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.
Name
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).[4][5]
The new team's name was initially met with mixed feelings, with the name being accused of contrivance.[6][7] 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.[8][9]
Real Salt Lake became the twelfth MLS franchise 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;[10] 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.[11]
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. [12][13]
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.[14]
The 2008 season saw the club begin to achieve successes, finishing with an even record and qualifying for the MLS Playoffs for the first time. The season additionally saw the opening of America First Field, a soccer-specific stadium for the club in Sandy. The club advanced past Chivas USA in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the New York Red Bulls in the Western Conference final.[15]
MLS and CONCACAF success (2009–2012)
The 2009 season saw the club post a near-perfect home record to propel itself into a playoff-qualification battle, won on the final day against the Colorado Rapids.[16][17] Seeded as the lowest Eastern Conference team (due to the playoff format of the time), RSL progressed through the playoffs to the 2009 MLS Cup, where they defeated the LA Galaxy in a penalty shootout to win their first championship.[18]
As defending champions, RSL proved to have its best season as a club in 2010, posting a 25 game unbeaten streak and home and zero losses at home on the way to a second-place finish in the MLS Supporters Shield standings.[19][20] Rimando finished as the league’s best goalkeeper, with Olave named as MLS Defender of the Year and newly acquired forward Álvaro Saborío establishing himself as a primary goal scorer. The group stages of the Champions League saw the club finish first.[21]
The remainder of the 2011 season saw an end to the home unbeaten streak at 29 games, but successful re-qualifications to both the playoffs and CONCACAF Champions League. This was followed by a second-place Western Conference finish in 2012, as well as a group-stage elimination in the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League.[22]
Hansen ownership (2013–2021)
In 2013, Checketts sold his stake in the club to minority owner Dell Loy Hansen.[23]The season saw the departure of key players Olave, Espindola, and Johnson; [24] however, the club garnered another second place Western Conference finish, as well as trips to both the 2013 MLS Cup and 2013 U.S. Open Cup final, where the team lost to Sporting Kansas City and D.C. United, respectively. Following the season, Kreis left the club to coach expansion side New York City FC, with assistant coach Jeff Cassar replacing him;[25][26] despite this, the club finished with a then-high points total of 56 points in 2014, qualifying for CONCACAF before being eliminated early in the playoffs.
2015 saw the departures of Borchers and Saborío, which led to the team failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2007.[27][28] A push to the quarterfinals of the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League helped contribute to a stronger 2016 season and brief return to the playoffs. However, this season saw even further departures, with Morales and Olave leaving the club following 2016.[29]
A poor start to the 2017 season saw Cassar dismissed as head coach,[30] with Mike Petke taking over the position in April – however, despite a late-season run, the team failed to make the playoffs.[31]2018 saw improvements on the field, as the club finished sixth in the conference led by strong performances from Albert Rusnák and Damir Kreilach. However, the season was primarily focused on the opening of the Real Academy and Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, which provided a new home for the club, the NWSL’s Utah Royals FC, reserve side Real Monarchs, and the club’s youth academies.[32]
2019 saw the final seasons of both Rimando and long-time defender Tony Beltran, both of whom retired following the end of the campaign. The club also saw the dismissal of head coach Petke on August 11, following an incident with match officials during the 2019 Leagues Cup. Initially named interim manager for the remainder of the season, assistant coach Freddy Juarez was eventually named as head coach following the season.[33][34]
The 2020 season, significantly shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, nonetheless saw announcement that Hansen would sell his stakes in Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals FC, and Real Monarchs following controversy over his past use of racist language.[35] Additionally, long-time club captain – and final remaining member of the 2009 MLS Cup winning side – Beckerman retired following the season's end, having played more regular season games than any outfield player in MLS history.[36]
Blitzer and Smith ownership (2022–2025)
RSL began the 2021 season with no defined ownership, with MLS controlling the process of sale to new ownership.[37] Despite a relatively strong start to the season, Juarez unexpectedly left as head coach on August 27 to become an assistant coach with Seattle Sounders FC, leaving his own assistant Pablo Mastroeni to see out the season as interim.[38] Under Mastroeni, the team made a late-season push to the playoffs, qualifying on the final day of the season through a stoppage-time goal by Kreilach to give RSL a win over Sporting Kansas City.[39] Despite barely qualifying, the team progressed to the conference finals for the first time since 2013 before being defeated by the Portland Timbers. This success led to Mastroeni being named permanent head coach following the season.[40]
On April 18, 2025, Miller Sports + Entertainment, led by former Utah Jazz owner Gail Miller, acquired a controlling interest in the franchise for $600 million, with Blitzer remaining as a minority owner.[43]
Colors and badge
The team's colors are claret red, cobalt blue, and real gold.[44][45]
After months of discussions an agreement was put in place and Real Salt Lake announced that they would move forward with the construction of Real Salt Lake Stadium.[49][50] The Debt Review Committee of Salt Lake County, however, voted against the stadium. 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.[51] However, a new stadium proposal was passed by the State Senate.[52][53][54] The Utah House approved House bill 1SHB38, approving $35million towards the development of Real Salt Lake's new home. The governor signed the bill.
