Weekly update: East swing continues

Real Salt Lake (1-7-6, 9 pts.) will play game four in its five-game stretch against Eastern Conference opposition this Saturday, July 14, when the squad will head to Missouri to take on the Kansas City Wizards (6-5-4, 22 pts.), with kick-off at Arrowhead Stadium set for 6:00 p.m. MT (30-minute delay on KSL 5 TV; live on Sports Radio 700 AM The Zone and La Bonita 1600 AM). Real Salt Lake trails the all-time series against the Wizards 1-2-1, but RSL took the 2006 set after recording a 2-1 victory at Rice-Eccles in May and scrapping to get a point out of a wild 3-3 draw at Arrowhead in September. Fans might expect a shootout, as Real Salt Lake has scored at least two goals in each of its four contests against Kansas City, while the Wizards have posted 11 goals in the all-time series against RSL.

RSL and Chanshare Farms to Install Grass Field for XanGo Cup 2007 Thursday at Rice-Eccles

Real Salt Lake and Chanshare Farms invite local media to view the grass installation process for the upcoming XanGo Cup 2007 at Rice-Eccles Stadium, with the process now set to begin this Thursday, July 12, at 4:00 p.m. MT. Real Salt Lake will host English Premiership side Everton F.C. on July 21 and South American club champion Boca Juniors of Argentina on July 24 in the second annual edition of the XanGo Cup, which is quickly establishing a tradition of bringing the world's top clubs to Salt Lake City to compete against Utah's own professional side.

Prior to the installation of the grass on the Rice-Eccles Stadium turf, a massive tarp will be placed over the field late in the afternoon on Thursday in preparation for the natural turf that will be delivered from Chanshare Farms in Tremonton, Utah. The laying of the sod will begin at approximately 8:00 p.m. that night, with the installation process expected to take all of Thursday and Friday evenings. The turf will be utilized for the two XanGo Cup 2007 contests across the Pioneer Day weekend and could also be maintained by RSL for its July 28 MLS regular season contest against the New England Revolution. Media expecting to cover this event are asked to contact the RSL Media Relations Department at 801-924-8584 for more details.

Adu, Seitz and Sturgis Help U.S. Win Group D, Reach Round of 16 at FIFA U-20 World Cup

The Real Salt Lake trio of MF Freddy Adu, GK Chris Seitz, and DF Nathan Sturgis have sparked the United States U-20 National Team's recent run to the top of the Group D standings at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada, as all three players logged all 270 minutes in the USA's three pool games, during which the squad notched a 2-0-1 record. The U.S. grabbed the top spot in Group D Friday night, as Adu twice set up FW Josimer Altidore and Seitz made an incredible 14 saves in leading the Red, White & Blue to a shocking 2-1 victory over Brazil at Frank Clair Stadium in Ottawa. Adu now stands beside teammates Alitdore and MF Danny Szetela and Sergia Aguero of Argentina in the chase for the tournament's Golden Boot honor, each player having scored three times in group play. The U.S. will take part in the U-20 World Cup's Round of 16 this Wednesday, July 11, against Uruguay at 5:45 p.m. MT at Exhibition Place in Toronto (live on ESPNU and Galavision). Fans can also follow the action live via U.S. Soccer's MatchTracker at www.ussoccer.com.

XanGo Cup 2007 Less Than Two Weeks Away

Less than two weeks remain until Real Salt Lake and XanGo present XanGo Cup 2007, featuring friendly exhibitions against international superpowers Everton FC (England) on Saturday, July 21, and Boca Juniors (Argentina) on Tuesday, July 24. Kickoff is set for both matchups at 8:00 p.m. MST. Each game will feature 'Carnival Real', opening at 6:00 p.m. and Utah's biggest and brightest firework shows blasting off immediately after each game. Cyprus Credit Union presents the July 21st fireworks. Cricket and KSL 5 TV are also presenting sponsors of XanGo Cup 2007.

