Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake

Full name	Real Salt Lake
Nickname(s)	Claret and Cobalt, Royals, RSL, Real, La Realeza
Founded	2004
Stadium	Rio Tinto Stadium Sandy, Utah (capacity: 20,213)
Owner	Dell Loy Hansen
Head Coach	Jason Kreis
League	Major League Soccer
2012	Western Conference: 2nd Overall: 5rd Playoffs: Quarterfinals
Website	Club home page
Home colors Away colors
Current season

Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer (MLS). They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won the MLS Cup in 2009, and reached the final of the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League. The team's head coach is former United States international Jason Kreis.

History

Robbie Russell (in red) scored RSL's winning penalty kick in the 2009 MLS Cup Final

For more details on this topic, see History of Real Salt Lake.

Major League Soccer awarded an expansion franchise on July 14, 2004 to SCP Worldwide, headed by Dave Checketts. RSL became the twelfth MLS franchise and began play on April 2, 2005 in a match against the New York Metrostars. Future coach Jason Kreis became the first player in RSL history, coming in a trade from the Dallas Burn, and also scored the club’s first goal.

RSL’s first few years in MLS were marked by heavy losses and player turnover. Led by coach John Ellinger, the first season included a 10-match losing streak en route to a 5-22-5 inaugural season. RSL added veterans Clint Mathis, Eddie Pope, and Jeff Cunningham to these early teams.

In 2007, RSL Jason Kreis was hired as the new manager midseason and retired as an active player. Working with new General Manager Garth Lagerwey, RSL added several key players including Kyle Beckerman, Robbie Findley, Javier Morales, Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave. RSL advanced to the playoff for the first time in 2008.

See also: 2009 MLS Cup

RSL won the 2009 MLS Cup by defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy in the November 22 final at Qwest Field. RSL played the L.A. Galaxy to a 1–1 tie through overtime and won the MLS cup (5–4 on penalties) to complete the upset. Goalkeeper Nick Rimando was named Man of the Match.

In 2011, RSL became the first MLS team to ever reach the CONCACAF Champions League Final, losing to Monterrey 3-2.

In 2013, Real Salt Lake and Rio Tinto Stadium are under the full ownership of Dell Loy Hansen, a Salt Lake City real estate investor and formerly the club's minority owner. Hansen acquired full ownership from former owner and club creator Dave Checketts. The club traded key players Jonny Steele, Emiliano Bonfigli, Jámison Olave, Fabián Espíndola, and Will Johnson.

Colors and badge

The team's official colors are claret red, cobalt blue, and Real gold.

Kit evolution

Home, Away, and third Kits.

• Home

2005

2006–2007

2008–2009

2010–2011

2012-

• Away

2005

2006–2007

2008–2009

2010–2011

2012-

• Third/Special

2008

2010–2011

Stadium

Rio Tinto Stadium, RSL's home stadium since 2008

• Rice-Eccles Stadium; Salt Lake City, Utah (2005–2008)
• Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah (2008–present)

In 2005 a soccer-specific stadium for the team was approved for Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City. However, funding for the stadium was still hard to come by. A vote in early 2006 struck down a funding proposal for the stadium. However, Tom Dolan, the mayor of Sandy, said that he would not give up on his fight to approve the proposal in Sandy. The funding plan was revised, but was struck down later in 2006 over disagreements in the appropriation of millions of hotel-tax dollars for a financially unproven sports franchise. The proposal for Sandy was declared "dead" by Checketts at that point, putting the team's future in doubt. Dave Checketts said that he wanted the team to remain in Utah, but would sell it if a proposal was not put forward by August 12, 2006.

