SALT LAKE CITY - Real Salt Lake (3-7-2, 11 pts., 5th West) returns home after Saturday's disappointing 2-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo (6-3-3, 21 pts., 2nd West) at Robertson Stadium in Houston. RSL will look to return to its winning ways this Saturday, June 24th at Rice Eccles Stadium in the first match of the 2006 MLS season against the New England Revolution (3-4-4, 13 pts, T-4th East). First Kick is at 7:00 p.m. MT, with Carnival Real opening at 6:00.
KREIS CLIMBS TO 104: RSL FW Jason Kreis converted a penalty kick in the 88th minute for his MLS All-Time Career Leading 104th goal after FW Atiba Harris was fouled in the penalty area by Houston DF Ryan Cochrane. Kreis, who scored the only RSL goal of the match, remains two goals ahead of D.C. United FW Jaime Moreno who sits at 102.
GARLICK STOPS PENALTY: RSL GK Scott Garlick was equal to the task in stopping a penalty kick in the 36th minute when Houston F Ronald Cerritos stepped up to the penalty spot and shot to Garlick's left. Garlick made an acrobatic save diving left to block the shot, however, Dynamo MF Brian Mullan beat two RSL defenders to the rebound to drive a shot past Garlick. The penalty kick was awarded after RSL DF Kenny Cutler was whistled for a foul on Dynamo MF Dwayne DeRosario in the penalty area.
RSL SIGNS GK NICK ARMINGTON TO DEVELOPMENTAL CONTRACT: RSL announced that GK Nick Armington was signed to a developmental contract and will take the third goalkeeping spot on the team roster. The 6-2, 180 lb. Armington is a product of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. where he anchored the defensive back line for the Ephs.
ATIBA HARRIS PROMOTED TO SENIOR ROSTER: In another roster move, RSL announced that St. Kitts & Nevis FW Atiba Harris has been promoted to the senior roster. Harris, who is in his first year with RSL has 2 goals in 9 MLS game with 5 starts. Harris was initially signed as a Discovery player to the Senior Developmental roster on March 9, 2006.
REAL SALT LAKE RESERVES DROP FIRST GAME OF 2006 MLS RESERVE SEASON:
The Real Salt Lake reserves dropped their first game of the season to the Houston Dynamo, 3-2, Sunday at Robertson Stadium.
Houston opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a MF Chris Wondolowski goal. After receiving a pass from F/M Marcus Storey, Chris Wondolowski made a great individual play down the right side of the field, taking a lone ball inside the box to put the Dynamo ahead 1-0.
Just 4 minutes later, Wondolowski struck again taking advantage of a loose ball inside the box, to beat RSL GK Jay Nolly to give the Dynamo a 2-0 lead going into halftime.
Two minutes into the second half, RSL DF Chris Brown played a ball to RSL F/M Ryan Johnson who finished the opportunity to half the lead at 2-1 in the 47th minute.
In the 53rd minute, Houston increased the margin to 3-2 when FW Julian Nash advanced the ball down the right flank, crossed the ball to Wondolowski, who finished the play for his first hat-trick of the season.
Real Salt Lake again reacted in the 62nd minute on a goal by DF Chris Brown from the left edge of the box from a MF Ryan Johnson assist.
With the first loss of the season, Real Salt Lake reserves dropped to (3-1-1, 10 pts.) while the Houston Dynamo reserves improved to (3-2-0, 9 pts.)
Scoring:
HOU - Chris Wondolowski (Marcus Storey) 14'
HOU - Chris Wondolowski (unassisted) 18'
RSL - Ryan Johnson (Chris Brown) 47'
HOU - Chris Wondolowski (Julian Nash) 53'
RSL - Chris Brown (Ryan Johnson) 62'
Cautions:
RSL - Atiba Harris 20'
HOU - Marcus Storey 24'
HOU - Patrick Ianni 36'
RSL - Adam Acosta 58'
HOU - Chris Wondolowski 79'
RSL - Julian Nash 88'
Real Salt Lake: Jay Nolly, Adam Acosta, Cameron Knowles, Nikolas Besagno (Ryan Martin, 59), Joey Worthen, Chris Brown, Kenny Cutler (Andy Williams, 45), Atiba Harris (Brian Gill, 45), Duke Hashimoto (Zindel Kellen, 71) Jamie Watson, Ryan Johnson.
