Real Salt Lake Renews Rocky Mountain Cup Rivalry under Friday Night Lights
After suffering back-to-back losses on the road, Real Salt Lake (7-8-6, 27 pts.; 2nd in Western Conference) will have plenty of motivation upon its return to Rice-Eccles Stadium this Friday, August 29, when the Utah side will welcome the Colorado Rapids (7-11-3, T-4th in West) in the second of three installments of the 2008 Rocky Mountain Cup series. The rare Friday night kick-off on the hill - which will mark RSL's lone home contest in 2008 in one of MLS's most heated rivalries - is slated for 7:00 p.m. MT, with gates and the popular Carnival Real festival area opening at 6:00 p.m. Tickets for Friday's contest can be purchased by calling the RSL offices at 801-924-8585, in person at the RSL office at 515 S. 700 East, Suite #2R (Trolley Corners building) in downtown Salt Lake City, or online by visiting
Real Salt Lake Ticket Center
. Fans that can't make it can follow the action live via RSL's official radio partners - KALL 700 Sports (with RSL First Kick pre-game coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m.) and "Ke Buena" 1600-AM.
Real Salt Lake is looking to retain the Rocky Mountain Cup after claiming it for the first time last season, but RSL currently trails this year's series after suffering a 2-0 defeat to the Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on May 15. While that defeat dropped RSL's career record against Colorado to 4-7-2, the Cobalt-and-Claret have an even 3-3-1 mark in the rivalry's last seven meetings and can draw even in the series at Rice-Eccles Stadium (2-3-1). RSL must win or draw on Friday in order to keep its 2008 chase for the Cup alive, with the two squads set to close out their respective campaign in Commerce City for a second straight year, this time on October 25. As if Real Salt Lake needs further motivation, this year's squad features four ex-Rapids in MF Kyle Beckerman, DF Nat Borchers, MF Clint Mathis, and DF Chris Wingert that will look to keep their former side from taking the Cup back across the Rockies.
Single-Game Tickets for October 9 & 18 Contests at Real Salt Lake Stadium on Sale in One Week
Real Salt Lake has announced that single-game tickets for the team's first-ever games at the new Real Salt Lake Stadium in Sandy on October 9 (v. New York Red Bulls) and October 18 (v. Chivas USA) will go on sale to the public next Tuesday, Sept. 2, beginning at 10:00 a.m. MT. Fans will be able to purchase seats for the historic dates at RSL's new home either online at
www.RSLstadium.com
and
www.RealSaltLake.com
or over the phone at 801-924-8585, or by visiting the RSL Front Office at the Trolley Corners building (515 S. 700 East, Suite 2R) in Salt Lake City. Single-game tickets for the final two home contests of the regular season are available for $18 (North Goal), $25 (Corner Flag), $30 (Lower Sideline), and $60 (Premium), with discounts in each section available for groups purchasing 20 seats or more.
Real Sports Update: Get Ready for Rocky Mountain Cup with 30% Off Sale
The Real Salt Lake Merchandise Department is helping fans get ready for this Friday's Rocky Mountain Cup clash against Colorado by holding a 30% off sale on all items at RSL Merchandise HQ in the Trolley Corners building (515 S. 700 East, Suite 2B-1) from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on Friday. In addition, fans heading to Rice-Eccles Stadium for that night's contest can pick up the Real Sports Item of the Game, a Real Salt Lake mini-soccer ball for just $10. For all your official RSL gear and merchandise needs, remember to visit the Real Sports kiosk at Valley Fair Mall (3601 S. 2700 West) in West Valley City, and don't forget to check out Real Sports' weekly online specials on the team's official blog,
Behind the Shield
.
RSL to Host Annual "Guns and Hoses" Match between Local Fire & Police on Friday
Real Salt Lake is proud to host the Salt Lake City Police Department, Salt Lake County Sheriff Department, Salt Lake City Fire Department, and United Fire Authority for the first "Guns and Hoses" match for charity, a 50-minute showdown that will take place at Rice-Eccles Stadium following Friday's night's Rocky Mountain Cup clash. A portion of tickets to Friday's RSL-Colorado match purchased through the "Guns and Hoses" groups will be donated to the University Health Care Burn Center camp program in Salt Lake City. Fire and police presence will be plenty at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Friday, with the groups displaying their police motorcycles and fire engines in the Carnival Real pre-game festival and distributing fire prevention safety information with the help of Sparky the Fire Fighter Mascot in Carnival; the United Fire Authority providing the evening's color guard presentation, and the groups warming up for the main event in a halftime mini-game. For information on how to purchase discounted tickets benefitting the first-ever "Guns and Hoses" charity match, please call Mitch Diaz in the RSL Front Office at 801-924-8555.
