RSL Welcomes Mexican Champs Santos Laguna for Wednesday's XanGo Cup 2008
Continuing its tradition of bringing world-class international competition to the State of Utah, Real Salt Lake again partners with XanGo for the third consecutive year to present XanGo Cup 2008. For this year's event, Real Salt Lake will welcome Mexican champion Club Santos Laguna to Rice-Eccles Stadium tomorrow, Wednesday, July 9, for an 8:00 p.m. MT kickoff. Fans are reminded that gates to Rice-Eccles Stadium and the popular Carnival Real pre-game festival will open an hour early tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. MT.
XanGo Cup 2008 tickets are now on sale and can be purchased 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 Returns to League Play Saturday against Columbus Crew
Real Salt Lake (5-6-5, 20 pts.) will look to push its home undefeated streak to double digits this Saturday, July 12, when Utah's side will play host to the resurgent Columbus Crew (8-4-3, 27 pts.) at Rice-Eccles Stadium for a 7:00 p.m. MT kick-off on the hill. Those fans that can't make it to Rice-Eccles on Saturday can catch the match live on high-definition network HDNet or on RSL's official radio partners - KALL 700 Sports (RSL First Kick pre-game coverage begins at 6:00 p.m.) and Ke Buena AM-1600.
Tickets are still available for Saturday's inter-conference affair and 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 www.RealSaltLake.com.
Real Salt Lake will be looking to post its first home win over "America's Hardest Working Team," with Salt Lake's lone win in its series with The Crew (1-4-1) coming at Crew Stadium on Aug. 16, 2006. RSL enters the weekend with a 0-2-1 mark at Rice-Eccles against Columbus, with RSL gaining its first home point in the series last April 14, via a scoreless draw in the second week of the '07 MLS campaign.
RSL U-17s Advance to Semifinals at Second Annual SUM U-17 Cup
Thanks to a pair of wins and a draw, the Real Salt Lake Under-17 Team has advanced through the group stage in the second annual SUM U-17 Cup over the July 4th weekend at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. The RSL U-17s - consisting of players from RSL's Utah, Arizona, and Florida youth development programs - got off to a strong start last Friday by defeating the LA Galaxy by a resounding 3-0 scoreline, courtesy of goals from Adrian Saldana (14'), James Rogers (48'), and Mike Hodgen (77'). RSL went on to draw the Columbus Crew 1-1 the following day (Rogers, 74') to set up a group-clinching contest on Monday against the New York Red Bulls, which RSL took 2-0 thanks to Rogers' third and fourth tallies of the tournament (46', 56'). After going 2-0-1 in the group stage, Real Salt Lake has advanced to the tonight's SUM U-17 Cup semifinal round, featuring D.C. United (3-0-0) against Chivas USA (2-0-1) at 5:30 p.m. MT and RSL against Toronto FC (3-0-0) in the night-cap at 7:00 p.m. MT.
The winner of tonight's semifinals will do battle in the championship match this Thursday, July 10, at 9:30 a.m. on the Dick's Sporting Goods Park Stadium field. The champion will take home the coveted SUM U-17 Cup and earns the opportunity to participate in the 2009 Trofeo Quixote U-17 tournament in Madrid, Spain. The second place team will gain entry into the prestigious Super Group in the 2009 Dallas Cup youth tournament in Frisco, Texas. The losing semifinalists will participate in the Dallas Cup U-19 group.
RSL to Welcome Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa for Annual Pioneer Day Event
Real Salt Lake has announced that the Utah side will continue its 2008 slate of international exhibitions on Wednesday, July 23, when RSL will play host to Central America's most successful side, Costa Rican powerhouse Deportivo Saprissa. Kick-off at Rice-Eccles Stadium for the annual Pioneer Day event, which will be followed by the traditional post-game fireworks extravaganza, is set for 8:00 p.m. MT. Tickets for the match are now on sale to the public and can be purchased at all UTIX outlets, by phone at (801) 581-UTIX, and online at www.utahtickets.com. Tickets for the contest reflect 2008 RSL regular-season pricing of $17 (North Goal), $19 (Corner Flag), $28 (Premium) and $40 (VIP). 2008 Royal Club members should use Bonus Ticket C in their season ticket packages for the match.
