SANDY, UTAH - Continuing its tradition of bringing world-class international competition to the State of Utah, Real Salt Lake again partners with XanGo for the fourth consecutive year to present XanGo Cup 2009. The latest rendition features legendary Mexican League side Club América against Utah's Major League Soccer side on Saturday, July 11 at Real Salt Lake's Rio Tinto Stadium home, with kickoff set for 6:00 p.m. MT. The game represents Real Salt Lake's 12th international exhibition game during its first five seasons, and the first at its spectacular new venue, Rio Tinto Stadium.
"The arrival of Club América as this summer's XanGo Cup participant continues the spectacular lineup of world-class soccer at Rio Tinto Stadium this year," said Real Salt Lake President Bill Manning, referring to the July 29 MLS All-Star Game featuring Everton FC (England) and the U.S. Men's World Cup Qualifier on Sept. 5 vs. El Salvador. "The tradition that XanGo and RSL have grown together annually through the XanGo Cup continues the storied progression of teams that have visited Utah."
Club América is the fourth Mexican opponent to visit Utah, joining Morelia (2005), Santos Laguna and Tigres (both 2008) in facing RSL since the advent of MLS on the Wasatch Front. All-time, RSL has posted a 5-4-2 mark against visiting international squads, with a perfectly even goal differential (15 goals for / 15 goals against). Club America joins some of the planet's most revered clubs in facing Real Salt Lake, as Spain's Real Madrid (2006), Argentina's Boca Juniors (2007) and this year's MLS All-Star opponent and English FA Cup runners-up, Everton FC (2007), have previously blazed the trail to Salt Lake.
"XanGo is proud to once again team with Real Salt Lake to create a world-class event in our home state," said XanGo Founder/Board Member Gordon Morton. "The XanGo Cup is a source of pride among XanGo's employees and our one million independent distributors, and with Club América - Mexico's most recognized club - visiting town, there will be special excitement at XanGo since Mexico has emerged as our largest market outside of the U.S. We hope RSL fans will fill the stadium to support our home town team and to welcome a worthy international competitor."
REAL SALT LAKE ALL-TIME VS. INTERNATIONAL OPPONENTS
Date  Opponent  Score  Result
June 8, 2005  Universidad Catolica (Chile)  3-2  W
Aug 24, 2005  Harbour View F.C. (Jamaica)  1-1  T
July 19, 2006  Monarcas Morelia (Mexico)  1-3  L
Aug 12, 2006  Real Madrid (Spain)  0-2  L
Apr 18, 2007 Fiji National Team 3-0 W
June 7, 2007 Chinese National Team 1-0 W
July 21, 2007 Everton F.C. (England) 2-0 W
July 24, 2007 Boca Juniors (Argentina) 1-1 T
July 9, 2008 Club Santos Laguna (Mexico) 1-4 L
July 23, 2008 Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica) 1-2 L
Sept. 3, 2008 U.A.N.L. (Tigres) (Mexico) 1-0 W
July 11, 2009 C.F. America (Mexico) 6:00 p.m. MT
- Denotes XanGo Cup contest
All Real Salt Lake season ticket holders are assured of their current seats for the July 11 contest vs. Club América and have the ability to purchase additional tickets at a discount. Tickets are now on sale to the general public via www.RioTintoStadium.com.
Ticket prices for the July 11 Real Salt Lake vs. Club América match begin at $18 (with the purchase of the 3-game "Comboleto" package, which includes the 2009 MLS All-Star Game and RSL's encounters versus Chivas USA on August 26 and the Chicago Fire on September 12). Club America stand-alone prices start at just $20 for Upper Deck seats and continue at $25 in the North and South Goals, $30 in the Corner Flag sections, $40 on the Lower Sidelines and $60 in the Front Row and Midfield areas. For more information, please visit www.RealSaltLake.com or www.RioTintoStadium.com.
Officially named Club de Fútbol América (or C.F. América), is based in Mexico City and owned by Emilio Azcárraga, who owns broadcasting corporation Televisa, making it the richest club in Mexico, and arguably the richest outside Europe. América and its rivals, Chivas de Guadalajara, share not only a long-standing rivalry but the distinction of being the two most successful teams in the Mexican first division - América with its 10 championships, behind Chivas and its 11. Meetings between the two, which have become known as Super Clásicos, are played at least twice a year and signal a national derby. Having never been relegated to the league's second division, they are the only two clubs to have been in the first division of the Mexican football league from the very beginning.