Parties from several cities, including Rochester, New York and St Louis, Missouri, expressed interest in purchasing the franchise and moving it. Other stadium sites in the area were also proposed, including the Utah State Fairgrounds in Salt Lake, and the tiny town of Vineyard, just west of Provo. Finally, on the very day Checketts had set as a deadline to have a stadium plan in place or decide to sell the team, and after months of up and down discussions with local municipalities, county, and state officials and a change in the funding structure, a tacit agreement between Checkets, Sandy City, and Salt Lake County was put in place, and Real Salt Lake announced that they would move forward with the construction of Real Salt Lake Stadium, which would ultimately be named Rio Tinto Stadium. The groundbreaking, coinciding with the Xango Cup, Real's match against international power Real Madrid, took place that afternoon featuring elected leaders, team officials, as well as the entire rosters of both Real Salt Lake and Real Madrid. On August 15, the deal was officially approved by the Salt Lake County Council.

The stadium plan encountered difficulties however after the Debt Review Committee of Salt Lake County voted against the stadium proposal 4–0 on January 26, 2007 citing what they saw as Real Salt Lake's financial inviability as the reasoning behind the lack of support. County mayor Corroon concurred with the DRC and the stadium plan was effectively killed on January 29, 2007. In response Real Salt Lake's owner announced the team would be sold and likely move out of the Salt Lake area after the 2007 season.

The Sandy Stadium proposal was not completely dead, however: a new stadium proposal was made on February 2, that would divert 15 percent, roughly $2 million a year, of the county's hotel taxes to the stadium project beginning in July until 2017. Such a deal would have to have been made by February 9, or the deal would have been completely off. The bill was passed by the State Senate.

After Governor Huntsman made a move that would allow the team to remain in Salt Lake County: the Utah House approved House bill 1SHB38, by a 48–24 margin, effectively approving $35 million towards the development of Real Salt Lake's new home. The governor was expected to sign the bill, and ultimately did so.

Sandy City, along with the state of Utah and representatives of the team, finally came to an agreement regarding the placement of the Real stadium. The deal was shot down about a week prior to the agreement by the Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon saying it was too risky. However, Utah's governor, Jon Huntsman, Jr. said that soccer was here to stay. The $110 million dollar stadium was built in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City. Rossetti's California office was the architecture firm responsible for the design of the new stadium. The stadium's opening date was set for October 9, 2008, when Real Salt Lake hosted the New York Red Bulls.

Club culture

Name

The title "Real" (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal]) is derived from the Spanish language where it is traditionally used by certain Spanish football clubs, the best known being Real Madrid of La Liga. Meaning "royal" in English, it is traditionally taken by teams that are given the title by the King of Spain whether through favoritism or otherwise. In 2006, Real Salt Lake established a relationship with Real Madrid, reinforcing the bond between the club and its Spanish inspiration.^{[citation needed]}

Dave Checketts and SCP Worldwide partners Dean Howes, Kenneth Munoz, Michael McCarthy, and Chris Bevilacqua chose Real Salt Lake for the team's name because they desired to associate the team with a successful soccer club, Real Madrid,^{[citation needed]} as well as to develop a brand that was clearly associated with association football.

The choice of Real Salt Lake was initially met with derision in the fan community, as many fans thought the name should more accurately reflect the Salt Lake area.^{[citation needed]} Other team names considered were Salt Lake City Highlanders, Salt Lake Soccer Club, Alliance Soccer Club and Union SLC. However, in recent years, criticism from local fans and the media has waned, and the club has instituted a formal relationship with Real Madrid.

Real Madrid and Youth Academy

As of September of the 2006 season, Real Salt Lake and Real Madrid have signed a 10-year co-operative agreement. Among the provisions of the deal are a biennial friendly match between the two teams to take place in Salt Lake City, annual February training for RSL at the Real Madrid practice facility in Spain, and, perhaps most importantly, the creation of a $25 million elite youth academy in SLC that will train up to 200 players from ages 12 to 18. The academy, a co-operative project for which Real Madrid will pay half the cost, will include academic facilities and dormitory housing, arguably becoming the first true soccer "youth system" in MLS. In this sense, it is part of a growing league-wide trend toward the emphasis of youth development, a trend which has been encouraged by the main office and jump-started by the league's decision to allow individual teams to maintain rights to the products of potential youth development systems.

