Real Salt Lake Kicks Off '08 Campaign Saturday v. Chicago Fire and Cuauhtémoc Blanco
The much-anticipated fourth season of Real Salt Lake soccer officially kicks off this Saturday, March 29, when RSL will play host to the Chicago Fire and 2007 MLS MVP finalist Cuauhtémoc Blanco at Rice-Eccles Stadium, with kick-off slated for 4:00 p.m. MT. Tickets for the season-opening contest are still available and can be purchased by calling the RSL Offices at 801-924-8585, in person at the RSL Office at 515 S. 700 East, Suite #2R (Trolley Corners building) in downtown Salt Lake City, or online by visiting www.RealSaltLake.com. Fans that can't make it to Rice-Eccles on Saturday afternoon can listen to the action live on KALL 700 Sports (pre-game coverage begins at 3:00 p.m. MT) and Ke Buena 1600 AM.
Real Salt Lake enters Saturday's fray against the Fire with a 1-4-1 record against Chicago, including a 1-2-0 mark at Rice-Eccles. Last season, the two sides dueled to a 0-0 draw at Toyota Park on May 27 before the Fire rode Blanco's "Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Year" winner and a late-game insurance tally by FW Paulo Wanchope to a 2-0 victory on the Wasatch Front on June 26.
Kenny Deuchar Coming Stateside on Thursday
It looks like "The Good Doctor" will soon be making house calls in Utah, as newly-acquired FW Kenny Deuchar is heading to Salt Lake City on Thursday after his work visa was approved in London this morning. The 27-year-old Deuchar met up with the Real Salt Lake squad for its two-week training camp in Argentina earlier this month, but was unavailable to join his new teammates in Salt Lake City following the trip until the proper paperwork was processed back in the United Kingdom. Deuchar is expected to be available for selection for Saturday's season opener at Rice-Eccles Stadium against the Chicago Fire.
RSL Rolls Toward Saturday's Season Opener during Fourth Annual Real Week
Real Week 2008 is in full swing leading up to this Saturday's season opener, and there are still plenty of events for RSL fans to take part in before MLS First Kick 2008 at Rice-Eccles. Following is the itinerary for the remainder of Real Week - fans with any questions regarding any of the events can call the RSL Front Office at 801-924-8585.
Tuesday, March 25
KALL 700 Sports RSL Coaches Show at RSL Stadium site (9256 S. State St.)
Join RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis, GK Chris Seitz, and KALL 700 Sports host Bill Riley this evening from 6:00-7:00 p.m. for the 2008 season debut of the RSL Coaches Show. Fans are invited to come down to the future home of RSL to ask their questions in person, purchase new '08 RSL gear at 30% off and take a tour of the Stadium site following the program.
Wednesday, March 26
"Show Your Colors" at The Gateway
Fans sporting their RSL gear at The Gateway shopping center on Wednesday afternoon from 12:00-1:00 p.m. will receive one complementary voucher to this Saturday's season opener against Chicago from roaming RSL "spies" during the lunch hour.
KFC Autograph Sessions
Skip lunch in the office or bring the family down for dinner on Wednesday, when fans can join RSL players and media partners KALL 700 Sports and Bustos Media at a pair of Salt Lake area KFC locations for autographs, '08 RSL merchandise, a live radio remote, and a good meal! MF Kyle Beckerman, FW Robbie Findley, and GK Nick Rimando will stop by the 3900 S. State Street KFC location from 1:15-3:15 p.m. MT, which will coincide with KALL 700 Sports' live remote of "Reality Check" with hosts Spencer Checketts and Frank Dolce. Afterwards, fans can hop on over to the KFC location at 2450 S. Redwood Road from 4:00-6:00 p.m. to snag even more signatures from RSL's South American quintet of MF Matias Cordoba, FW Fabian Espíndola, DF Matias Mantilla, MF Javier Morales, and DF Jamison Olave. Fans in attendance at both locations will also have the chance to get 30% off all RSL merchandise items to get ready for Saturday's opener.
Heart 2 Home Unveiling - approx. 5:00 p.m. in Taylorsville
A quartet of RSL defenders - Tony Beltran, David Horst, Ian Joy, and Chris Wingert - in addition to RSL mascot Leo the Lion will be on hand to present gifts to the Groves family of Taylorsville as they prepare to move into their new home currently being constructed by Utah's Heart 2 Home Foundation and their multitude of volunteers. RSL fans and the entire community are invited to attend the event and show their civic support at the unveiling event, taking place at 5:00 p.m. MT on the 4900 block of 2475 West in Taylorsville.
