Jam-Packed Week Starts with Wednesday Doubleheader Against Kansas City and Fiji National Team
Real Salt Lake will start a busy, four-match week this Wednesday, April 18, when the squad will host a U.S. Open Cup/Exhibition doubleheader at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The double-dip starts at 5:00 p.m. MT, when Real Salt Lake will start its march towards a spot in the 2007 edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a "play-in" contest against the Kansas City Wizards. The evening's nitecap will follow at 7:30 p.m. MT, when the RSL Reserves will face a stern test in an international friendly against the Fiji National Team. Tickets to Real Salt Lake's "two-for-one" night of soccer on 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.
Real Salt Lake enters Wednesday's match against Kansas City looking to improve upon a 1-2-0 record across its first two U.S. Open Cup appearances, its lone win in the competition coming in last year's Third Round via a 2-1 triumph over the Virginia Beach Mariners (USL First Division). Should Real Salt Lake advance past the Wizards, RSL will take on the Colorado Rapids - its ouster in the 2006 Open Cup - in a second "play-in" contest to take place prior to May 28. 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.
Following the Open Cup showdown against Kansas City, Real Salt Lake will continue its growing tradition of welcoming teams from around the globe when the RSL Reserves take on the national team of Fiji. The evening's second match will serve as the final game in the eight-game "Fiji Friendly Tour of the U.S.", sponsored by Paleo Technologies and the Fiji U.S. Sports and Social Association. Thus far, Fiji has garnered a 3-3-1 record against amateur, collegiate, USL First Division, and USL Premier Development League competition during the first seven games of the tour across California's Bay Area and Utah. For more information on the Fiji squad and its travels in the States, visit www.fijiussoccer.com.
Real Salt Lake Begins 2007 MLS Road Slate Saturday at Chivas USA
Real Salt Lake (0-0-2, 2 pts.) will get its first taste of the road in MLS play this season this Saturday, April 21, when the squad will travel to Southern California to take on its 2005 expansion-mate, Chivas USA (1-1-0, 3 pts.). Kick-off from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. is set for 8:30 p.m. MT, and fans can follow the action live over the airwaves on KALL-AM 700 "The Zone" (English) and KXTA-AM 1600 "La Bonita" (Spanish). The match will not be televised locally, but fans can follow the match via one of two pay-per-view options: online on MLSlive.tv, or via the MLS Direct Kick Package on DirecTV or Dish Network. Real Salt Lake will be looking to even up the all-time ledger against Chivas USA, as RSL enters Saturday's contest with a 2-3-3 record in its previous eight meetings against the SoCal-based squad.
RSL Reserves Begin 2007 Season Sunday at Chivas USA
Real Salt Lake's hectic schedule this week will conclude on Sunday morning, when RSL's MLS Reserve Division side will begin its 2007 campaign on the road against its counterparts from Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center at 11:00 a.m. MT (10:00 a.m. local). As in their first two seasons, the RSL Reserves will play a 12-game schedule in 2007, with six games to be contested both at home and on the road. The RSL Reserves made marked improvement during the 2006 season, the squad's 6-3-3 record and 21 points putting the team in a third-place tie alongside the Houston Dynamo in the single-table league. For a full list of the 2007 MLS Reserve Division schedule, visit www.RealSaltLake.com and click on the RESERVE DIVISION link on the left side of the page.
Tuesday's Training at Rice-Eccles Moved Back to 11:00 a.m. MT
Real Salt Lake has announced that the start-time for the team's scheduled training session on Tuesday, April 17 at Rice-Eccles Stadium has been pushed back one hour to 11:00 a.m. MT. RSL's practice/match schedule for the remainder of the week is listed below. Media are encouraged to call RSL Communications at 801-924-8584 to confirm practice times and locations.
Real Salt Lake Schedule: April 17-22, 2007:
All practices are open to media members. All times and locations are subject to change.
DAY/DATE SITE TIME (MT)
Tues., April 17 Training at Rice-Eccles Stadium 11:00 a.m.
Wed., April 18 Real Salt Lake Doubleheader
U.S. Open Cup: RSL vs. K.C. Wizards 5:00 p.m.
RSL Reserves vs. Fiji National Team 7:30 p.m.
Thurs., April 19 OFF DAY
Fri., April 20 Training at Rice-Eccles Stadium 10:00 a.m.
Depart for Los Angeles
Sat., April 21 Real Salt Lake at Chivas USA 8:30 p.m.
The Home Depot Center
Sun., April 22 MLS Reserves: RSL at Chivas USA 11:00 a.m.
Return to Salt Lake City
RSL Rewind: RSL Fit to be Tied Again After Scoreless Draw Against The Crew
Real Salt Lake settled for a draw for the second week in a row at Rice-Eccles Stadium last Saturday, this time fighting to a 0-0 stalemate against the Columbus Crew. RSL GK Nick Rimando recorded his first clean sheet with his new squad thanks to a five-save effort and solid work from the squad's back four, while RSL's 12-shot onslaught in the second half provided plenty of pressure but yielded nothing but close calls for Crew netminder Andy Gruenebaum, who recorded his second straight shutout to start the season.
Real Salt Lake to Visit Hill Air Force Base in Ogden on Tuesday Afternoon
The entire 2007 Real Salt Lake squad will head up to Hill Air Force Base on Tuesday, April 17, along with representatives from the Utah Jazz and Utah Blaze, to honor military members and civilian personnel for their service on behalf of our country. From 2:00-4:00 p.m. MT, RSL players and coaches will sign autographs and conduct skills clinics for base members and their families while appearing alongside members from the AFL's Blaze, the NBA's Jazz, and representatives from NuSkin.
Come Down to the KALL-AM 700 RSL Coaches Show Tuesday at Jerry Seiner's in Salt Lake City
The Tuesday tradition of the "Jerry Seiner RSL Coaches Show" on KALL-AM 700 "The Zone" will continue tomorrow, when MF Mehdi Ballouchy and DF Nik Besagno will join Head Coach John Ellinger for this week's installment. The radio voice of RSL, Bill Riley, will host the show on location at Jerry Seiner Downtown Salt Lake GM Dealership (1530 South 500 West in Salt Lake City) from 6:00-7:00 p.m. MT, and fans are encouraged to come down to Jerry Seiner's to ask their questions to the RSL trio in person.
Atiba Harris to Appear at Real Sports on Tuesday
Real Salt Lake FW Atiba Harris will be the latest RSL player to sign autographs at the team's brand-new merchandise location, the Real Sports kiosk at Fashion Place Mall in Murray, this Tuesday, April 17 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. MT. Fans heading out to Real Sports this week will see several new additions to the kiosk's merchandise selection, which include the 2007 edition of the authentic adidas RSL away jersey, featuring the team's new jersey sponsor, Xango, the men's official 2007 RSL team polo, and a limited-edition RSL woven blanket. In addition, Real Sports is also South Salt Lake's best destination to purchase tickets for all 2007 RSL home contests, with Corner Goal and Premium seat vouchers available at the kiosk until kick-off for all RSL matches.