Rivalries

RSL's major rivals are the Colorado Rapids, which it competes with for the annual Rocky Mountain Cup. With Major League Soccer's expansion in 2005, Real Salt Lake became the second team in the Rocky Mountain region and the Colorado Rapids' closest neighbor. The supporters of the two clubs created a competition between the two sides to foster and memorialize this budding rivalry. Colorado won the Rocky Mountain Cup in its inaugural year, 9 points to 3, and successfully defended the Cup in 2006 by a margin of 7 points to 4. Real Salt Lake won the Rocky Mountain Cup in the 2007 Season, 7 points to 4 points, and defended the cup successfully in 2008-2012.

The team also maintains a smaller rivalry with the Los Angeles Galaxy, whom they defeated in the 2009 MLS Cup and were runner-up to for the 2010 MLS Supporters Shield.

Supporters groups

Real Salt Lake has eight official supporters groups: The Loyalists, Rogue Cavaliers Brigade (RCB), Salt City United (SCU), Section 26, La Barra Real, Union de Real, The Royal Pride (TRP), and The Royal Army. Except for Section 26 and The Royal Army (which is dispersed throughout the stadium), all supporters groups sit in the south stands.

Mascot

Leo the Lion on his throne at a "Meet the Players" event, Aug 2010

Leo the Lion is the official mascot of Real Salt Lake.

Songs

The post-victory song was the Bob Marley anthem, "Iron Lion Zion". It was decided after an internal vote, because it fit the team's criteria for a celebration song. The team anthem is called "The Mighty R-E-A-L" and is performed by Indie rock group and Utah natives Meg & Dia.

In 2011, Branden Steineckert of the group Rancid, an avid RSL supporter, composed the song "Believe" for fans to sing as the new RSL song.^{[citation needed]} It is now played throughout the stadium after the kickoff, every RSL goal and an RSL victory.^{[citation needed]}

Sponsorship

On November 17, 2006, RSL announced a multi-million dollar jersey sponsorship deal with XanGo. Additional sponsors include JetBlue Airways and Kentucky Fried Chicken.^{[citation needed]}

Broadcasting

Radio broadcasts are on KALL AM 700 (English) and KTUB AM 1600 (Spanish). KTVX and KUCW are set to handle local television broadcasts for the 2012 season. With 10 games being broadcast on KTVX and 20 games on KUCW for the 2012 season. Bill Riley enters his eighth year as an RSL play-by-play personality on radio and TV, while 10-year MLS veteran and “RSL Original” Brian Dunseth assumes color analyst duties on RSL broadcasts for a seventh consecutive season.

Players and staff

Current roster

As of February 23, 2012.

No.	Position	Player	Nation
1	Goalkeeper	Fernández , EduardoEduardo Fernández (HGP)	Mexico
2	Defender	Beltran, TonyTony Beltran	United States
3	Defender	Watson-Siriboe , KwameKwame Watson-Siriboe	United States
4	Defender	Maund , AaronAaron Maund	United States
5	Midfielder	Beckerman, KyleKyle Beckerman (Captain)	United States
6	Defender	Borchers, NatNat Borchers	United States
7	Defender	Palmer , LovelLovel Palmer	Jamaica
8	Forward	Plata , JoaoJoao Plata	Ecuador
10	Forward	Findley , RobbieRobbie Findley	United States
11	Midfielder	Morales, JavierJavier Morales (DP)	Argentina
12	Midfielder	Grossman , ColeCole Grossman	United States
13	Forward	García, OlmesOlmes García	Colombia
14	Midfielder	Álvarez, YordanyYordany Álvarez	Cuba
15	Forward	Saborío, ÁlvaroÁlvaro Saborío (DP)	Costa Rica
16	Defender	Salcedo, CarlosCarlos Salcedo (HGP)	Mexico
17	Defender	Wingert, ChrisChris Wingert	United States
18	Goalkeeper	Rimando, NickNick Rimando	United States
20	Midfielder	Grabavoy, NedNed Grabavoy	United States
21	Midfielder	Gil, LuisLuis Gil (GA)	United States
22	Midfielder	Viana, DavidDavid Viana	Portugal
23	Midfielder	Stephenson, KhariKhari Stephenson	Jamaica
25	Defender	Balchan , RichRich Balchan	United States
26	Midfielder	Velásquez, SebastiánSebastián Velásquez	Colombia
27	Midfielder	Stertzer, JohnJohn Stertzer	United States
28	Defender	Schuler, ChrisChris Schuler	United States
29	Midfielder	Mansally, AbdoulieAbdoulie Mansally	Gambia
45	Goalkeeper	Saunders, JoshJosh Saunders	Puerto Rico
49	Forward	Sandoval, DevonDevon Sandoval	United States

