The latest MLS soccer-specific venue, Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, UT, will be the home of Real Salt Lake. This is the seventh soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. designed for an MLS team...
The first, (Columbus) Crew Stadium, opened in 1999. There are currently soccer-specific MLS stadiums under construction for other teams; those will open in 2009 and 2010. The 2010 expansion team in Philadelphia has a planned soccer-specific venue, and whichever two cities are awarded the 2011 franchises, they will have similar soccer-specific venues, as this is a now basic requirement for new teams coming into the league.
At the moment, the only two teams planning long-term occupancy of NFL stadiums are the New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders FC. In these two cases, the MLS team owners are also at least part-owners of the venues (Gillette Stadium and Qwest Field), as well as owners of the NFL teams that occupy them (Patriots and Seahawks)...
Real Salt Lake have had their best year in 2008, since joining the league as a 2005 expansion team. They had been playing in the college football Rice-Eccles Stadium, and occasionally had crowds over 30,000 for marquee match-ups. Since RSL are currently holding down a playoff berth, it is likely that Rio Tinto - with a capacity of 20,145 - will be filled with fans for the foreseeable future. The estimated cost of the stadium is $115 million, a relative bargain compared with the larger MLB and NFL venues.
Thursday night's match is important for RSL, as it is for the visiting Red Bulls. Both teams will be eager to shore up their postseason positioning via this match. Here are some of the best articles, photos, and video on the stadium as appetizers...
ENJOY =)
RBNY @ REAL SALT LAKE, U.S. TV: ESPN 2 / ESPN Deportes
Kickoff: 8 pm MDT (10 pm EDT / 7 pm PDT)
Articles,
Press Release (naming rights announcement last week)
"Real Salt Lake christen Rio Tinto Stadium"
First XI: "Another grand opening"
Also, "Perfect Pitch: Inside the new Rio Tinto Stadium" (GOAL.com)
Local news previews: Salt Lake Tribune , Deseret News
VIDEO - Preview: 30-second TV spot
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