Real Salt Lake
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Real Salt Lake is a professional soccer club based in Salt Lake City, Utah that began playing in Major League Soccer in 2005. The team currently plays its home games at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The team name has nothing to do with the English word "real"; real in Spanish signifies "royal", and is bestowed on a number of clubs that play in Spain's First Division by the Spanish crown. The Salt Lake City club's owner, Dave Checketts, desired to attach his team to a successful soccer club, Real Madrid, as well as to develop a brand that clearly connoted 'soccer', leading to the choice of name.
Fan support for the name initially was not positive which was picked by an online survey, as rumors that the name would be Real Salt Lake were largely met with derision and pessimism. Many fans felt the name was boring and un-attractive. Many people felt the name should more accurately reflect the Salt Lake area, particularly as the city's other professional team, the Utah Jazz of the NBA, does not. However, in the past year there has been little criticism from the team's fans or the media.
Their first head coach is John Ellinger, former coach of the Under-17 United States national team and the head of USSF's Bradenton Academy.
Salt Lake City was formerly home to the USL Second Division's Utah Blitzz, who folded about the time Real Salt Lake formed. The Blitzz had won the USLSD's championship in their final year of existence.
Currently the club has three fan clubs known as The Loyalists, the Rogue Cavaliers Brigade (RCB) and The Jesters.
In 2005, the Rocky Mountain Cup was created in an effort to create some sort of rivalry right off the bat for the new franchise. The Cup goes to the team that wins the season series between the Colorado Rapids and RSL. The Colorado Rapids claimed the Rocky Mountain Cup in that inaugural season by winning the series 3–1. Even with the added excitement of the Cup competition, RSL's major rival quickly became fellow expansion team C.D. Chivas USA. This was due to the fiercely competitive physical play between the two teams (and perhaps also the fact that they both joined in the same year).
On July 13, 2006, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reported that MLS Commissioner Don Garber had confirmed that he expects Frank DuRoss, president of the Rochester Raging Rhinos to discuss a deal with Salt Lake that would move the franchise to Rochester. [link] Garber reiterated that he has always wanted to find a way to land a MLS team in the city and that this is one possible way to accomplish that goal. St. Louis was also named as a possible relocation spot for the team as RSL owner Dave Checketts also owns the NHL's St. Louis Blues and their arena.
Stadium
- Rice-Eccles Stadium (2005–current)
Current roster
As of May 31, 2006
- Source: http://real.saltlake.mlsnet.com/MLS/players/roster.jsp?club=rsl
Head coaches
- John Ellinger (2005—)
Notable players
- Jeff Cunningham (2006—)
- Scott Garlick (2006—)
- Chris Klein (2006—)
- Jason Kreis (2005—)
- Clint Mathis (2005)
- Eddie Pope (2005—)
Team records
- Games: Chris Brown, 29
- Goals: Jason Kreis, 9
- Assists: Jason Kreis and Clint Mathis, 4
- Shutouts: D.J. Countess, 4
Year-by-year
| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5th, West | Did not qualify | Third Round |
Average attendance
regular season/playoffs- 2005: 18,037/missed playoffs
References
External links
- [Real Salt Lake.com]
- [Real Salt Lake News and Information]
- [Rocky Mountain Cup Website]
- [The Loyalists Supporters Club]
- [The RCB Supporters Club]
- [The Unofficial RSL Audio Archive]
|
Eastern Conference Chicago Fire | Columbus Crew D.C. United | Kansas City Wizards New England Revolution | Red Bull New York |
Western Conference C.D. Chivas USA | Colorado Rapids FC Dallas | Houston Dynamo Los Angeles Galaxy | Real Salt Lake |
| Previous seasons | |
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| Historical teams | Future teams |
| Miami Fusion | San Jose Earthquakes | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Toronto FC |
| Miscellaneous | |
|
MLS Cup | All-Star Game | USSF | CSA | Central Division | U.S. Open Cup Supporter's Shield | MLS two-team Cups | Current Players | Foreign Players | MLS Drafts | |
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