Despite not being the oldest Mexican club, América has achieved more international glory than any other club from Mexico, and is tied with FC Barcelona (Spain) and FC Bayern Munich (Germany) for the number of official international titles, with eight. América has more international titles that are recognized by FIFA than any other team from the CONCACAF region; two other Mexican clubs, Cruz Azul and Pachuca, follow with five each.
América's team mascot, as well as their nickname, is the eagle or Águila; it is flown around its Estadio Azteca home stadium during halftime. The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City is the only stadium in history to host two World Cup finals (1970 and 1986). The stadium was designed by Mexican architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, and was inaugurated on May 29, 1966, with a match between América and Italian power Torino, which was tied 2-2 before a capacity crowd of 120,000 spectators. Azteca Stadium is also the site in which Pelé, and Diego Maradona, considered the best football players of all time, lifted the World Cup trophy for the last time.
Rio Tinto Stadium opened in October 2008 in Sandy, Utah. The breathtaking venue will host the League's 14th annual MLS All-Star Game, one of the League's premier events, for the first time. The stadium is the seventh soccer-primary building to be built in the United States and first to open since the Colorado Rapids' Dicks Sporting Goods Park and Toronto FC's BMO Field opened in 2007. The Rapids' home was the site of the 2007 MLS All-Star Game while last year's MLS All-Star Game was hosted in downtown Toronto's BMO Field.
About XanGo A leading global nutrition company, XanGo, LLC is a recognized category creator as the first company to market a premium mangosteen beverage, XanGo® Juice, to consumers worldwide. XanGo continues to lead the category by driving the research, development and advancement of functional mangosteen products. It has expanded its roster of premium, functional products to include 3SIXTY5™, a whole food nutrition multi-vitamin, along with Glimpse™ Intuitive Skin Care. XanGo is privately owned and powered by a global network of nearly 1 million independent distributors in the U.S. and more than 20 international markets such as Canada, Mexico, Japan, Germany and Malaysia. For details, visit www.XanGo.com.
About Rio Tinto Stadium Rio Tinto Stadium is a state-of-the-art, sports and entertainment facility in Utah, providing a stunning new home for world-class events, one with breathtaking views of both the Oquirrh and Wasatch Mountain ranges. Rio Tinto Stadium opened its doors for the first time on Thursday, October 9, 2008, with Real Salt Lake Major League Soccer action televised before an international audience. The venue's first-ever concert event features legendary rockers the Eagles on May 9, 2009, with country music icon Kenny Chesney visiting the venue on July 23.
The Stadium, host of the 2009 MLS All-Star Game in late July and a United States Men's National Team FIFA World Cup Qualifier in early September, is a new class of venue in the Intermountain West, attracting events that would not otherwise visit Utah, bolstering the state's reputation as an international sports and entertainment destination. The diversity of events attracted to Rio Tinto Stadium brings significant media attention, positively impacts tourism efforts and creates numerous job opportunities on both permanent and seasonal bases. In March, 2008, the Stadium was recognized by Forbes.com as one of "10 New Super-Stadiums" in development worldwide.
Located in Sandy, Utah, at the heart of the Wasatch Front, Rio Tinto Stadium is conveniently accessed from major transportation arteries Interstate-15 as well State Street, between 9000 South and 9400 South. The venue resides just 15 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City and 25 minutes from SLC International Airport. The venue seats 20,008 people for various sporting events, including Real Salt Lake games, with capacity rising to 25,000 for concerts and other events. Stadium amenities include 32 luxury suites, a 2,000-square foot Stadium Club, 1,000 club seats, five locker rooms, a 60-foot Video Board, and ribbon LED boards on both the east and west fascia.
ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. MLS features many stars from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. MLS kicked off its 14th season this March, and features 15 teams each playing 30 regular season matches. They include Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Toronto FC and, in its inaugural season, Seattle Sounders FC. A Philadelphia expansion team will debut in 2010, while expansion teams in Vancouver and Portland will debut in 2011. For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official website at www.MLSnet.com.