Eight Days Remain Until RSL's Friendly v. Mexico's U.A.N.L. Tigres
Only eight days remain until Real Salt Lake closes out its 2008 exhibition schedule at Rice-Eccles Stadium, as Utah's MLS side will play host to Mexican Primera División squad Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (U.A.N.L) - also known as Tigres - in an international friendly on Wednesday, Sept. 3. Kick-off for the RSL-Tigres contest at Rice-Eccles is slated for 8:00 p.m. MT, and tickets are available at all UTIX outlets, by phone at (801) 581-UTIX, and online at
www.utahtickets.com
. Tickets for the contest are $30 (Corner/Goal), $45 (Premium) and $60 (VIP), with a $5 discount in each seating area applicable to each ticket bought as part of a group of 20 or more. RSL Royal Club members should use "Bonus Ticket A" from their season ticket package. For more information on the RSL v. Tigres exhibition contest, please contact the Real Salt Lake Front Office at 801-924-8585 or visit
www.RealSaltLake.com
.
RSL Acquires FW Will Johnson from Chicago Fire
Real Salt Lake last Friday acquired 21-year old FW Will Johnson from the Chicago Fire in exchange for conditional SuperDraft picks in 2009 and 2011. Johnson, who joined RSL for the first time at training on Monday, fills Real Salt Lake's last remaining spot on its 28-man roster as a Senior roster addition. The Toronto-born Johnson - who holds dual Canadian and American citizenship - began his professional career in MLS with the Fire as a 17-year-old in 2005 before transferring to SC Heerenveen of the Dutch Eredivisie in 2006, where he spent the past two seasons, one of those on loan with another top division Dutch club, De Graafschap. During the 2007/08 seasons in Holland, Johnson scored three goals in 39 appearances, splitting time at forward, central midfield and as a right-sided midfielder. The young striker has also been a consistent member of Canada's national team system, representing the Maple Leafs on 40 occasions (3 goals) on their U-20, U-23, and Senior (3 caps) squads.
Johnson to Join KALL 700 Sports RSL Coach's Corner as Show Moves to Wednesdays
The KALL 700 Sports RSL Coach's Corner will call Wednesday evening home for the remainder of the 2008 season, and the newest member of the squad, FW Will Johnson, will help Head Coach Jason Kreis and the "Voice of RSL", Bill Riley, in kicking off the new Wednesday window tomorrow from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Fans can tune in tomorrow evening as the trio of Riley, Kreis & Johnson will focus on all things Real Salt Lake, including the team's recent road trip to Columbus, this Friday's pivotal Rocky Mountain Cup showdown, and any and all topics brought up by the fans over the phone lines. As always, fans far and wide are invited to participate in the show by dialing in to the KALL 700 Sports caller hotlines at 470-0700 (Utah County), 570-0700 (Salt Lake County), 670-0700 (Davis & Weber Counties), and 877-353-0700 (toll-free). If you're not in range of the 50,000-watt powerhouse that is KALL 700 Sports, no worries... RSL fans worldwide can visit
www.kall700sports.com
and click on the "LISTEN LIVE" link to catch the show.
RSL Welcomes SLC School District Students with Ticket Vouchers on First Day of School
For the fourth consecutive year, Real Salt Lake is rewarding every student attending the first day of school in the Salt Lake County School District with a free ticket voucher for an upcoming RSL game via its "Back to School" promotion. Real Salt Lake players helped to close today's first day of classes at 19 of the district's 36 schools by reading a public address announcement, thanking the students for their attendance and reminding them to use their vouchers to attend one of the final two RSL regular season games at Rice-Eccles Stadium, taking place this Friday, August 29 (Colorado Rapids) and Saturday, Sept. 20 (Chivas USA). Real Salt Lake and the Salt Lake City School District would like to thank Western Union, Workers Compensation Fund of Utah, and America First Credit Union for their support in this year's annual Back to School event.
RSL Reserves Update: RSL to Host Rapids in Saturday Morning Showdown
The Real Salt Lake Reserves (4-2-1, 13 pts.) will have the chance to jump back into a share of first-place in the Western Conference of the MLS Reserve Division this Saturday morning, when the squad will play host to the Colorado Rapids Reserves (2-2-2, 8 pts.) at the Quinn's Junction sports complex in Park City at 10:00 a.m. MT. As always, Real Salt Lake Reserve games at Quinn's Junction are free and open to the public, so bring your coffee, blankets, lawn chairs, and voices to support the squad against the archrival Rapids!