Tickets for each XanGo Cup 2007 contest range from $30-$80 and are now available by visiting www.RealSaltLake.com or calling 801-924-8585. Fans that wish to take in both XanGo Cup 2007 contests can purchase a special ticket package that includes seats for both exhibitions at a discounted price and a complimentary ticket to one of three RSL regular season contests (August 18 vs. Chicago, Sept. 22 vs. Colorado, or Oct. 6 vs. Chivas USA):

* Package includes tickets to Everton FC match, Boca Juniors match, AND one of three RSL regular season contests: August 18 vs. Chicago, Sept. 22 vs. Colorado, or Oct. 6 vs. Chivas USA

The Boca Juniors match will also mark the first of three premier Hispanic opponents as part of this season's "Sprint® Signing Session". Thanks to Sprint®, fans will have the opportunity all season long to visit any participating Sprint® location to enter-to-win two (2) VIP game tickets and two (2) passes to a private, post-game autograph session with world class Hispanic soccer players from each visiting team. In addition to Boca Juniors, fans will also have a chance to win tickets and autograph passes for the Chicago Fire game on August 18 (Cuauhtemoc Blanco scheduled to appear in autograph session) and Chivas USA on October 6, with select Hispanic players and coaches giving post-game autographs.

RSL-Utah and RSL-Arizona Successful in USL Super Y-League Debut Weekend

The Real Salt Lake Youth Development system enjoyed a landmark weekend, as both the Under-16 and Under-17 teams for the newly-founded RSL-Utah and RSL-Arizona programs kicked off play in the Rocky Mountain Division of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) Super Y-League. Both squads traveled to the new Dick's Sporting Goods Park complex in Commerce City, Colo., for contests throughout the weekend against the Colorado Rapids and Colorado Rush - and each other.

Both the RSL U-16 and U-17 teams would begin the weekend on Friday evening by kicking off League play against each other, and each team would record a first win, as the RSL-Arizona U-16s posted a 2-1 victory, while the RSL-Utah U-17s turned the tables by recording a 2-1 win of their own. Both the U-16 squads would finish the weekend with a win over their counterparts from the Rapids, with RSL-Arizona carding a 3-0 shutout on Saturday and RSL-Utah following up with a 5-1 triumph on Sunday.

The RSL-Utah U-17s would finish their busy weekend undefeated after defeating the Colorado Rush 2-0 on Saturday and tying the division-leading Colorado Rapids 2-2 on Sunday. After dropping a 3-2 result to the Rapids on Saturday, the RSL-Arizona U-17s would pick up their first point in League play on Sunday, when they fought to a 3-3 draw against the Rush on Sunday.

For more information on Real Salt Lake's Youth Development system, please visit www.RealSaltLake.com and click on the "Youth Development" link. For more information on the USL Super Y-League, including stats and standings, visit www.supery.USLsoccer.com.

* USL Super Y-League U-16 Boys

RSL-Arizona 2 : 1 RSL-Utah (July 6)

Colorado Rapids 0 : 3 RSL-Arizona (July 7)

Colorado Rapids 1 : 5 RSL-Utah (July 8)

* USL Super Y-League U-17 Boys

RSL Arizona 1 : 2 RSL-Utah (July 6)

Colorado Rush 0 ; 2 RSL-Utah (July 7)

Colorado Rapids 3 : 2 RSL-Arizona (July 7)

Colorado Rapids 2 : 2 RSL-Utah (July 8)

Colorado Rush 3 : 3 RSL-Arizona (July 8)

* All games held at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO

RSL Rewind: Crew's Late Pair Downs RSL 2-0 in Columbus

Real Salt Lake could not slow down a hot Columbus Crew squad last Saturday, as Columbus FW Guillermo Barros Schelotto and MF Eddie Gaven scored four minutes apart in the final 15 minutes to give The Crew a 2-0 victory in front of 14,203 fans at Columbus Crew Stadium. The defeat extended the road winless streak of Real Salt Lake (1-7,6, 9 pts.) to 12 games, including all seven in 2007, while The Crew (5-4-7, 22 pts.) pushed their undefeated streak to six games (4-0-2) with the three-point result. Schelotto would score from the penalty spot in the 76th minute after substitute FW Andy Herron drew a foul in the area, while Gaven would tally the insurance goal in the 80th minute with a one-touch finish off an assist from FW Alejandro Moreno.

Real Salt Lake Schedule: July 10-17
All times and locations are subject to change.