SALT LAKE CITY - Real Salt Lake has announced that the squad will host a rare doubleheader of soccer at Rice-Eccles Stadium next Wednesday, April 18, when Utah's MLS side will take on a pair of opponents in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup/international friendly double-bill. The evening will start at 5:00 p.m. MT, when Real Salt Lake will look to advance in U.S. Open Cup play in a qualifying round contest against the Kansas City Wizards. RSL will then turn its attention to the Fiji National Team for the night's second contest, an international friendly that is slated for a 7:30 p.m. kick-off.
"Our fans are in for a treat on April 18," said RSL General Manager Steve Pastorino. "Our first doubleheader of the year features an important U.S. Open Cup play-in match against Kansas City, followed by an exhibition against the Fiji National Team that promises to be entertaining. It's always an honor to host a National Team, and we expect many members of the Pacific Islander countries to support their friends from the Fiji islands."
Tickets to Real Salt Lake's "two-for-one" night of soccer next Wednesday are available for $17-40 and can be purchased by calling (801) 924-8585 or visiting the club's official website, www.RealSaltLake.com. Tickets for the April 18 doubleheader are included in RSL's 2007 Season Ticket package.
Should Real Salt Lake advance past the Wizards, RSL will take on the Colorado Rapids - last year's Open Cup ouster of RSL - in a second qualifying contest to take place prior to May 28 (date TBA). For this year's 94th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, only eight MLS teams will qualify for the 40-team tournament competition - the top three teams in each conference from the 2006 regular season standings and the two remaining squads from the six-team qualifying process.
"This year is a new format for MLS teams in the Open Cup, and the pressure is on both us and Kansas City to be 'tournament-ready' earlier than ever before," said Pastorino. "We expect the Wizards to come out very motivated under new coach Curt Onalfo."
Following the Open Cup showdown against Kansas City, RSL will continue its growing tradition of taking on teams from around the globe when it hosts the national team of Fiji. The doubleheader's nitecap will serve as the final game in the eight-match "Fiji Friendly Tour of the U.S.", sponsored by Paleo Technologies and the Fiji U.S. Sports and Social Association. Thus far, Fiji has gone 1-2-1 during the first four of six games on the tour being played in California's Bay Area. The Fijians began the tour with a 1-1- draw against Santa Clara University and next dropped matches against the USL First Division's California Victory (2-3) and the University of California-Berkeley (1-3) before recording its first win against the Fiji U.S. All-Stars (2-0) on Sunday. Fiji will travel to Utah on Thursday for five days of training - including a match against BYU in Provo on Friday - before wrapping up the exhaustive schedule against RSL next Wednesday.
The current 19-day trip marks Fiji's first visit to the United States in 16 years and is seen as a major step in the country's preparations for the 2007 Pacific Games in Samoa in August and the start of the Oceania Football Confederation's World Cup Qualifying process this fall. Fiji placed 153rd in the latest FIFA world rankings but is improving under the direction of its new coach and Technical Director, Uruguayan Juan Carlos Buzzetti, who took the reigns of the squad last fall. Fiji's 22-man roster could be highlighted by its youngest member, 19-year-old forward Roy Krishna, who earned the Golden Boot in January's OFC U-20 World Cup Qualifying Tournament, his eight goals helping Fiji reach the final of the competition against eventual champion New Zealand.
Bingham and Riverton High Schools Kick-Off 2007 Cypress Credit Union RSL Pre-Game Soccer Series Saturday
Next Wednesday's twin-bill won't be the only doubleheader on the horizon, as the 2007 Cyprus Credit Union RSL Pre-Game Soccer Series will kick-off with a Utah High School Athletic Association tilt between Bingham H.S. and Riverton H.S. this Saturday, April 18, at 1:10 p.m. MT on the Rice-Eccles Stadium field. The match will preclude the MLS tilt between Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew, which is slated for a 4:00 p.m. start. Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the showdown between Region III rivals Bingham (4-2-1) and Riverton (6-1-0) are asked to contact a player or coach from either school's boys soccer squad, as portions of the proceeds sold through Bingham and Riverton will go to benefit each school's soccer program. For more information on the 2007 Cyprus Credit Union RSL Pre-Game Soccer Series, including on how your school can be a part of the action, please contact Steve Peterson, Logan Millard, or Chad Sackett in the RSL Soccer Community Marketing and Sales Department at 801-924-8585
