RSL Looks to Conjure up Win against Kansas City Wizards on Saturday
After returning to the win column last weekend, Real Salt Lake (3-5-2, 11 pts.) will look to post back-to-back victories for the first time in 2008 this Saturday, June 7, when Utah's side welcomes the Kansas City Wizards (3-4-2, 11 pts.) for their lone visit to the Wasatch Front during the 2008 campaign. Gates at Rice-Eccles Stadium and the popular Carnival Real fan festival area will open at 6:00 p.m. MT on Saturday evening, and tickets for the 7:00 p.m. kick-off on the hill are still available and can be purchased by calling the RSL Offices at 801-924-8585, in person at the RSL Front Office at 515 S. 700 East, Suite #2R (Trolley Corners building) in downtown Salt Lake City, or online by visiting the "TICKETS" section of www.RealSaltLake.com.
Fans that can't make it to the match can tune in to RSL's official radio partners - KALL 700 Sports (English) and Ke Buena 1600 AM (Spanish) - with KALL 700 Sports' coverage beginning with RSL First Kick at 6:00 p.m. In addition, fans can watch the match as the action happens through the MLS Direct Kick (DIRECTV, DISH Network, & iN Demand) and MLSLIVE.tv (online) pay-per-view packages.
Real Salt Lake and Kansas City will bookend the month of June with their two scheduled meetings this season, with the return match at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan., coming on June 28. Real Salt Lake will have an opportunity to even up the all-time series against the Wizards, which RSL currently trails by a 2-3-1 margin. Real Salt Lake is 2-1-0 against Kansas City at Rice-Eccles Stadium, having picked up wins in each of the last two seasons (3-1 W on 8/29/07 and 2-1 W on 5/20/06) after dropping a 4-2 result in 2005 (8/13/05). In last year's RSL win at Rice-Eccles it was DF Matias Mantilla getting Salt Lake on the board early, as his header 40 seconds in started off the scoring, while MF Andy Williams' 55-yard laser in the 85th minute provided an entertaining insurance tally to secure the win for the home squad.
FW Robbie Findley Named MLS Player of the Week for Week 10
Real Salt Lake FW Robbie Findley was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 10 of the 2008 season on Monday. Findley was the catalyst for Real Salt Lake last Saturday at Rice-Eccles-Stadium, as his insertion just before halftime paid dividends after the break, as his 48th minute goal from distance started the night's scoring while his assist on MF Javier Morales' 60th minute game-winner paced the home side to a 3-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. This is the first Player of the Week award for the 22-year-old Findley, who became the first Real Salt Lake to earn the honor since former FW Jeff Cunningham garnered the award in Week 1 of the 2007 campaign for his two-goal effort on April 7, 2007, against FC Dallas. Findley was also the last Real Salt Lake player to earn a league-wide honor, as his breakaway finish in a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo on August 4, 2007, earned the Oregon State product the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week award.
The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from The North American Soccer Reporters (NASR). The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership information can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/.
Findley also up for Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Week Award
FW Robbie Findley can make it a clean sweep of this week's MLS hardware, as the RSL striker is also up for the Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Week honor for Week 10. Findley was nominated for his 48th minute, one-hop strike from 25 yards out last Saturday against San Jose, a goal that gave RSL a lead it would not relinquish en route to a 3-1 victory. To vote for Findley's strike, or to see his competition - which this week includes Conor Casey (Colorado), Brian Ching (Houston), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), and Kheli Dube (New England) - please visit www.MLSnet.com and click on the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week link.
RSL Stadium Seating Relocation Event Information Available at www.RSLstadium.com
Real Salt Lake invites current and future Royal Club members (season ticket holders) to visit www.RSLstadium.com for information leading up to the RSL Stadium Seating Relocation Event, taking place the week of June 23-27. The new stadium seating "micro-site" includes plenty of new information on the future home of Real Salt Lake, including a PDF version of the comprehensive RSL Relocation Guide, 2009 season ticket prices, a sneak peek at the Seats 3D virtual seat viewer, ways for prospective season ticket holders to secure their seats for the 2009 season, and much more. To see all the features and details, please visit www.RSLstadium.com.
MLS All-Star Online Voting Underway; Top 10 as of June 2 Revealed
Online voting for the 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game is underway and open on www.mlsnet.com and after approximately two weeks of votes being tallied, the dynamic LA Galaxy duo of Landon Donovan and David Beckham lead all vote getters, with the Chicago Fire's Cuauhtémoc Blanco not far behind. Beckham, Donovan and Blanco rank as the top three vote getters with players from three other sides - the Columbus Crew, Toronto FC and Houston Dynamo - rounding out the top ten.
