SALT LAKE CITY - Real Salt Lake General Manager Steve Pastorino and Head Coach John Ellinger continue to retool for the 2006 season with the announcement today that the team has acquired eight-year MLS veteran FW Jeff Cunningham in exchange for MF Clint Mathis.
"RSL looks forward to welcoming one of MLS' most lethal goal scorers into the lineup. Jeff's speed and guile will invigorate our attack - and all of our attacking players should benefit from the energy he brings," Pastorino said.</p>
Cunningham ranks seventh all-time in MLS history in goals (74) and shots (472); and second all-time in Game-Winning Goals (24) behind teammate Jason Kreis (30). Cunningham finished fourth in MLS during the 2005 season with 12 goals (and three assists) in 26 appearances for the Rapids. He also tallied one goal in the post-season. He was traded to Colorado from the Columbus Crew in exchange for the Rapid's First Round Pick in 2006 MLS SuperDraft on January 14. </p>
In 2005, the 29-year old was selected to the Sierra Mist MLS All-Stars for the first time in his career. He scored two goals against Fulham FC in the 4-1 win over the English Premier League squad on July 30 after coming on as a second half substitute for New England Revolution MF Clint Dempsey in the 68th minute. He was also named to the MLS Select Team that lost 5-0 to Real Madrid on August 23 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, appearing for 45 minutes.</p>
The Montego Bay, Jamaica native established himself as one of MLS' fastest and most dangerous strikers during his seven year career with the Crew. He is tied with Brian McBride as the all-time leading goal scorer in Crew history with 62 goals. He ranks second in Crew history with 43 assists in 182 games played. He also scored three goals and recorded five assists in 16 postseason games with Columbus.
Cunningham moved from Jamaica to the United States at the age of 14 and became a U.S. citizen on November 13, 2001. He was part of the U.S. Men's National Team that participated in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in France and participated in World Cup Qualifying match against Trinidad and Tobago on August 17. He has earned a total of nine caps in five years. He is expected to report into RSL's Training Camp on February 1, 2006, when the team begins its 2006 Preseason Training at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.</p>
Mathis was a mainstay in the midfield for RSL where he played in 27 games, all starts, tallying three goals and four assists for the expansion club. He joined RSL on January 6 making his return to the MLS after spending one year with Hannover 96 in the German Bundesliga.</p>
2005 REAL SALT LAKE HOLIDAY PACK: RSL fans who purchase one new season ticket package, two new mini-season packages or one new flex season ticket package will receive an official adidas RSL Beanie Cap. Stylish, these hats are great for those cold winter months to keep you warmed up about Real Salt Lake. All packages ordered before Tuesday, December 20 are guaranteed to arrive in time for the Holidays and will include a gift certificate to let your special someone know that they've just received the gift that keeps on giving: Real Salt Lake.
The RSL 2006 season ticket package features 20 games, including all 16 MLS regular season games, four special bonus games. Real Salt Lake's season ticket pricing remains level with the 2005 prices, and consists of Youth (15 and younger) and Adult in five price levels. Prices for the 2006 season ticket packages are $200 adult ($180 youth) for the North Goal, $300 adult ($240 youth) for the Corner Flag, $400 ($320 youth) for East Sideline, $500 ($400 youth) for VIP and $1,000 ($1,000 youth) Club seats.
The 2006 mini-plan features 10 games (to be announced once the MLS 2006 schedule is announced), including nine MLS regular-season games and one special bonus game. Real Salt Lake's mini-plan ticket pricing consists of Youth (15 and younger) and Adult in four price levels. Prices for the 2005 mini-plan season ticket packages are $130 adult ($110 youth) for the North Goal, $180 adult ($150) for the Corner Flag, $220 adult ($180 youth) for East Sideline and $300 adult ($230 youth) for VIP seats.
To add more options for fans, RSL is also offering the flex season ticket package, which is comprised of twenty vouchers of the same price category (North Goal, Corner Flag, Premium and VIP) that allows the purchaser to determine which games they would like to see in the regular reason and how many tickets needed for that game. Prices for the 2005 Flex Package are $280 for the North Goal, $340 for the Corner Flag, $440 for the East Sideline and $560 for the VIP seats. Tickets can be redeemed in the following way: one could use all the vouchers and bring 20 people to one game or 4 people could attend five games. Flex vouchers are discounted from the day of game pricing making it an even greater value.
All tickets can be purchased by visiting the RSL Ticket Office at 515 South 700 East, #2R, SLC, UT 84102, by logging onto www.RealSaltLake.com or by contacting the Real Salt Lake Ticket Office at (866) 9-SOCCER.
RENEWED SEASON TICKET HOLDERS GIFT PICKUP: RSL is in the spirit of giving and fans that have renewed their season tickets for the 2006 season can pick up their free gift, a copy of the 192 pages Major League Soccer: A Celebration of 10 Seasons coffee-table book. Fans need to stop by the RSL Offices located on the 2nd floor of the Trolley Square at 515 South 700 East by Friday, December 23 at 5:00 p.m. MT.
ACCESS REAL: Real fans can now receive up-to-date information on the team by signing up for the RSL Weekly Newsletter at the fans section of RealSaltLake.com.