Houston Dynamo: Zach Wells, Kelly Gray, Chris Aloisi, Patrick Ianni, Mike Chabala, Brian Farber, Mpho Moloi, Stuart Holden, Marcus Storey (Alex Woods, 59), Julian Nash, Chris Wondolowski.
Scoring Summary:
Team 1 2 T
Real Salt Lake 0 2 2
Houston Dynamo 2 1 3
Ejections: NONE
FIDDLER'S ELBOW/SL PIZZA & PASTA OPEN FOR BREAKFAST FOR US - GHANA GAME: Real Salt Lake invites Soccer Fans from across the Wasatch Front to Fiddlers Elbow/Salt Lake Pizza and Pasta for the upcoming, US vs. Ghana World Cup watch party. On Thursday at 7:00 a.m. MT, RSL and Fiddler's Elbow/Salt Lake Pizza and Pasta invite fans to come watch as the United States Men's National Team keeps its World Cup hopes alive against a Ghana team that downed the Czech Republic 2-0.
Doors will open at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast with a buffet at Fiddler's Elbow and the regular menu at Salt Lake Pizza & Pasta. The game is scheduled for a 7:55 a.m. start on ESPN.</p>
Fiddler's Elbow/Salt Lake Pizza & Pasta in Sugarhouse (1063 East 2100 South) is the new home for all RSL post-game and away game watch parties. Fans are invited to bring their families and friends to this new location to enjoy great food and watch your favorite soccer team, Real Salt Lake, in a casual, comfortable atmosphere surrounded by fellow RSL enthusiasts. Fiddler's Elbow is a tavern where you must be 21 to gain entrance, while Salt Lake Pizza and Pasta is a family friendly environment. The buildings are connected to each other and share the same ownership. </p>
RSL TRAINING SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK OF June 19, 2006:
All practices are open to media members. All times and locations are subject to change.
DAY/DATE SITE TIME (MT)
Tuesday, June 20 The Waterford School 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, May 21 Lakeside Park, Orem 10:00 a.m.
Thursday, June 22 Rice-Eccles Stadium 9:30 a.m.
Friday, June 23 Rice-Eccles Stadium 8:30 a.m.
Saturday, June 24 GAME vs. New England Revolution 7:00 p.m.
@ Rice-Eccles Stadium
¡FUTBOLITO! COMING TO SLC:
MLS ¡Futbolito!, the official 4v4 tournament of Major League Soccer makes a stop in Utah on Saturday, July 1, at the West Jordan Soccer Complex in West Jordan City (7930 South 4000 East). There are three divisions: Premier Adult, Adult Recreational and Youth age groups from Under-8 to Under-17. Each participant will receive one ticket to a Real Salt Lake game, an authentic MLS ¡Futbolito! t-shirt and the opportunity to win Panasonic and/or RadioShack prizes. There will be prize money given away to the first and second place teams in the Premier Adult division with the winners receiving $2,000 and the runner-ups receiving $1,000. RSL players will be on site meeting participants and signing autographs as well as a special appearance by an MLS veteran and Futbolito spokesperson. Advanced registration ends on Wednesday, June 28. To register and for more information, call (866) 965-7484 or log onto www.mlsfutbolito.com or e-mail info@MLSFutbolito.com.
