SALT LAKE CITY - Real Salt Lake (3-10-4, 13 pts., 5th West) resumes training at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Tuesday, July 12 at 10:00 a.m. MT in preparation for its first-ever U.S. Open Cup game against the United Soccer League First Division Minnesota Thunder (4-5-5) on Wednesday, July 13, at James Griffin Stadium in St. Paul, Minn., at 6:00 p.m. MT in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup.
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RSL is one of four MLS teams to enter in this round, joining CD Chivas USA, FC Dallas and the Chicago Fire. The remaining eight MLS teams will enter the prestigious tournament upon the commencement of the fourth round in early August.
Based on the result of the game on Wednesday, July 13, the winner of the RSL-Minnesota contest will meet the Colorado Rapids at North Area Athletic Complex in Denver, Colo. at 7:30 p.m. MT in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup, tentatively slated for Wednesday, August 3.
A year ago, the Thunder advanced to the quarterfinals of the competition, defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy in the fourth round before bowing out to the San Jose Earthquakes on penalty kicks. The Thunder defeated Chicago Fire Premier of the Premier Development League 2-1 on June 29 in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup.
The team then travels to Kansas City on Saturday to face the Kansas City Wizards (6-4-7, 25 pts., 3rd West) at Arrowhead Stadium on July 16 at 6:00 p.m. MT, tape-delayed one hour later on KSL 5 TV. Bill Riley and Dave Dir will preview the match with the Sports Medicine Center of Utah at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center Pre-Game Show at 6:30 p.m. MT, also on KSL 5 TV. The Wizards enter the match fresh off a 1-0 road win against D.C. United at RFK Stadium on Saturday in a rematch of MLS Cup 2004.
1280 THE ZONE TO AIR U.S. OPEN CUP GAME: RSL and KZNS 1280 AM The Zone, "First with Sports" across Utah's Wasatch Front and the home of Utah's highest-rated sports radio programming, today announced that it will air the RSL U.S. Open Cup game against the Minnesota Thunder in its entirety on a one-hour delay starting at 7:00 p.m. MT with 1280's own Ryan Hatch calling the play-by-play action and Wayne Scholes providing the color commentary.
RSL PLAYERS IN THE GOLD CUP: RSL DF Eddie Pope started and played 45 minutes in the U.S. Men's National Team 2-0 victory against Canada on July 9. The USMNT increased their undefeated streak in CONCACAF Gold Cup group play to 18-0-0 and secured a spot in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory over Canada at QWEST Field in Seattle, Wash., to put them in first place atop Group B after two games. The U.S. wraps up group play against Costa Rica on Tuesday at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., at 5:00 p.m. MT. RSL MF Andy Williams has scored one goal and added one assist during the Jamaican National Team's 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign. Jamaica notched a 4-3 win over Guatemala and a 3-3 draw against South Africa. Williams's goal came in the 44th minute against Guatemala on a penalty kick. Jamaica is currently in first place in Group C with their final match in group play against Mexico on Wednesday at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX, at 8:00 p.m. MT.
MATHIS SCORES FIRST RSL GOAL: RSL MF Clint Mathis scored his 49th career Major League Soccer goal in the 5-1 loss against Chivas USA on July 9. Mathis is now ranked 20th all-time in goals scored in MLS. The goal, which came off a free kick in the 23rd minute, was the first for Mathis as a member of Real Salt Lake. Mathis has three assists and one goal so far this season, last finding the back of the net on September 6, 2003, in a 2-1 win against the Kansas City Wizards, when he tallied both goals for the MetroStars.
TRAINING SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF July 10, 2005: **All practices are open to Media members. All times and locations are subject to change.
DAY/DATE SITE TIME (MT)
Monday, July 11 Rice-Eccles Stadium 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, July 12 Rice-Eccles Stadium 10:00 a.m.
TRAVEL to St. Paul, Minn.
Wednesday, July 13 RESERVES @ TBD TBD
GAME @ Minnesota Thunder 5:00 p.m.
@ James Griffin Stadium
Thursday, July 14 RESERVES @ TBD TBD
TRAVEL to Kansas City
Friday, July 15 RESERVES @ TBD TBD
Saturday, July 16 RESERVES @ TBD TBD
GAME @ Kansas City 6:00 p.m.
@ Arrowhead Stadium
RSL INJURY/ NATIONAL TEAM DUTY REPORT:
PLAYER STATUS INJURY
DF Rustin Pierce OUT R hamstring strain
DF Paul Broome PROBABLE L ankle sprain
DF Eddie Pope OUT USMNT Gold Cup
MF Andy Williams OUT Jamaican National Team, Gold Cup
MF Nikolas Besagno OUT USMNT U-17 Camp
COUNTDOWN TO PIONEER DAY SUMMER SOCCER EXPLOSION: Real Salt Lake invites the Utah community to experience the final fireworks extravaganza when RSL matches up against the Western Conference leaders FC Dallas on Pioneer Day, Saturday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. MT. The night will be filled with world-class soccer and Utah's most spectacular fireworks show. Ticket prices for the fireworks extravaganza is $14 for north goal, $18 for corner flag, $25 for premier east and $32 for VIP west, and can be purchased by visiting the Utah Ticket Office at 451 South 1400 East, logging onto www.utahtickets.com or by contacting the Rice-Eccles Ticket Office at (801) 581-UTIX. Groups of 20 or more should contact Real Salt Lake by calling (866) 9-SOCCER.
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 GIVEAWAY
Saturday, Aug. 13 Replica socks / shinguards
Saturday, Sept. 3 RSL soccer ball
Saturday, Sept. 24 RSL uniform bag
Pick up a registration form at any of the more than 90 Wasatch Front Chevron locations!
GET YOUR FLEX ON WITH ONLY REMAINING SEASON TICKET OPTION: RSL's Flex Season Ticket Package is comprised of 20 vouchers in 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 significantly discounted from 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.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE: Real Salt Lake single-game tickets for its inaugural 2005 season at Rice-Eccles Stadium continue to be on sale both online and at the University of Utah Ticket Office, located at the Stadium's south end. Individual game prices are $14 for north goal, $18 for corner flag, $25 for premier east and $32 for VIP west. Individual game tickets can be purchased by visiting the Utah Ticket Office at 451 South 1400 East, by logging onto www.utahtickets.com or by contacting the Ticket Office at (801) 581-UTIX. Fans are continued to be encouraged to purchase in advance.
ACCESS REAL: Real fans can now receive up-to-date information on the team by signing up for the RSL Weekly Newsletter at the fans section of RealSaltLake.com.
REAL ELITE TRAINING PROGRAM: The Real Elite Training Program is a progressive summer training program for boys and girls ages 8-16 with previous playing experience and a strong desire to reach their maximum potential. There are a total of 20 sessions, three days a week and two hours per day. The benefits of the program include: exposure to the highest level of training; specializing in technique, tactic, fitness and teamwork; training from RSL soccer players and coaches; and adidas training shirts and ticket voucher to a select game. For more information, contact Teresa Nelson by phone at (801) 924-8565, by email at tnelson@RealSaltLake.com or by logging onto http://real.saltlake.mlsnet.com/MLS/rsl/player_development/.
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.
