Weekly update: Copa Real U-23 kicks off

First Annual Copa Real U-23 Tournament Kicks Off Tuesday


Real Salt Lake is proud to announce that the First Annual
Copa Real Under-23 Tournament
will take place this week, with the two semifinal contests in the tournament set to take place tomorrow,
Tuesday, Oct. 2
, at Salt Lake City's
Rosewood Park
(1500 N. 1200 West). The festivities will begin at 4:30 p.m. MT, when local Mexican dance troupe LOBAS will perform before the pair of qualifying matches kick off at 5:30 p.m. Four of Utah's most competitive Hispanic-based leagues have placed elite talent in the tournament, with the semifinals pitting
Liga OCD
and
Liga Latinoamericana
against each other (Field 1), while the other semifinal will feature
Liga Premier
against
Liga Soccer Mexico-Utah-Ogden
(Field 2).

The winners of tomorrow's semifinals will take to the Rice-Eccles Stadium field this Saturday, Oct. 6, following Real Salt Lake's match-up against Chivas USA to determine the first victor of the Copa Real U-23 tourney. Gates to RSL's Carnival Real pre-game festival will open at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, with the RSL-Chivas USA affair set to kick-off at 7:00 p.m., followed by the Copa Real U-23 Final at 9:15 p.m. For more information on purchasing tickets for the RSL/Copa Real doubleheader on Saturday, please call 801-924-8585.

Fan Voting for RSL MVP & Defender of the Year Awards Open through Wednesday
This year the fans will have a say in who walks away as the winner of the Real Salt Lake Most Valuable Player and Defender of the Year awards, as online voting for the annual honors is now underway at the club's official website, www.RealSaltLake.com. The fan voting, which will run through 5:00 p.m. MT this Wednesday, October 3, will count towards 25% of the final tabulation for the pair of awards.

Fans can either click on the links below to cast their votes for the awards. The winners of three of the club's four annual awards - MVP, Defender of the Year, and Humanitarian of the Year - will be announced prior to RSL's home finale on Monday, Oct. 15, against the Houston Dynamo.

Meanwhile, fans can also predict who will walk away with the team's fourth year-end honor - the RSL Golden Boot winner as the club's leading goal scorer - through this Friday, Oct. 5 at www.RealSaltLake.com.

RSL Most Valuable Player fan voting:
http://real.saltlake.mlsnet.com/t121/fans/2007/awards/mvp/

RSL Defender of the Year fan voting:
http://real.saltlake.mlsnet.com/t121/fans/2007/awards/defender/

RSL Golden Boot prediction page:
http://real.saltlake.mlsnet.com/t121/fans/2007/awards/golden_boot/

RSL Looks to Stretch Undefeated Streak to Five Games Saturday against Chivas USA
Real Salt Lake (5-13-9, 24 pts.) will look to expand its season-best four-game undefeated streak this Saturday, Oct. 6, when Utah's MLS side returns to Rice-Eccles Stadium for the last of three meetings this season with its '05 expansion brethren, Chivas USA (14-6-6, 48 pts.). Kick-off from Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus is set for 7:00 p.m. MT, with gates set to open at 6:00 p.m. for the Carnival Real pre-game fan festival. Fans that can't make it to the stadium can follow the action live on high-definition network HDNet or on RSL's official radio partners - KALL 700 Sports and "La Bonita" AM-1600.

Saturday's match will mark Chivas USA's lone visit to the Wasatch Front this season, this after the Southern California side swept the previous two meetings against Real Salt Lake at The Home Depot Center on April 21 (0-4 L) and August 26 (0-1 L). Despite trailing the overall series 2-5-3, Real Salt Lake has yet to drop a result to Chivas USA in the friendly confines of Rice-Eccles Stadium after compiling a pair of wins in 2005 and two draws in 2006.

RSL MF Javier Morales Undergoes Successful Shoulder Surgery
Real Salt Lake has announced that MF Javier Morales underwent successful surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder in a procedure performed last Thursday in Salt Lake City. The surgery and subsequent recovery period will keep Morales sidelined for up to four months, ruling him out of action for RSL's three remaining regular season contests during the 2007 campaign. The 27-year-old Morales was coming into his own a month into his RSL tenure, having scored his first-ever MLS goal on a 25-yard free kick goal late in RSL's 2-2 draw against the L.A. Galaxy on Sept. 19. Since seeing his first action in mid-August, Morales tallied a goal and two assists in just 369 minutes of action.

New Faces Lagerwey and Movsisyan to Appear on Tuesday's "Jerry Seiner RSL Coach's Corner"
The two newest members of the Real Salt Lake - General Manager Garth Lagerwey and FW Yura Movsisyan - will join Head Coach Jason Kreis as guests on this Tuesday's edition of the "Jerry Seiner RSL Coach's Corner" on the radio home of Real Salt Lake, KALL 700 Sports. The voice of Real Salt Lake, Bill Riley, will host the show on location at the Iceberg Café at the Jerry Seiner Downtown Salt Lake GM Dealership (1530 South 500 West) in Salt Lake City tomorrow evening from 6:00-7:00 p.m. MT. As always, fans are encouraged to head down and ask their questions to the RSL trio in person while enjoying the Iceberg Café's delicious food and famous shakes.

Time and Location of Sunday's RSL v. Chivas USA MLS Reserve Division Game Changed
Real Salt Lake has announced that both the venue and kick-off time of this Sunday's scheduled MLS Reserve Division fixture between RSL (4-6-0, 12 pts.) and Chivas USA (6-2-2, 20 pts.) have been changed, with the match now slated for a 9:00 a.m. MT start time at Trailside Park, located at 5705 Trailside Drive in Park City, UT. Directions to Trailside Park from Salt Lake City are as follows:

- Proceed east on Interstate 80 (towards Cheyenne/Park City)
- Take Exit 146/US Hwy 40 East towards Heber/Vernal for approx. 1 mile
- Take Exit 2 toward Silver Summit and turn right onto Silver Summit Hwy.
- After 1 mile, Silver Summit Hwy turns right and becomes Trailside Drive.

Real Salt Lake Schedule: Oct. 2-7
All times and locations are subject to change. Please contact the RSL Communications Department at 801-924-8584 to confirm times, venues and media availability.