2011 | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 44 | 36 | 53 | Álvaro Saborío | 14 |
| Total | 218 | 72 | 87 | 56 | 278 | 289 | 275 | Robbie Findley | 29 |
International tournaments
-
- Group Stage v. Cruz Azul -- 3:1, 4:5
- Group Stage v.
Toronto FC -- 4:1, 1:1 - Group Stage v.
Árabe Unido -- 2:1, 3:2 - Quarterfinals v. Columbus Crew -- 0:0, 4:1
- Semifinals v.
Deportivo Saprissa -- 2:0, 1:2 - Finals v. Monterrey -- 2:2, 0:1
- Group Stage v.
Team records
- Total Games:
Andy Williams - 189 (2005–2011) - Career Goals: Robbie Findley - 29 (2007–2010)
- Career Assists:
Javier Morales - 34 (2007–present) - Career Shutouts: Nick Rimando - 51 (2007–present)
- Single Season Goals: Jeff Cunningham - 16 (2006)
- Single Season Assists: Javier Morales - 15 (2008)
- Single Season Shutouts: Nick Rimando - 14 (2010)
MLS regular season only, through end of 2011 season
- All-Time regular season record: 57–76–51 (Through November 7, 2011)
MLS records
- Fewest goals allowed: 20[note 1] (previous record 23, Houston 2007)
- Overall goal difference: +25[note 1] (previous record +22, San Jose 2005 and D.C. United 2007)
- Home goal difference: +24[note 1] (previous record +23, Real Salt Lake 2009)
- Total home points (30-game season): 37[note 1] (previous record 35, Columbus 2009)
- Fewest home losses: 0[note 1] (equals previous record set by San Jose in 2005)
- Fewest home goals allowed: 7[note 1] (previous record 8, Colorado 2004)[22]
- Longest home unbeaten streak in an MLS regular season: 29 [23]
Player awards
Awards given by the MLS to Real Salt Lake players.
- 2006 "MLS Golden Boot" Jeff Cunningham
- 2009 "MLS Cup Most Valuable Player" Nick Rimando
- 2010 "MLS Defender of the Year"
Jámison Olave - 2010 "MLS Newcomer of the Year" Álvaro Saborío
Average attendance
Regular season / Play-offs
- 2005: 18,037 / missed Play-offs
- 2006: 16,366 / missed Play-offs
- 2007: 15,960 / missed Play-offs
- 2008: 16,179 / 19,632
- 2009: 16,375 / 11,499
- 2010: 17,095 / 19,324
Notes
References
- ^ "Winless RSL has coaching shake up". ESPN. 2011-09-01. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/660217534/Winless-RSL-has-coaching-shake-up.html. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ "Salt Lake beat L.A. Galaxy to MLS title". ESPN. 2009-11-23. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=702587&sec=global&cc=5739. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
- ^ Real Salt Lake colors[dead link]
- ^ Rhinos confirm talk with MLS club in Utah[dead link]
- ^ Real Salt Lake joined by Real Madrid Saturday at 12:00 noon to break ground on Sandy stadium site[dead link]
- ^ KUTV news – Soccer stadium finally a ReALity[dead link]
- ^ "KSL Newsradio: Soccer stadium deal is dead". Deseretnews.com. 2007-01-29. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,655192248,00.html. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ Jensen, Derek P. (2007-02-02). "Stadium plan: It's ba-a-ack!". Sltrib.com. http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_5141310. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ "Stadium deal due by Friday — or else". Deseretnews.com. 2007-02-03. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660192342,00.html. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ Walsh, Rebecca (2007-02-06). "Senate paves way for a Sandy stadium". Sltrib.com. http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_5169527. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ Utah House approves stadium funds[dead link]
- ^ "RSL confirms Oct. 9 stadium opening". The Salt Lake Tribune. 2008-08-05. http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_10105238. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
- ^ "USSoccerPlayers: Sounders Already Scoring". Ussoccerplayers.typepad.com. 2008-04-10. http://ussoccerplayers.typepad.com/ussoccerplayers/2008/04/sounders-alread.html. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ Real Madrid will be back in '08[dead link]
- ^ Salt Lake Tribune article announcing the RSL-RM deal
- ^ "RSL Royal Army LTD Edition Scarf". Rslroyalarmy.com. http://rslroyalarmy.com/. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ "adidas MLS Soccer". Adidas.com. http://www.adidas.com/us/campaigns/mls/content/site.asp. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ ShadowLordX10. "Rsl Anthem". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQWATe55U_4. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ [1], RSL 2012 TV Schedule.
- ^ "Players". Real Salt Lake. 2011-11-29. http://www.realsaltlake.com/players. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Randy Davis (2010-12-19). "The numbers behind RSL's record-setting season". Real Salt Lake. http://www.realsaltlake.com/news/2010/12/numbers-behind-rsls-record-setting-season. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ Randy Davis (2011-06-03). "RSL's Kreis: We're not in dire straits now". Real Salt Lake. http://www.realsaltlake.com/news/2011/06/rsls-kreis-were-not-dire-straits-now. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
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