Real Salt Lake (3-5-2, 11 pts.) remains home this week to host Western Conference leaders FC Dallas (6-1-3, 21 pts.) at Rice-Eccles Stadium at 8:00 p.m. MT on Saturday, June 4, live on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, which is the second game of the historic doubleheader.
RSL and Utah's soccer community continues its countdown for the Saturday, June 4 doubleheader at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the biggest international event to hit the Beehive State since the 2002 Winter Olympics. The United States Men's National Team hosts Costa Rica in a World Cup Qualifier match on the newly-installed Rice-Eccles grass surface at 5:30 p.m. MT, followed by the RSL- FC Dallas kickoff.
As the five-day period counts down and with only 10,000 tickets remaining, time is running out to purchase available seats. Individual ticket prices are $25 for endlines, $36 for corners, $48 for sidelines and $68 for midfield. Individual game tickets can be purchased by logging onto www.utahtickets.com or by contacting the Ticket Office at (801) 581-UTIX (available Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT). The Rice-Eccles Stadium Box Office opens on gameday at 10:00 a.m. MT.
Just four days later, RSL battles South American powerhouse Universidad Católica on Wednesday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m. MT at home. RSL's next League game will be at the Home Depot Center against the Los Angeles Galaxy (6-2-1, 19 pts.) on Saturday, June 11, at 8:00 p.m. MT, live on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain.
RSL's first meeting against FC Dallas at the Cotton Bowl was the team's second loss of the season and ended in a 3-0 loss on April 23. FC Dallas took the lead four minutes into the game when MF Richard Mulrooney sent a direct kick past RSL goalkeeper DJ Countess. In the 29th minute Dallas doubled the lead as FW Eddie Johnson blasted a low left-footed drive home. The final goal came in the 63rd minute after FW Carlos Ruiz was fouled in the area and took his own penalty. RSL was reduced to 10 men in the 72nd minute when DF Eddie Pope was ejected from the game when he picked up his second-ever red card for a questionable foul.
On Saturday, Real suffered its first loss at home against the Chicago Fire and dropped to 3-1-1 at home this season, where it has earned 10 of its 11 points this year. The FC Dallas game concludes a run where four of five RSL games have been at home. Beginning with the June 11 game at Los Angeles, RSL plays six of nine games on the road leading into the July 30 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game in Columbus.
CHILEAN POWERHOUSE EN ROUTE TO SLC: RSL will host its first-ever international friendly in a week and half against South American powerhouse Universidad Católica on Wednesday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m. MT at Rice-Eccles Stadium. La Católica ended its regular season in a 3-1 victory over Rangers on Sunday and currently holds the top spot in the Chilean First Division with a 14-2-3 record, outscoring its opponents 39-13.
The game is included in RSL's 2005 full season ticket plan and is marked as "Bonus Game A" in season ticket packages. Ticket prices for this international match are consistent with single-game ($14 for north goal, $18 for corner flag, $25 for premier east and $32 for VIP west). Tickets 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 Wednesday, June 22 where kids 14 and younger who will receive FREE replica Real Salt Lake shorts! The Los Angeles Galaxy game represents the second of five Junior Loyalist "build-a-uniform" dates, with the other RSL memorabilia nights as follows:
DAY/DATE GIVEAWAY
Wednesday, June 22 Replica shorts
Saturday, Aug. 13 Replica socks / shinguards
Saturday, Sept. 3 RSL soccer ball
Saturday, Sept. 24 RSL uniform / bag
Pickup a registration form at any of the 90 Wasatch Front Chevron locations.
POPE WITH USMNT FOR U.S.-COSTA RICA WCQ: RSL DF Eddie Pope played 73 minutes for the U.S. Men's National Team in the 2-1 loss against England at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday and continues his preparation with the national team starting Tuesday, May 31, in Utah for the World Cup Qualifier against Costa Rica on Saturday, June 4. Pope is a veteran of two U.S. World Cup teams and has 65 caps with the national team scoring six goals. The North Carolina native made his debut with national team in 1996 in a 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago. The U.S.-Costa Rica match kicks off at 5:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, June 4 live on ESPN2.
