Real Salt Lake is about to embark on a five-game road trip starting with Saturday’s first-place showdown with the Colorado Rapids (9 pm ET, MLS Live).
When they return, they’ll be playing on a new field.
For the first time in Rio Tinto Stadium’s eight-year history, the grass will be replaced and a brand new pitch will be ready to be unveiled for Real Salt Lake’s home game vs. the Portland Timbers on June 18.
"We're really confident that it will be good to go," RSL’s director of fields and grounds Dan Farnes told the Salt Lake Tribune this week. "Five weeks of grow-in is great to have, plus we're getting thicker sod. It's not just stuff you can go to Home Depot."
Farnes added that the replacement process, while standard, was accelerated when the field hit a rough patch in early 2014.
RSL begin their long road swing with a 5-1-2 record. They’re currently tied for first in the Western Conference with the Rapids.