Real Madrid Tickets: RSL Clients First!!!: You MUST be a Real Salt Lake Season Seat/Flex Plan Owner for the opportunity to purchase Real Madrid tickets. Those who are not currently one of the more than 6,000 RSL clients have two options: 1) Purchase a Real Salt Lake Flex Plan or 2) Bring a group of 100 or more to the Real Madrid game AND one additional Real Salt Lake regular season game. YOU MUST BE A REAL SALT LAKE CLIENT TO BUY TICKETS TO THIS HISTORIC EVENT! Call 866-9-SOCCER to become an RSL client today!!
TICKETING NOTE: Ticket vouchers (including KFC and flex vouchers) are good for regular season games ONLY and cannot be redeemed for Real Madrid Tickets. Thank you for your cooperation
FAN VOTING CONTINUES FOR THE 2006 SIERRA MIST ALL-STAR GAME VS. CHELSEA FC: Real Salt Lake fans are invited to vote for their favorite Real Salt Lake stars to face-off against English Premier League champion Chelsea FC in the 2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game. Official online balloting is now open at www.RealSaltLake.com or at the league's official website, www.mlsnet.com, giving fans the chance to vote for the MLS All-Star XI in this year's game.
The Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game will bring together the best MLS players for a marquee match-up with English powerhouse Chelsea FC on Aug. 5, 2006, in Chicago's handsome new soccer-specific stadium in Bridgeview, Ill. The game will be nationally televised live on ESPN at 4:30 p.m. MT.
Fans can vote for the All-Star XI online at www.RealSaltLake.com or www.mlsnet.com by selecting up to 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 Friday, July 7, will comprise 25 percent of the total vote for the All-Star XI, with coaches and general managers, players and media each holding 25 percent of the vote to combine for the remaining 75 percent. The following RSL players appear on the 2006 MLS All-Star ballot:
POSITION PLAYER
GK Scott Garlick
DF Eddie Pope
DF Chris Brown
DF Carey Talley
DF Danny Torres
MF Douglas Sequeira
MF Andy Williams
MF Chris Klein
MF Kenny Cutler
MF Mehdi Ballouchy
FW Jason Kreis
FW Jeff Cunningham
The coach of the MLS All-Star squad will be the coach of the MLS team with the best record, as decided by the most total points in League play, following games played on Monday, July 3. The standard MLS tiebreakers will determine the coach if two or more teams are tied. The All-Star XI will be announced on Wednesday, July 12. The MLS All-Star reserves will be announced on Friday, July 14. Five players will be selected as reserves by the head coach and the final two will be selected by MLS commissioner Don Garber.
This year's All-Star team will take on one of the world's top professional soccer clubs. Led by international soccer icons Frank Lampard, Arjen Robben, Hernan Crespo and Joe Cole, Chelsea FC is an all-star team of its own, and it has finished first in the prestigious English Premier League for two consecutive seasons.
This year marks the third time that MLS All-Stars have taken on a high-profile international opponent. In 2003 the MLS All-Stars defeated Mexican club CD Guadalajara 3-1, and in 2005 they stormed English opponents Fulham 4-1. The format of the Sierra Mist All-Star Game makes it the most competitive all-star competition in professional American sports.
2006 RSL TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE: RSL 2006 ticket packages are on sale and fans can now purchase full season, half season, the "High-Five" pack and flex season 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. Fans can also purchase single-game tickets 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. Finally, fans can purchase The KFC Colonel's Corner $12 ticket voucher, the club's most affordable single-game ticket, by visiting any of the 36 KFC® restaurants in Utah.
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 18 sessions, three days a week, and two and a half 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 two 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: The Official Camp and Clinic of Major League Soccer is NOW the Official Camp & Clinic of Real Salt Lake! NEW for 2006, Fantasy Camp and focused Team Training experiences. To find out more about all of RSL's Youth Development Programs, call Scott Reynolds at (801) 924-8575 or by email at SReynolds@RealSaltLake.com. To partner with RSL to host MLS Camps in your community, call us today.
ACCESS REAL: Real fans can now receive up-to-date information on the team by signing up for the RSL Weekly Newsletter at the fans section of RealSaltLake.com.