Real Salt Lake fans, it's time to step up and cast your vote for the 12 eligible RSL players on this year's ballot! Fans can vote for the All-Star First XI online at www.mlsnet.com by selecting one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders, and two forwards. Fans can vote up to 10 times per day. The online fan balloting program, which concludes on Wednesday, July 2, will comprise 25 percent of the total vote for the All-Star First XI, with coaches and general managers, players, and media each holding 25 percent of the vote to combine for the remaining 75 percent. The MLS All-Star First XI will be announced on Thursday, July 10 and the All-Star Reserves and Commissioner's Selections will be announced on Tuesday, July 15.
Top 10 Vote Getters as of June 2 (Ranked by percentage of total votes received)
- David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy) - 5.00%
- Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) - 3.72%
- Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire) - 3.40%
- Amado Guevara (Toronto FC) - 2.13%
- Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew) - 2.04%
- Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew) - 2.00%
- Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo) - 1.98%
- Greg Sutton (Toronto FC) - 1.80%
- Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew) - 1.69%
- Maurice Edu (Toronto FC) - 1.66%
Real Salt Lake Schedule: June 4-8, 2008 (all times MDT)
All RSL practices are open to members of the media and the general public, with media availability for all players and coaches to immediately follow each session. Those planning on attending any session can confirm the time and location of that day's training by contacting the RSL Communications Department at 801-924-8584.
• Wednesday, June 4: Training at XanGo Field in Lehi - 9:30 a.m.
• Thursday, June 5: Training at Rice-Eccles Stadium - Time TBD
• Friday, June 6: Training at Rice-Eccles Stadium - 11:00 a.m.
• Saturday, June 7: Real Salt Lake v. Kansas City Wizards - Rice-Eccles Stadium - 7:00 p.m.
TV: MLS Direct Kick Package & MLSLIVE.tv (pay-per-view packages)
Radio: KALL 700 Sports and "Ke Buena" AM-1600
• Sunday, June 1: TBD
KALL 700 Sports RSL Coach's Corner Returns tonight with Kreis & Movsisyan
After a one-week hiatus, the KALL 700 Sports RSL Coach's Corner will return to the airwaves tonight from 6:00-7:00 p.m., featuring head coach Jason Kreis and FW Yura Movsisyan breaking down last weekend's victory against the San Jose Earthquakes and previewing Saturday's match against the Kansas City Wizards. With tonight's show originating from the KALL 700 Sports studios fans won't be able to ask their questions in person, but one and all can chime in with their questions on all things RSL by dialing in to the KALL 700 Sports caller hotlines at 470-0700 (Utah County), 570-0700 (Salt Lake County), 670-0700 (Davis & Weber Counties), and 877-353-0700 (toll-free).
Real Sports This Week: Everybody Wins with New RSL Ties!
The new Real Sports' Item of the Week can solve some shopping issues for the upcoming Father's Day, as the RSL Merchandise Department will unveil two new RSL neckties, designed by Buffalo Bay, this week. The pair of ties, available for $45 each, will be available along with several new items of RSL merchandise - including flags, floor mats, key chains, magnets, license plate frames, and "Fans Only" signs - and tickets for all upcoming RSL home contests at all three Real Sports kiosk locations: Fashion Place Mall (6161 S. State St. in Murray), Valley Fair Mall (3601 S. 2700 West in West Valley City), and Provo Towne Centre (1200 Town Centre Blvd. in Provo). The RSL ties and all officially-licensed RSL/adidas gear will also be available at Rice-Eccles Stadium during this Saturday's contest against the Kansas City Wizards.
RSL Rewind: RSL Returns Home with 3-1 Win over San Jose
Real Salt Lake used three unanswered goals in the second half to down the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 last Saturday evening in an MLS Western Conference affair in front of 15,977 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Real Salt Lake saw several quality chances go for naught in the first half thanks to stellar goalkeeping from Earthquakes GK Joe Cannon - including a 3rd minute penalty kick save against RSL MF Javier Morales - but FW Robbie Findley would get the scoring started for the home side just three minutes into the second half with a bouncing, 25-yard effort. On the hour mark it was Findley getting involved again, this time setting up Morales for his second tally of the year, while a penalty kick conversion from MF Dema Kovalenko in the 73rd minute would all but seal the deal for the home side. San Jose FW John Cunliffe would get a goal back for the Earthquakes in the 83rd minute, but it was too little, too late for the 'Quakes, who remain at the foot of the Western Conference standings with the loss.
