Since moving into Rio Tinto Stadium late in the 2008 season, Real Salt Lake has been a veritable force on its home field. From 2008-2015, RSL has amassed a 70-16-32 record, accounting for 2.05 points per match and contributing to RSL’s streak of seven consecutive postseason berths.
However, last season RSL was just 7-4-6 at Rio Tinto Stadium. And while that record isn’t as bad as it seems – only eight teams had fewer home losses than RSL – it wasn’t up to the standard that had existed at home previously. In 2010, RSL had just one home defeat while in two other seasons – 2009 and 2014 – RSL had just one loss. By comparison, prior to the 2015 season, RSL averaged 2.13 points per match at home while the 2015 average fell to 1.59.
With those numbers in mind, Real Salt Lake General Manager Craig Waibel and Head Coach Jeff Cassar are primed for a return to the home-field advantage that has adorned Rio Tinto Stadium when RSL kicks off the 2016 home slate on Saturday against Seattle Sounders FC.
“By Saturday, what I’d like to see is us come out with the mindset that we’re at home. And we defend our home with every ounce of energy that we have,” Waibel said on his appearance on ESPN 700 On Frame on Monday night. “Our attitude at home has to be very crisp. It has to be dedicated to a team-oriented effort. It has to be dedicated to our shape and our defensive posture. I think we have to get back to representing our crowd with a nice attacking game, which we’re doing this year, and a whole-hearted, really ambitious and venomous defensive posture.”
Cassar agreed, noting the pressure that can be put on opposing teams with the attacking group RSL has in place.
“Last year, we didn’t have the home record that we wanted,” he said Tuesday on the Bill Riley Show on ESPN 700. “We want to get back to Rio Tinto being a fortress and a place where teams have to come in and defend and defend and defend against us until the dam breaks and then we start to open it up on them. Hopefully we’re going to do that again on Saturday – come out with an aggressive mindset and not let Seattle get on the front foot.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s match is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT. Tickets are available by visiting RSL.com/Tickets.