Out on loan

As of February 23, 2012.

No.	Position	Player	Nation
19	Midfielder	Martínez, EnzoEnzo Martínez (GA; on loan to Carolina RailHawks)	Uruguay
24	Goalkeeper	Attinella, JeffJeff Attinella (on loan to Fort Lauderdale Strikers)	United States

Notable former players

This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

• Fabián Espíndola (2007–08), (2009–12)
• Yura Movsisyan (2007–09)
• Dipsy Selolwane (2005)
• Will Johnson (2008–12)
• Jámison Olave (2008–12)
• Douglas Sequeira (2006)
• Jafet Soto (2006)
• Daniel Torres (2006–07)
• Arturo Alvarez (2011)
• Gustavo Cabrera (2005)
• Jean Alexandre (2009–11)
• Ryan Johnson (2006)
• Robert Scarlett (2005)
• Andy Williams (2005–11)
• Melvin Tarley (2005–06)

• Leonardo Zamora (2006)
• Luis Tejada (2007)
• Atiba Harris (2006–07)
• Leslie Fitzpatrick (2005–06)
• Marlon Rojas (2005)
• Freddy Adu (2007)
• Jeff Cunningham (2006–07)
• Alecko Eskandarian (2007–08)
• Chris Klein (2006–07)
• Ritchie Kotschau (2007–08)
• Jason Kreis (2005–07)
• Clint Mathis (2005, 2008–09)
• Eddie Pope (2005–07)
• Robbie Russell (2008–11)

• See also All-time Real Salt Lake roster

Players With 100 Caps or more

• Only regular season matches counted towards all-time records. Stats from MLS play offs, U.S. Open Cup, Super Liga, and CONCACAF Champions league are not included.
• Updated as of April 21, 2013

Rank	Player	Nation	Caps	Goals	Years
1	Andy Williams	JAM	189	14	2005-2011
2	Nick Rimando	USA	181	0	2007-Present
3	Kyle Beckerman	USA	157	17	2007-Present
4	Chris Wingert	USA	153	1	2007-Present
5	Nat Borchers	USA	150	8	2008-Present
6	Javier Morales	ARG	131	20	2007-Present
7	Fabián Espíndola	ARG	125	35	2007-2012
8	Jámison Olave	COL	120	10	2008-2012
9	Tony Beltran	USA	117	0	2008-Present
10	Will Johnson	CAN	114	9	2008-2012
11	Robbie Findley	USA	102	30	2007-2010, 2013-Present
12	Ned Grabavoy	USA	100	3	2009-Present

Retired numbers

• 9 Jason Kreis Player/Head Coach.

