SALT LAKE CITY --
Real Salt Lake (6-10-5, 23 pts, T-5th West) looks to continue its push towards the MLS playoffs with a pair of games this week. RSL traveled to Columbus yesterday for a clash with the Crew on Wednesday (5:30 p.m. MT, FSN), then return home to face Western Conference foe Houston Dynamo on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium (7:30 p.m. MT, FSN).
RSL will look to re-focus on league play after an historic weekend for the entire franchise that featured a stadium announcement and groundbreaking Saturday morning in Sandy, followed by the long anticipated "XanGo Cup" Saturday evening at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
REAL SALT LAKE TO BUILD SOCCER STADIUM IN SANDY: Late Friday evening, RSL Owner David W. Checketts, speaking at La Caille in front of a small crowd made up of Real Salt Lake and Real Madrid officials along with their families, announced that after lengthy discussions with Salt Lake County government officials, the team was now prepared to move forward with plans to build a soccer specific stadium in Sandy, Utah. Checketts received a standing ovation from the group as he unveiled plans for a groundbreaking, to be attended by the entire Real Madrid roster, that took place the following morning at the site in Sandy where the 20,000 seat stadium will be erected. Real Madrid superstar midfielder David Beckham stood next to Checketts, Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan, Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon and Real Madrid Coach Fabio Capello as the group turned over the first pieces of land with gold shovels. Salt Lake City Mayor Ross "Rocky" Anderson, Utah Governor John M. Huntsman Jr., Speaker of the House Greg Curtis, along with Sports Capital Partner's Dean Howes, Mike McCarthy and Ken Muñoz also took place in the historic ceremony.
"The groundbreaking ceremony was one of the greatest moments I have ever experienced in my professional career," said Checketts. "The hospitality and grace showed by President Calderon and the Real Madrid players in being a part of the ceremony shows why they are viewed with such respect around the world. It has been a long process up to this point, and there is still a lot of work to be done, but I have extreme confidence in the government officials that have been involved in the discussions up to this point, and I feel strongly that with their support, the stadium dream will become a reality."
REAL MADRID TOPS REAL SALT LAKE IN "XANGO CUP": In front of a sold out Rice-Eccles Stadium, Real Salt Lake put on a solid showing against their more experienced namesake squad, but in the end it was the powerhouse team hailing from Madrid that came out on top 2-0.
45,511 fans were on hand to see RSL play a strong game against Madrid, particularly in the first half when it held possession with a conservative strategy and crisp passing. But the home team could not find the back of the net despite several solid scoring chances.
RSL put the ball on frame enough times to make Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas a little nervous, but the veteran World Cup Spanish goalkeeper was up to the challenge as he was able to keep RSL out of the net and record the clean sheet. The black spot on an otherwise well-played first half by RSL was a penalty kick goal for Madrid, scored by Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 45th minute. Madrid was awarded the penalty kick after RSL defender Willis Forko made slight contact with Antonio Cassano from behind inside the top of the penalty area.
RSL's chances of making a comeback took a major blow in the second half when RSL rookie Atiba Harris was sent off with a red card for a reckless challenge on Madrid's Sergio Ramos in the games 58th minute. Real Madrid took full advantage the rest of the way, placing eight shots on target in the second half, compared to one for RSL.
The games other goal came courtesy of a world class play by two world class players. In the 65th minute, Van Nistelrooy played a nifty back pass to Robinho, who sliced through the RSL defense and beat goalkeeper Jay Nolly far post.
The rest of the contest featured several substitutions on both sides, as Coach John Ellinger cleared his bench to allow his young players the chance to be on the field with some of the world's most recognizable soccer stars. Fans even had the treat of a Beckham free kick, even though the shot sailed wide in the games 84th minute.
"This was a night to remember," said RSL MF Chris Klein. "We wanted to play well, and we did. We wanted to be competitive, and we were. Of course we wanted to win, but I think that the pride and energy we brought to the field makes this loss a little easier to handle. These guys are known around the world as some of the best soccer players anywhere, and we showed that we could play with them. There is something to be said for that."
KSL BROADCAST OF "XANGO CUP" GARNERS 5.7 RATING: 45,511 people were lucky enough to be at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday for the "XanGo Cup", but that's nothing compared to the number of fans across the Wasatch Front who tuned into KSL for the TV broadcast of the game.
The match garnered a 5.7 rating, placing Saturday's game among the highest viewed sporting contests in Utah sports history.
"KSL is obviously very pleased with the 5.7 rating that the game on Saturday generated", said KSL Vice-President Steve Poulson. I think it just re-affirms in what we already knew: soccer is highly valued in this market, and Real Salt Lake continues to be a hot commodity. I look forward to continuing the partnership that has been established between KSL and Real Salt Lake."
BACK TO BUSINESS - RSL CONTINUES PUSH TOWARDS PLAYOFFS: Real Salt Lake continues its push towards the MLS playoffs with two league games on the schedule this week.
