Weekly Update: United and more

Real Salt Lake Hosts Red-Hot D.C. United at Rice-Eccles on Saturday
Following back-to-back one-goal defeats to a pair of Western Conference cohorts late last week, Real Salt Lake (0-5-6, 6 pts.) will hope to rebound with its first win of the season this Saturday, June 23, but the task will be a tough one as a red-hot D.C. United (5-3-2, 17 pts.) will be making their lone visit of 2007 to the Wasatch Front. Kick-off for the match at Rice-Eccles Stadium, which will be broadcast live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel, is slated for 7:30 p.m. MT, and fans can also follow the action live on via KALL-AM 700 "The Zone" (English) and "La Bonita" KXTA-AM 1600 (Spanish). Tickets for the contest are available by visiting the club's official website, www.RealSaltLake.com, or by calling 801-924-8585.

Although Real Salt Lake trails its series with D.C. by a 1-2-1 margin, the Utah side achieved both its point-producing results last season: a 2-1 victory at Rice-Eccles on July 29 and a 1-1 draw on Sept. 9 at RFK Stadium. This weekend's encounter will be a tale of teams heading in opposite directions, as RSL will be looking to snap a 15-game regular season winless streak, while D.C. United enters the match undefeated in its last seven games, carding five wins and two ties after dropping its first three matches of the season.

RSL Reserves Back in Action Wednesday against New York Red Bulls
The Real Salt Lake Reserves (0-3-0, 0 pts.) will hit the field for the first time in a month this Wednesday, June 20, when the team will square off against the New York Red Bulls Reserves (3-1-0, 9 pts.) for a 10:00 a.m. MT kick-off at Quinn's Junction in Park City. The two sides were originally scheduled to play in early May, but a scheduling conflict for the Red Bulls forced the match's postponement. The RSL Reserves last played on May 21, when they fell 1-0 in a road defeat at FC Dallas. Wednesday's match will mark the RSL Reserves' lone contest in June, their next match coming on July 29, when they'll welcome their counterparts from the New England Revolution to Park City.

Freddy Adu and Chris Seitz Join U.S. Under-20 National Team in Advance of U-20 World Cup

A pair of Real Salt Lake's brightest young stars, MF Freddy Adu and GK Chris Seitz, departed the squad yesterday to join their U.S. Under-20 National Team mates for a final training camp in New Jersey in preparation for the upcoming FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada from June 30-July 22. USA head coach Thomas Rongen will hand the captain's armband for the tournament to Adu, who at 18 years of age will tie the record set by Saudi Arabia's Al Roomi when he makes his third appearance in a FIFA U-20 World Cup. Seitz, the U.S. U-20s' first-choice goalkeeper, has started five games for the team in 2007, leading the squad to a 3-1-1 record when he is in net and boasting a 0.60 goals against average in those contests. The 21-man U.S. side will train in Somerset, N.J. for the remainder of the week and play one last tune-up match against Chile this Saturday, June 23 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (10:00 a.m. MT/12:00 p.m. ET), before departing for Montreal. For more coverage on the build-up to the USA's sixth-straight appearance in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, visit www.ussoccer.com.

FW Chris Brown to Miss 2-3 Weeks with Hamstring Injury

Real Salt Lake announced today that FW Chris Brown will miss 2-3 weeks with a left hamstring strain. Brown, who scored both of RSL's goals in its 3-2 defeat Sunday at Los Angeles, suffered the injury in the 88th minute of the contest, which marked his first appearance in the starting XI in League play in 2007. The 30-year-old striker leads all active RSL players with three goals during MLS play this season.

RSL and CALLE Hit the Streets for 4v4 Tournament this Saturday at U of U

CALLE and Real Salt Lake have joined forces to host the First Annual 4v4 Street Soccer Tourney, to be held on the University of Utah campus in the LDS Institute Building's southeast parking lot (1780 E. South Campus Drive) this Saturday, June 23. Check-In for the tournament will begin at 8:30 a.m. MT, with the first set of games kicking off at 9:30 a.m. Teams participating in the tournament will receive a CALLE Primero soccer ball, six tickets to the RSL game that evening against D.C. United, tons of free giveaways, and a chance to mingle with Real Salt Lake players during the event.

Teams of 4-6 players can enter the tournament for a $150 entry fee. Only two days remain to put together a team, as registration must be completed by this Thursday, June 21, at 5:00 p.m. Teams can sign up by filling out an online form at www.tournament.callesoccer.com, or downloading a registration form at www.RealSaltLake.com and returning the completed form to the Real Salt Lake front office, located at 515 S. 700 East, Suite #2R in Salt Lake City. Proceeds from the 4v4 Street Soccer Tournament will go to RSL's community outreach program, "Kicks for Kids." For more information on the RSL-CALLE 4v4 Street Soccer Tourney, please email morgan@callesoccer.com.