Team captains

• Jason Kreis (2005–07)
• Eddie Pope (2007)
• Kyle Beckerman (2008–)

Head coaches

• John Ellinger (Jan 2005–May 2007)
• Jason Kreis (May 2007–present)

Honors

Rocky Mountain Cup 2011

MLS Cup

• Winners (1): 2009

MLS Eastern Conference

• Winners (Playoff) (1): 2009

Minor trophies

• Rocky Mountain Cup: (6) 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
• Carolina Challenge Cup: (1) 2009

Record

Main article: List of Real Salt Lake seasons

Year-by-year

Year	Regular Season	Playoffs	US Open Cup	CONCACAF Champions' League
2005	5th, West	Did not qualify	Third Round	Did not qualify
2006	6th, West	Did not qualify	Fourth Round	Did not qualify
2007	6th, West	Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2008	3rd, West	Semi-Finals	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2009	5th, West	Champions	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2010	2nd, West	Quarter-Finals	Did not qualify	Finals (2010–11)
2011	3rd, West	Semi-Finals	Quarter-Finals	Did not qualify (2011–12)
2012	2nd, West	Quarter-Finals	Third Round	Group Stage (2012–13)
2013				Did not qualify (2013–14)

Year-by-year stats

Year	League Record							Top Scorer
	P	W	L	D	F	A	GD	Pts	Name	G	S.S.
2005	32	5	22	5	30	65	-35	20	Jason Kreis	90	11/12
2006	32	10	13	9	45	49	-4	39	Jeff Cunningham	16	10/12
2007	30	6	15	9	31	45	-14	27	Chris Brown	50	12/13
2008	30	10	10	10	40	39	+1	40	Yura Movsisyan	70	7/14
2009	30	11	12	7	43	35	+8	40	Robbie Findley	12	8/15
2010	30	15	4	11	45	20	+25	56	Álvaro Saborío	12	2/16
2011	34	15	11	8	44	36	+8	53	Álvaro Saborío	11	3/18
2012	34	17	11	6	46	35	+11	57	Álvaro Saborío	17	5/19
2013	5	2	2	1	5	5	0	7	Álvaro Saborío	3	/19
Total	257	91	100	66	329	329	0	339	Álvaro Saborío	43

All-time regular season records

• Players in Bold are still active
• Only regular season matches counted towards all-time records. Stats from MLS play offs, U.S. Open Cup, Super Liga, and CONCACAF Champions league are not included.
• All stats are updated for all players as of April 21, 2013

Top scorers

Rank	Player	Nation	Goals	Caps	Years
1	Álvaro Saborío	CRC	43	87	2010-Present
2	Fabián Espíndola	ARG	35	125	2007-2012
3	Robbie Findley	USA	30	102	2007-2010,2013-Present
4	Javier Morales	ARG	21	131	2007-Present
5	Jeff Cunningham	JAM	19	38	2006-2007
6	Kyle Beckerman	USA	17	157	2007-Present
	Jason Kreis	USA	17	58	2005-2007
8	Yura Movsisyan	ARM	15	53	2007-2009
9	Andy Williams	JAM	14	189	2005-2011
10	Jámison Olave	COL	10	120	2008-2012

Active players who are close to breaking the top 10:

• Nat Borchers (8)

Assists

Rank	Player	Nation	Assist	Caps	Years
1	Javier Morales	ARG	44	131	2007-Present
2	Andy Williams	JAM	29	189	2005-2011
3	Kyle Beckerman	USA	22	157	2007-Present
4	Fabián Espíndola	ARG	17	125	2007-2012
5	Robbie Findley	USA	13	102	2007-2010, 2013-Present
6	Chris Wingert	USA	11	153	2007-Present
	Clint Mathis	USA	11	66	2005,2008-2007
	Jeff Cunningham	JAM	11	38	2006-2007
9	Álvaro Saborío	CRC	10	87	2010-Present
10	Robbie Russell	USA	9	78	2008-20011
	Carey Talley	USA	9	60	2006-2008
	Jason Kreis	USA	9	58	2005-2007
	Chris Klein	USA	9	43	2006-2007

Active players who are close to breaking the top 10:

• Ned Grabavoy(7)
• Tony Beltran(5)