First, RSL will travel to Columbus for a clash with the Columbus Crew on Wednesday, August 16 (5:30 p.m. MT, FSN). Real Salt Lake will look to build on its current two-game winning streak and attempt to gain ground on idol Chivas USA, who currently sit seven points ahead of RSL in the race for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. RSL currently has a game in hand on Chivas, and with a victory on Wednesday RSL would pull within only four points of a playoff berth.
The Crew are in the midst of a seven game winless streak and are currently last in the Eastern Conference with a record of 4-10-8 (20 pts). Their -16 goal differential place them last in the league, with 16 goals scored and 32 goals allowed. In the Crew's last game, they were defeated handily by the Kansas City Wizards, 4-0.
RSL is fifth in MLS in total offense with 29 goals, and their goal differential of -1 places them sixth overall.
The second game for RSL this week takes place on Saturday, August 19th at Rice-Eccles Stadium (7:00 p.m. MT) as the Houston Dynamo roll into town for a critical Western Conference battle.
Houston currently sits in second place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 9-5-8, trailing conference leader FC Dallas by only four points. Their goal differential of +6 is third in all of MLS, and their 32 goals scored places them third in offense as well. Houston is coming off a 1-0 victory over Dallas, and are 2-1-1 in their last four games.
For tickets to Saturday's big Western Conference showdown, fans are encouraged to call 866-9-SOCCER.
CUNNINGHAM AWARDED FOUTH 2006 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD: Real Salt Lake forward Jeff Cunningham continued his torrid scoring pace by notching two goals and an assist to lead his team to a 4-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday, Aug. 9. Cunningham's performance earned him Player of the Week honors for Week 20. He has won the award four times this season including the past two in a row.
With two goals on Wednesday, Cunningham now has 13 on the season and is the league leader in goals scored. Chivas USA forward Ante Razov sits in second place with 12 goals. Cunningham has registered five goals and two assists in his last three regular season games.
Cunningham's double strike against the Rapids began in the 25th minute as he raced onto a long ball played by teammate Carey Talley. He received the ball, beat a defender and ripped a high, hard shot while on the run into the upper left corner of the goal. His second goal came in the 76th minute when he drew and converted a penalty kick to put Real Salt Lake up 3-0. Cunningham leads the league in multi-goal games with four this season.
Now in his ninth season in Major League Soccer, Cunningham has 87 career goals and 52 assists. He currently sits in 5th place in all-time goals scored only one behind retired forward Roy Lassiter. With 13 goals in 2006, Cunningham has already surpassed his 2005 scoring total of 12 goals when he was a member of the Colorado Rapids. He played one season in Colorado and was traded to Real Salt Lake in exchange for Clint Mathis.
The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association (PSRA).
FIDDLER'S ELBOW/SALT LAKE PIZZA AND PASTA TO HOST AWAY GAME WATCH PARTY: Fans from all across the Wasatch Front are invited to Fiddler's Elbow/Salt Lake Pizza and Pasta (1063 East, 2100 South) for an away game watch party this Wednesday, August 14th. Real Salt Lake staff and reserve players will be in attendance to watch as Real Salt Lake continues its push towards the 2006 MLS Playoffs in a critical battle against the Columbus Crew. The game can be seen live on Fox Rocky Mountain, and can be heard on Sports Radio 700 AM The Zone as well as La Bonita 1600 AM in Spanish. "First Kick", the pre-game show of Real Salt Lake with Spencer Checketts and Brian Dunseth that can be heard on Sports Radio 700 the Zone, will broadcast live from Fiddler's Elbow, starting at 4:30 p.m. MT, while the game itself is set for a 5:30 p.m. MT kick-off time.
2006 RSL TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE: RSL 2006 ticket packages are on sale and fans can now purchase full season, half season, the "High-Five" pack and flex season 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. Fans can also purchase single-game tickets by visiting the Utah Ticket Office at 451 South 1400 East, by logging onto www.UtahTickets.com or by contacting the Ticket Office at (801) 581-UTIX. Finally, fans can purchase The KFC Colonel's Corner $12 ticket voucher, the club's most affordable single-game ticket, by visiting any of the 36 KFC® restaurants in Utah.
MLS CAMPS: The Official Camp and Clinic of Major League Soccer is NOW the Official Camp & Clinic of Real Salt Lake! NEW for 2006, Fantasy Camp and focused Team Training experiences. To find out more about all of RSL's Youth Development Programs, call Scott Reynolds at (801) 924-8575 or by email at SReynolds@RealSaltLake.com. To partner with RSL to host MLS Camps in your community, call us today.
ACCESS REAL: Real fans can now receive up-to-date information on the team by signing up for the RSL Weekly Newsletter on our website at http://real.saltlake.mlsnet.com/MLS/rsl/fans/.