Real Salt Lake to Host Everton FC and Boca Juniors Over Pioneer Day Weekend

Continuing its growing tradition of bringing a wide and varied selection of the world's best soccer clubs to Utah, Real Salt Lake has announced dates and times the MLS side will square off against a pair of international superpowers - English Premiership side Everton FC - featuring U.S. Men's National Team goalkeeper Tim Howard - and South American powerhouse Boca Juniors - in friendlies to be contested on Pioneer Day Weekend in late July. Real Salt Lake will host Everton, which finished sixth in the EPL in 2007, at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, July 21, for a 7:00 p.m. MT kickoff, and will welcome Boca Juniors to Salt Lake City just three days later on Tuesday, July 24, in a match slated to start at 8:00 p.m. and be followed by Utah's biggest and brightest Pioneer Day Fireworks show.

Tickets for each contest will go on sale to the public on Wednesday, June 20 at 10:00 a.m. MT and range from $30-$80. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Real Salt Lake offices at 801-924-8585 or by visiting the club's official website, www.RealSaltLake.com. Real Salt Lake Season Ticket Holders have both matches covered in their 2007 packages, with the Everton match representing "Ticket A" and the Boca Juniors match "Ticket C". Fans that wish to take in both contests can purchase a special ticket package that includes seats for both exhibitions at a discounted price and a complimentary ticket to one of three RSL regular season contests (August 18 vs. Chicago, Sept. 22 vs. Colorado, or Oct. 6 vs. Chivas USA):

* Package includes tickets to Everton FC match, Boca Juniors match, AND one of three RSL
regular season contests: August 18 vs. Chicago, Sept. 22 vs. Colorado, or Oct. 6 vs. Chivas USA

Real Salt Lake Schedule: June 20-24
All times and locations are subject to change. Please contact the RSL Communications Department at 801-924-8584 to confirm times, venues and media availability.

Real Sports to Host Pair of Players for Autograph Sessions Wednesday and Thursday

The series of Real Salt Lake signing sessions at the team's popular Real Sports kiosk at Fashion Place Mall (6191 S. State Street in Murray) will pick back up in full force this week, as a pair of players will sign autographs for shoppers on both Wednesday and Thursday evening from 6:00-7:00 p.m. On Wednesday night, "RSL Original" Kenny Cutler and DF Jack Stewart will be on hand to sign autographs and take photos with fans, while MF Mehdi Ballouchy and D/M Jean-Martial Kipré will do the honors on Thursday. While snagging signatures from the Real Salt Lake fab four, fans can check out some of the newest RSL apparel and also purchase tickets for any of the club's upcoming contests at Rice-Eccles Stadium, including Saturday's match against D.C. United.

Election 2007... Polls for 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game Close in One Week

Major League Soccer fans are invited to pick the 11 players they would like to see take on Scottish Premier League Champions Celtic FC in the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game. Official online balloting remains open at the league's official website, www.mlsnet.com, giving fans the chance to vote for the MLS All-Star First XI that will take on legendary Scottish side Celtic FC in this year's game. Among those in the running for a spot in MLS's starting squad are a dozen representatives from Real Salt Lake:

GK - Nick Rimando
GK - Chris Seitz
DF - Willis Forko
DF - Eddie Pope
DF - Jack Stewart
DF - Danny Torres
MF - Freddy Adu
MF - Mehdi Ballouchy
MF - Chris Klein
MF - Carey Talley
FW - Alecko Eskandarian
FW - Atiba Harris

Fans can vote for the All-Star First XI online at www.mlsnet.com by selecting up to one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders, and two forwards. Fans can vote up to 10 times per day. The online fan balloting program, which concludes next Monday, June 25, will comprise 25 percent of the total vote for the All-Star First XI, with coaches and general managers, players and media each holding 25 percent of the vote to combine for the remaining 75 percent.

Credential Applications for 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game Available Online

Media planning to cover the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game can now apply for media credentials online at http://sum.iwebreg.com/apply.

Credentials from previous MLS matches or other soccer events, including 2007 Colorado Rapids season credentials or 2007 MLS All-Stadium credentials will NOT grant access to this game. If you have applied for credentials for recent MLS / SUM events, you must login in to your account using your e-mail address and password. If you have forgotten your password please click on the option that states "Reset Password."

The 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game on July 19 will bring together the best MLS players for a marquee match-up versus Scottish powerhouse Celtic FC at Dick's Sporting Goods Park near Denver. The Colorado Rapids' new stadium is the centerpiece of a 24-field soccer complex in Commerce City, Colo., just 15 minutes from downtown Denver and the Denver airport. The game will be nationally televised live on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. MT.