Saprissa is one of the most successful clubs in North America, having won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup three times - in 1993, 1995, and 2005 - while also owning the most final appearances in the CONCACAF Champions Cup thanks to four additional runners-up finishes. They have also won five Central American crowns in 1972, 1973, 1978, 1998, and 2003, as well as 27 Primera División de Costa Rica championships, by far the most of any team. Arguably their most notable moment came in 2005, as they became the first, and so far only, non-Mexican club in CONCACAF to take part in the FIFA Club World Cup, finishing in third place. The club's success has led to the Costa Rican press nicknaming the team El Monstruo Morado ("The Purple Monster"), a reference to their purple-colored playing kit.
Kreis Flying Solo Tonight on KALL 700 Sports' RSL Coach's Corner
The KALL 700 Sports RSL Coach's Corner will be "coach-intensive" this week, as RSL head coach Jason Kreis will be the lone guest alongside host Bill Riley for this evening's edition from 6:00-7:00 p.m. MT. Kreis and Riley will have plenty to talk about this evening, including recapping last Thursday's scoreless draw against Houston and looking ahead to Wednesday's XanGo Cup showdown against Santos Laguna and this weekend's visit to the Wasatch Front by the Columbus Crew. As always, RSL 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.
Real Salt Lake Schedule: July 9-13, 2008
Real Salt Lake's practice and match schedule for the remainder of the week is listed below. All RSL practices are open to members of the media and the general public unless otherwise noted, with media availability for all players and coaches to immediately follow each session. Those planning on attending any session can confirm the time and location of that day's training by contacting the RSL Communications Department at 801-924-8584.
Wednesday, July 9: XanGo Cup 2008: Real Salt Lake v. Club Santos Laguna (MEX)
• Rice-Eccles Stadium - 8:00 p.m. MT (gates open at 6:00 p.m.)
• TV: None
• Radio: KALL 700 Sports (RSL First Kick at 7:00 p.m.), Ke Buena 1600-AM
Thursday, July 10: OFF DAY
Friday, July 11: Training at Rice-Eccles Stadium at 9:30 a.m.
Saturday, July 12: Real Salt Lake v. Columbus Crew
• Rice-Eccles Stadium - 7:00 p.m. MT (gates open at 6:00 p.m.)
• TV: HDNet
• Radio: KALL 700 Sports (RSL First Kick at 6:00 p.m.), Ke Buena 1600-AM
Sunday, July 13: OFF DAY
Real Sports This Week: XanGo Cup T-Shirts, New RSL Hats Featured as "Items of the Game"
Two Real Salt Lake home contests means two different "Items of the Week," courtesy of the Real Salt Lake Merchandise Department, which is offering a limited-edition "XanGo Cup 2008" T-Shirt for $15 at Wednesday's RSL-Santos contest and two new RSL baseball caps for $20 apiece at Saturday's showdown against Columbus. To take advantage of the Item of the Game specials, or to purchase the latest in RSL gear and merchandise - including the adidas "Attacker" polo, RSL flags, RSL floor mats, and RSL "Fans Only" parking signs - fans can drop by either the Real Sports location at Valley Fair Mall (3601 S. 2700 West) in West Valley City, or the RSL Merchandise Office at the Trolley Corners Building (515 S. 700 East, Suite 2B-1). For any and all questions regarding RSL gear and products, please call the RSL Merchandise Office at 801-924-8572.
RSL Rewind: Tie Not Settled in Scoreless Draw with Dynamo
Real Salt Lake supplied plenty of excitement in its return to Rice-Eccles Stadium last Thursday against the Houston Dynamo, but the Utah side still had to settle for a point out of a 0-0 draw played in front of 17,898 fans. It was another stellar night for Real Salt Lake defensively, as GK Nick Rimando was able to collect his fourth clean sheet in RSL's last six contests, while his opposite number for the Dynamo, Pat Onstad, made three saves in keeping his third clean sheet of the campaign. With this past weekend's results, both clubs moved into a third-place tie in the tight Western Conference standings, the teams sitting just a point behind co-leaders Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy.