The $110million stadium was built in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The stadium was named after its sponsor, Rio Tinto Group. The stadium opened on October 9, 2008.[55] In September 2022, Rio Tinto Stadium was renamed America First Field, with RSL and America First Credit Union announcing a naming rights deal.[56]
Leo the Lion at a "Meet the Players" event, August 2010
The main rival of Real Salt Lake is considered to be the Colorado Rapids, with the two teams being the closest to each other geographically, and also competing for the annual Rocky Mountain Cup.[57]
Although no annual trophy is involved, the club's more fierce rival has become Sporting Kansas City, initially born out of a 2011 preseason brawl[58] and developed after the teams met in MLS Cup 2013.[59] Since that time, the teams have regularly competed in the Western Conference. Many of the matches have been heated among longtime players who played for the two teams. Real Salt Lake has a record of 19 wins, 12 draws and 17 losses in all competitions against Sporting.[60]
Real Salt Lake has seven officially recognized supporters groups — Salt City United, Rogue Cavaliers Brigade, Section 26, Riot Brigade, La Barra Real, Section 11 ("The Swarm"), and Los Caballeros Reales — which as of 2019 all exist under a larger unified umbrella group known as The Riot.[63]
Leo the Lion is the official mascot of Real Salt Lake.[64]
Club anthem
In 2011, Branden Steineckert, drummer of punk band Rancid and a supporter of Real Salt Lake, composed the song "Believe" in honor of the club. Initially posted on YouTube, the song has since been adopted as the team's official anthem, being sung at the beginning of every home game, at the end of every home game if the result is a win, as well as after all goals scored by RSL.[65]
Revenue and profitability
As Real Salt Lake is a small-market team, one of the team's biggest challenges is bringing in enough revenue to remain competitive.[66] Opening Rio Tinto Stadium in October 2008 provided a significant revenue boost to the team. Real Salt Lake went from 4,000 season-ticket holders before October 2008, to 8,750 in 2012, 10,000 in 2013,[66] and 15,000+ in 2016.[67]
Sinclair Broadcast Group held television rights to Real Salt Lake games that were not aired by Major League Soccer's national television partners. The telecasts (which, until its discontinuation, were originally presented by Sinclair's American Sports Network) featured pre- and post-game coverage. Sinclair's Utah station KMYU served as the team's flagship station, and telecasts were syndicated to other Sinclair-owned stations in the region, and non-Sinclair stations in Albuquerque, Phoenix and Tucson.[75] In 2018, the team extended its television deal with Sinclair,[76] and announced a streaming partnership with KSL-TV, under which it offered in-market streaming of RSL's regional broadcasts, as well as their former sister club Utah Royals FC (NWSL) and reserve club Real Monarchs (then in the USL), on digital platforms.[77][78] In 2020, the team extended its television deal with Sinclair until 2022.[79]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Jason Kreis's number 9 was not worn by RSL players after the time of its retirement in 2011. However, in 2019, when the club decided to retire Javier Morales's number 11, Kreis pleaded with the club to recirculate his number 9. As a result, both number 9 and number 11 are still circulated numbers for the club. Kreis and Morales's names and numbers are "retired" and displayed prominently above the player's tunnel on the west concourse of America First Field.[83]
The reserve team of Real Salt Lake, named Real Monarchs SLC, was created on September 10, 2014, as a bridge between the club's academy program and the first level team. The team began play in the Western Conference of the United Soccer League during the 2015 season, playing their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium along with their parent team. Starting in 2018, the Monarchs will move to Zions Bank Stadium, a 5,000-seat facility located at RSL's new training center in Herriman.[86]
A women's soccer team, called Real Salt Lake Women, was founded in 2008. The team is currently a member of the Western Division of United Women's Soccer, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada, and plays its home games at Ute Field, on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
Real Salt Lake added a second women's team, this one in the top-level National Women's Soccer League, in November 2017.[87] This team effectively replaced FC Kansas City in the NWSL, as FC Kansas City soon folded and all of its player contracts were assigned to the new RSL franchise.[88] Shortly thereafter, the new team, which will share Rio Tinto Stadium, was unveiled as Utah Royals FC.[89]
Player records
Career
Players in Bold are still active
Only regular season matches played with Real Salt Lake counted towards all-time records. Stats from MLS play-offs, U.S. Open Cup, Super Liga and CONCACAF Champions league are not included.
↑ Butler, Dylan (September 28, 2019). "Rimando Way: Street outside Rio Tinto Stadium named for Real Salt Lake legendary goalkeeper". MLSSoccer.com. MLS Digital. Retrieved June 14, 2021. Nick Rimando has been a fixture for Real Salt Lake in his 13 years in Claret-and-Cobalt. So it's only fitting that the city of Sandy, Utah honored the legendary goalkeeper with his own street outside Rio Tinto Stadium.
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