Most Caps

Rank	Player	Nation	Caps	Goals	Years
1	Andy Williams	JAM	189	14	2005-2011
2	Nick Rimando	USA	181	0	2007-Present
3	Kyle Beckerman	USA	157	17	2007-Present
4	Chris Wingert	USA	153	1	2007-Present
5	Nat Borchers	USA	150	8	2008-Present
6	Javier Morales	ARG	131	20	2007-Present
7	Fabián Espíndola	ARG	125	35	2007-2012
8	Jámison Olave	COL	120	10	2008-2012
9	Tony Beltran	USA	117	0	2008-Present
10	Will Johnson	CAN	114	9	2008-2012

Active players who are close to breaking the top 10:

• Robbie Findley (102)
• Ned Grabavoy (100)
• Álvaro Saborío (87)

Shutouts

Rank	Player	Nation	Shutouts	Caps	Years
1	Nick Rimando	USA	65	181	2007–present
2	Scott Garlick	USA	4	31	2006-2007
	D.J. Countess	USA	4	27	2005
	Kyle Reynish	USA	4	8	2007–2012
5	Chris Seitz	USA	1	7	2007-2009

Active players who are close to breaking the top 10:

Other team records and honors

Hat tricks

• Jason Kreis: July 13, 2005 vs Minnesota Thunder (Loss 4-6)
• Robbie Findley: April 2, 2009 vs Columbus Crew (Win 4-1)
• Alvaro Saborio: July 7, 2012 vs Portland Timbers (Win 3-0)
• Alvaro Saborio: September 29, 2012 vs Chivas USA (Win 4-0)

International tournaments

• 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League

Group Stage v. Cruz Azul -- 3–1, 4–5

Group Stage v. Toronto FC -- 4–1, 1–1

Group Stage v. Árabe Unido -- 2–1, 3–2

Quarterfinals v. Columbus Crew -- 0–0, 4–1

Semifinals v. Deportivo Saprissa -- 2–0, 1–2

Finals v. Monterrey -- 2–2, 0–1

• 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League

Group Stage v. Tauro F.C. 2-0, 1-0

Group Stage v. C.S. Herediano 0-0, 0-1

Team records

• Total Games: Andy Williams - 189 (2005–2011)
• Career Goals: Álvaro Saborío - 43 (2010–present)
• Career Assists: Javier Morales - 43 (2007–present)
• Career Shutouts: Nick Rimando - 64 (2007–present)
• Single Season Goals: Álvaro Saborío - 17 (2012)
• Single Season Assists: Javier Morales - 15 (2008)
• Single Season Shutouts: Nick Rimando - 14 (2010)

MLS regular season only, through March 17, 2013

• All-Time regular season record: 90-99-66 (Through March 17, 2013)

MLS records

• Fewest goals allowed: 20 (previous record 23, Houston 2007)
• Overall goal difference: +25 (previous record +22, San Jose 2005 and D.C. United 2007)
• Home goal difference: +24 (previous record +23, Real Salt Lake 2009)
• Total home points (30-game season): 37 (previous record 35, Columbus 2009)
• Fewest home losses: 0 (equals previous record set by San Jose in 2005)
• Fewest home goals allowed: 7 (previous record 8, Colorado 2004)
• Longest home unbeaten streak in an MLS regular season: 29

Player awards

Awards given by MLS to Real Salt Lake players.

• 2006 "MLS Golden Boot" Jeff Cunningham
• 2009 "MLS Cup Most Valuable Player" Nick Rimando
• 2010 "MLS Defender of the Year" Jámison Olave
• 2010 "MLS Newcomer of the Year" Álvaro Saborío

MLS XI

• 2006 Jeff Cunningham
• 2010 Jámison Olave, Nat Borchers, Javier Morales
• 2011 Jámison Olave

Average attendance

Regular season / Play-offs

• 2005: 18,037 / missed Play-offs
• 2006: 16,366 / missed Play-offs
• 2007: 15,960 / missed Play-offs
• 2008: 16,179 / 17,364
• 2009: 16,375 / 11,499
• 2010: 17,095 / 19,324
• 2011: 17,594 / 17,067
• 2012: 19,153 / 19,657

External links

• Official website