Thursday, March 27
"Movie Night" at Jordan Commons
Soccer and movie aficionados alike are invited to attend a movie screening at the Jordan Commons Megaplex theatres, located at 9400 S. State Street in Sandy, beginning at 7:00 p.m. MT. Real Salt Lake is still solidifying the film selection for that night's screening, but fans are invited to visit the team's official blog at www.RSLtotheCore.com on Wednesday for the announcement of the following evening's title. The event is free of charge, but seating is limited to a first-come, first-served basis.
Friday, March 28
Fan BBQ at Rice-Eccles Stadium
Come for the team and stay for the food on Friday, as RSL presents its second annual Fan BBQ at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Fans can attend the squad's open practice at Rice-Eccles beginning at 11:00 a.m. MT, and then stick around to enjoy some Famous Dave's BBQ and mingle with RSL players, coaches and front office staff beginning around 12:30 p.m. In addition, the RSL merchandise crew will be on hand to offer 30% off all officially-licensed RSL/adidas gear in advance of Saturday's match.
Saturday, March 29
RSL Supporters Group Pre-Game Tailgate Party
Get ready for First Kick 2008 by joining RSL supporters at their Pre-game Tailgate Party in the West Parking Lot at Rice-Eccles Stadium from 2:00-4:00 p.m. MT. RSL will be providing hamburgers, hot dogs and refreshments for the first 150 people, and Chipotle will also join in on the fun by providing free burritos, but you just never know who - or how many - may show up, so fans are encouraged to bring their tailgating materials and join in on the fun leading up to kick-off.
Get 30% off RSL Gear at Real Week Events before Saturday's Big Game
The Real Salt Lake Merchandise Department won't rest until every RSL fan is ready for the 2008 season, and RSL is helping out by taking the gear to the people during Real Week 2008 over the next five days. The new line of officially-licensed 2008 Real Salt Lake/adidas gear is now available, and fans can get a 30% discount off the new merchandise - including Adult and Youth jerseys, RSL mini and size 5 soccer balls, pre-game jerseys, half-zip jackets, scarves, watches, backpacks, and "Committed to the Core" Tee-Shirts - at the following Real Week events:
Tuesday, March 25: KALL 700 Sports RSL Coaches Show from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the RSL Stadium Site (9256 S. State Street) in Sandy
Wednesday, March 26: KFC Autograph Session from 1:15-3:15 p.m. at 3900 S. State St. location
Wednesday, March 26: KFC Autograph Session from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at 2450 S. Redwood Rd. location
Friday, March 28: RSL Practice & Fan BBQ at Rice-Eccles Stadium from 12:00-2:00 p.m. in Carnival Real (south plaza)
In addition, fans can drop by one of the three Real Sports kiosks throughout the Salt Lake area to pick up any of the above gear and tickets for all RSL home MLS contests at the discounted group rate. Real Sports kiosks are located at the following area malls: Fashion Place Mall (6161 S. State St. in Murray), Valley Fair Mall (3601 S. 2700 W. in West Valley City), and the Provo Towne Centre (1200 Towne Centre Blvd. in Provo). If you can't gear up for Saturday's game against Chicago, Real Sports invites you to scour this Sunday's local newspapers for a 30% off coupon good at all kiosks leading up to RSL's home contest against D.C. United on April 12.
If you can't make it to any of these locations or events you can still hold off until Saturday, as all RSL 2008 gear and a limited number of Cuauhtémoc Blanco Youth, Women, and Adult short- and long-sleeved Tee-Shirts will be available at the RSL Merchandise Stands at Rice-Eccles Stadium. While there, fans will want to grab the first "RSL Item of the Game" for the 2008 season, an RSL Fleece Blanket for only $35 (limited quantities will be available).
RSL's Olympic Trio Back in Salt Lake after Helping USA Qualify for Beijing Games
Real Salt Lake would like to congratulate the trio of FW Robbie Findley, GK Chris Seitz, and D/M Nathan Sturgis, all of whom played an integral role in helping the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing over the last two weeks. Seitz and Sturgis got starting nods for the USA in last Thursday's 3-0 semifinal win over Canada that secured the Stars-and-Stripes' spot in the Olympics, with Findley coming on in a late reserve role to help ice the match away. Findley and Sturgis would see the full 120 minutes in Sunday's CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Final against Honduras, which the U.S. lost in overtime by a 1-0 margin. All three players joined RSL for this morning's practice and will be available for selection in Saturday's season opener against the Chicago Fire at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
