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Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2004, the club began play in 2005 as an expansion team.
The club plays its home games at America First Field (formerly known as Rio Tinto Stadium), a soccer-specific stadium located in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, Utah, which they shared with their sister team, Utah Royals FC. Before moving to America First Field, RSL previously played home games at Rice-Eccles Stadium, located on the campus of the University of Utah, from 2005 to 2007. The team is currently led by head coach Pablo Mastroeni.
In domestic soccer, Real Salt Lake won the 2009 MLS Cup, and they finished as runners-up in the Supporters Shield in 2010 and the 2013 editions of both the U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup. The club additionally finished runners-up in the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the first American club to do so during the tournament's group stage format. Their fully owned USL affiliate, Real Monarchs, won the USL Championship, the second division in American soccer, in 2019.
The Spanish title Real (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal]), meaning "royal" in English, has been used since the early 20th century by Spanish soccer clubs who have received royal patronage from a reigning monarch — most notably Madrid, Zaragoza, Betis and Sociedad. In choosing the name Real for the Salt Lake-based team, initial owner Dave Checketts intended to create a brand name that would become well-known for its simplicity, followed the European-style naming conventions of the league, and would potentially foster a partnership with Real Madrid — admired both because of their successful soccer history and close association with basketball (similar to Checketts' own history with Utah's NBA team).
The new team's name was initially met with mixed feelings, with the name being accused of contrivance. Other suggested team names, such as "Highlanders", "Salt Lake SC", or "Union SLC", were initially preferred for the club by locals. However, by at least 2014, reaction to the name had drastically improved, with the team establishing an identity representative of the Salt Lake community.
Real Salt Lake became the twelfth MLS team when Major League Soccer awarded an expansion franchise on July 14, 2004, to SCP Worldwide, headed by Dave Checketts. United States U-17's coach John Ellinger was named as the initial manager of the club, with forward Jason Kreis becoming the club’s first player. RSL began play on April 2, 2005, in a match against the MetroStars at Giants Stadium that ended as a scoreless draw; Kreis would score the team’s first ever goal the following game on the road against the LA Galaxy. The club’s first ever home match, and victory, would occur on April 16 in front of 25,287 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium, with defender Brian Dunseth securing a victory over Rocky Mountain Cup rival Colorado Rapids.
However, both the 2005 and 2006 seasons would prove to be relative disappointments for the club. Despite strong performances from key players Kreis, Eddie Pope, Andy Williams, and Jeff Cunningham, RSL would embark on a 10-game losing streak in the former and an 18-game winless run in the latter, finishing each season among the worst teams in the league.
The 2007 season began with the club making moves for veteran talent to build around, most notably bringing in goalkeeper Nick Rimando and midfielder Kyle Beckerman pre-season. However, following continued poor form, Ellinger was fired in May and unexpectedly replaced as head coach by Kreis, who immediately retired as a player to take the role.
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Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2004, the club began play in 2005 as an expansion team.
The club plays its home games at America First Field (formerly known as Rio Tinto Stadium), a soccer-specific stadium located in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, Utah, which they shared with their sister team, Utah Royals FC. Before moving to America First Field, RSL previously played home games at Rice-Eccles Stadium, located on the campus of the University of Utah, from 2005 to 2007. The team is currently led by head coach Pablo Mastroeni.
In domestic soccer, Real Salt Lake won the 2009 MLS Cup, and they finished as runners-up in the Supporters Shield in 2010 and the 2013 editions of both the U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup. The club additionally finished runners-up in the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the first American club to do so during the tournament's group stage format. Their fully owned USL affiliate, Real Monarchs, won the USL Championship, the second division in American soccer, in 2019.
The Spanish title Real (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal]), meaning "royal" in English, has been used since the early 20th century by Spanish soccer clubs who have received royal patronage from a reigning monarch — most notably Madrid, Zaragoza, Betis and Sociedad. In choosing the name Real for the Salt Lake-based team, initial owner Dave Checketts intended to create a brand name that would become well-known for its simplicity, followed the European-style naming conventions of the league, and would potentially foster a partnership with Real Madrid — admired both because of their successful soccer history and close association with basketball (similar to Checketts' own history with Utah's NBA team).
The new team's name was initially met with mixed feelings, with the name being accused of contrivance. Other suggested team names, such as "Highlanders", "Salt Lake SC", or "Union SLC", were initially preferred for the club by locals. However, by at least 2014, reaction to the name had drastically improved, with the team establishing an identity representative of the Salt Lake community.
Real Salt Lake became the twelfth MLS team when Major League Soccer awarded an expansion franchise on July 14, 2004, to SCP Worldwide, headed by Dave Checketts. United States U-17's coach John Ellinger was named as the initial manager of the club, with forward Jason Kreis becoming the club’s first player. RSL began play on April 2, 2005, in a match against the MetroStars at Giants Stadium that ended as a scoreless draw; Kreis would score the team’s first ever goal the following game on the road against the LA Galaxy. The club’s first ever home match, and victory, would occur on April 16 in front of 25,287 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium, with defender Brian Dunseth securing a victory over Rocky Mountain Cup rival Colorado Rapids.
However, both the 2005 and 2006 seasons would prove to be relative disappointments for the club. Despite strong performances from key players Kreis, Eddie Pope, Andy Williams, and Jeff Cunningham, RSL would embark on a 10-game losing streak in the former and an 18-game winless run in the latter, finishing each season among the worst teams in the league.
The 2007 season began with the club making moves for veteran talent to build around, most notably bringing in goalkeeper Nick Rimando and midfielder Kyle Beckerman pre-season. However, following continued poor form, Ellinger was fired in May and unexpectedly replaced as head coach by Kreis, who immediately retired as a player to take the role.