PORTLAND, Ore. (Wednesday, February 8, 2017) – Real Salt Lake’s 2017 preseason continues Thursday in the Pacific Northwest, where RSL plays the first of three official preseason games planned over the next week as part of Portland Timbers Preseason Tournament, joining expansion side Minnesota United and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Kickoff between longtime Western Conference rivals RSL and Portland tomorrow from Providence Park is at 8:30 p.m. MT, with a live stream available for viewing onwww.RSL.com.
RSL GK Nick Rimando – Major League Soccer’s all-time leader in wins (183), shutouts (129), games (424), starts (also 424) and minutes (38,313) – has returned to the Claret-and-Cobalt fold this week after earning a clean sheet on Jan. 28 for the United States, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 0 : 0 USA draw with Serbia, including two saves in the final 20 minutes. The start under new U.S. manager Bruce Arena’s was Rimando’s first since April 15, 2015 against Mexico; Rimando did not appear in the final USA friendly last Friday against Jamaica, a 1 : 1 draw that featured another RSL player – MF Omar Holness – who played the final 34 minutes for the “Reggae Boyz” in his most recent international call.
RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar’s current roster boasts the return of nine of 11 starters and a core of 16 players overall from last year’s side, which qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. Eleven new players arrive for 2017, including highly-touted offseason signings Albert Rusnák, Luis Silva, homegrown signing Jose Hernandez and MLS veterans Chad Barrett and David Horst. RSL’s 2017 roster combines four players – Rimando, Captain Kyle Beckerman, DF Tony Beltran and DF Chris Wingert – who are in their 10th or 11th seasons with the club, along with eight players who have matriculated to the MLS side from the club’s Academy.
Thursday night’s 8:30 p.m. MT kickoff against the Timbers is the third of at least six live streams in this 2017 Real Salt Lake preseason, the club’s 13th in Major League Soccer. (please request 2017 media accreditation by clicking on the following link -http://www.rsl.com/rsl-season-credential-application - for photo/media passes to RSL and Monarchs games at Rio Tinto Stadium)
REAL SALT LAKE 2017 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Preseason Segment #1 – Casa Grande / Tucson, AZ
Tuesday, Jan. 31 – RSL 1 : 0 NY Red Bulls – Allen 83’ (Velazco) – ARCHIVED on RSL.com
Friday, Feb. 3 – RSL 1 : 1 San Jose – OG 18’ (Bernardez) – ARCHIVED on RSL.com
Preseason Segment #2 – Portland Timbers Preseason Tournament @ Portland, OR
Thursday, Feb. 9 – RSL vs. Portland Timbers – 8:30 p.m. MT – LIVE on RSL.com
Sunday, Feb. 12 – RSL vs. Vancouver Whitecaps – 3:30 p.m. MT – LIVE on RSL.com
Wednesday, Feb. 15 – RSL vs. Minnesota United FC – 6:00 p.m. MT – LIVE on RSL.com
Thursday, Feb. 16 – Return to Utah
Preseason Segment #3 – Southern California
Sunday, Feb. 19 – Travel from SLC to Irvine, Calif.
Tuesday, Feb. 21 – RSL v. LA Galaxy at Carson, Calif. – time TBD – LIVE on RSL.com
Friday, Feb. 24 – RSL v. Alashkert (Armenian Premier League Champion) – time/site/stream TBD
Saturday, Feb. 25 – Return to Utah
Sat., March 4 – RSL v. Toronto FC – 2:30 p.m. MT – 2017 MLS Opening Weekend
A quartet of RSL players who spent late January in Casa Grande, Ariz. – DF Justen Glad, DF Danilo Acosta, M/F Sebastian Saucedo, along with the club’s most recent signing, FW Brooks Lennon – departed Arizona mid-camp for Orlando, Fla., to join the United States’ U-20 side, prior to the late February CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament for this Summer’s FIFA World Youth Championships. The U.S. seeks qualification out of a regional group that includes Panama, St. Kitts, and Haiti, with the games played in Costa Rica on Sat., Feb. 18 (U.S. v. Panama, 2:00 p.m. MT), Tues., Feb. 21 (U.S. v. Haiti, 3:30 p.m. MT) and Fri., Feb. 24 (U.S. v. St. Kitts & Nevis, 3:30 p.m. MT).
A group of 10 Real Monarchs players along with several members of the USL club’s technical staff – including new Head Coach Mike Petke and Assistants Mark Briggs and Matt Glaeser – spent the Arizona portion of preseason with RSL, prior to the USL club’s Feb. 11 training camp report date in Sandy, UT. The Monarchs 2017 USL schedule was released last week; please visitwww.RSL.com/Monarchs for dates, times, opponents and ticket information for the club’s third USL campaign, which kicks off at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, April 1.
Former RSL and Real Monarchs FW Emery Welshman joined the club in Tucson last week as a trialist, the former Oregon State Beaver continuing with the club this month in Portland. As one the Monarchs’ most dangerous attacking threats in 2015 (six goals in 19 appearances) suffered a series of injuries last year after earning an MLS contract, preventing the 16th overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto from playing last year.
For up-to-date news, information and compelling video content from RSL’s preseason, please visitwww.RSL.com regularly in the run-up to the club’s March 4 season opener at Rio Tinto Stadium against Toronto FC (2:30 p.m. MT kickoff).
Season Tickets for both Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs' 2017 campaigns are now on sale; please visitwww.RSL.com/tickets/royaltyor call 844.Real.Tix for more information, including “Crown Club” discounts for those who pledge loyalty to both Claret-and-Cobalt professional sides. The Rio Tinto Stadium box office is open Mon.-Fri., 10a-6p; more information can be found online atwww.RSL.com/Tickets. Current or interested RSL Royalty Season Ticket Members can purchase extra tickets at preferred pricing or gain assistance via the Fan Relations Hotline at 801-727-2702.
Coming in late Summer, 2017, the Real Monarchs / RSL training center opens in Herriman, Utah, approximately 20 minutes southwest of Rio Tinto Stadium. The $60 million facility will serve as the daily training home beginning in 2018 for both of the club's professional teams – RSL (MLS) and Real Monarchs (USL) – while centralizing the club's U-18, U-16 and future U-14 development academy youth selections. The Herriman facility will provide adjacencies for an on-site charter school opening this Fall, with STEM disciplines (Science/Technology/Engineering/Math) for nearly 300 boys and girls.
In mid-November in North Logan, Utah, RSL Owner Dell Loy Hansen broke ground on the first of a half-dozen regional training centers across Utah and Arizona to be built in the next 2-3 years. Each $5 million RTC houses a classroom, as well as an indoor and outdoor field, dedicated to fulfilling a curriculum dedicated to the club's vision and mission for youth soccer training and education, and the continued development of both recreational and competitive pre-Academy (ages 7-12) initiatives across Utah and Arizona.