TRINI DUO BACK ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY: RSL MF Leslie "Tiger" Fitzpatrick and DF Marlon Rojas return to international duty after being called into Trinidad & Tobago's National Team camp this week in preparation for CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers on June 4 (Panama) and June 8 (@ Mexico). Fitzpatrick and Rojas will miss RSL's rematch against FC Dallas on Saturday, June 4 and will rejoin their RSL teammates in time for the team's third game against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Home Depot Center on Saturday, June 11 at 8:00 p.m. MT live on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain.
RSL INJURY/NATIONAL TEAM DUTY REPORT:
PLAYER STATUS INJURY DF Rustin Pierce PROBABLE L hamstring tightness
MF Leslie Fitzpatrick PROBABLE L groin strain
GK DJ Countess PROBABLE L shoulder subluxation
DF Eddie Pope OUT USMNT Camp
MF Leslie Fitzpatrick OUT T&T National Team Camp
DF Marlon Rojas OUT T&T National Team Camp
VOTING FOR 2005 MLS ALL-STAR GAME NOW LIVE ON MLSNET.COM: Fans can now cast their votes for the MLS All-Stars who will take the field against English Premier League club Fulham FC in the 2005 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game. On July 30, "MLS All-Stars Take on the World" as Major League Soccer's best take on Fulham FC at Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH in a game televised nationally on ABC Sports (1:30 p.m. MT). Fans can vote for the starting XI by filling out the online ballot on the League's official website www.MLSnet.com until Friday, July 8, 2005. Fans can vote for 11 starting players from a pool of 144 total candidates via the online ballot - one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards. A maximum of 10 ballots may be submitted per person per day and there are no limits on how many days fans can vote. The online fan balloting will comprise 25 percent of the total, with MLS coaches and GMs (25 percent), media (25 percent) and players (25 percent) accounting for the remainder. The following eight RSL players are under consideration for the midseason game:
POSITION PLAYER
GK DJ Countess
DF Eddie Pope
DF Rustin Pierce
MF Chris Brown
MF Brian Kamler
MF Clint Mathis
MF Andy Williams
FW Jason Kreis
USMNT-COSTA RICA MEDIA ACCREDITATION: Members of the media only have one more week to apply for credentials to the World Cup Qualifier Doubleheader at Rice-Eccles Stadium featuring U.S. vs. Costa Rica and Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas. Members of the media should note that this game will have a unique credential, and that MLS credentials will not be valid for the event. Applications will be accepted until 3:00 p.m. MT on Tuesday, May 31, 2005. To apply for credentials fill out the attached application or email David Applegate with U.S. Soccer Communications at dapplegate@ussoccer.org or Ronell Hugh, RSL Media Relations Coordinator, at RHugh@RealSaltLake.com.
SEASON TICKETS STILL SELLING BRISKLY: Real Salt Lake season ticket packages, now pro-rated following the first five games, remain on sale. The RSL 2005 season ticket package now features 16 games, including the remaining 11 MLS regular season games, four special bonus games and the highly-anticipated U.S.-Costa Rica World Cup Qualifier on June 4. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the RSL Ticket Office at 515 South 700 East, #2R, SLC, UT 84102, by logging onto www.RealSaltLake.com or by contacting the Real Salt Lake Ticket Office at (866) 9-SOCCER.
GET YOUR FLEX ON WITH NEW SEASON TICKET OPTION: To add more options for fans, RSL now offers 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. The June 4th US-Costa Rica and RSL-FC Dallas doubleheader is not included in the flex package.
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 on our website at http://real.saltlake.mlsnet.com/MLS/rsl/fans/.
BROADCASTING AND P.A. REQUEST: When speaking of the organization, please refer to the team as "Real Salt Lake" on first reference, with "RSL" or "Real" acceptable on second references. Please refrain from using incorrect references "Real Salt Lake City" or "Salt Lake Real." Usage of "the Real" is also discouraged. The written word "Real" should not be written as "ReAL" except when used in the brand logo or shield mark. Also, please note that "Major League Soccer" can be abbreviated to "MLS," but never should be referred to as "the MLS." We appreciate your cooperation.
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.
