SANDY, Utah (Friday, February 24, 2017) – Real Salt Lake’s 2017 preseason finishes its final leg today at 1:00 p.m. MT on the campus of UC-Irvine in Southern California, where RSL faces Armenian champions FC Alashkert in the club’s final tuneup prior to next Saturday’s MLS season opener against Toronto FC. No stream is available for today’s game, but highlights, photos and recap will be available on www.RSL.com later in the day.
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RSL’s co-leading scorer from 2016 – FW Yura Movsisyan, a member of the Armenian National Team who found asylum in Pasadena, Calif., early in his life – anxiously anticipates Friday’s contest against the recent Premier League champions from his beloved Armenia. For more on this story, WATCH HERE!
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
Preseason Segment #2 – Portland Timbers Preseason Tournament
Thursday, Feb. 9 – RSL 3 : 3 Portland Timbers – Plata 43’; Mulholland 54’; Holness 67’ – ARCHIVED
Sunday, Feb. 12 – RSL 1 : 1 Vancouver Whitecaps – Allen 83’ (Plata, Rusnák) – ARCHIVED
Wednesday, Feb. 15 – RSL 3 : 3 Minnesota United FC – Movsisyan; Barrett; Brody – ARCHIVED
Preseason Segment #3 – Southern California
Tuesday, Feb. 21 – RSL 0 : 1 LA Galaxy – ARCHIVED
Friday, Feb. 24 – RSL v. Alashkert (Armenian Premier League Champion) – 1:00 p.m. MT (no video)
Sat., March 4 – RSL v. Toronto FC – 2:30 p.m. MT – 2017 MLS Opening Weekend
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 Rusnák, M/F Luis Silva, homegrown signing MF Jose Hernandez and MLS veterans FW Chad Barrett and DF David Horst. RSL’s 2017 roster combines four players – GK Nick Rimando, Captain Kyle Beckerman, DF Tony Beltran and DF Chris Wingert – who are now 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. Beltran’s 224 MLS reg. season appearances with RSL mark the most for only one team by an active league player.
Five Real Salt Lake representatives – DF Justen Glad, D/M Danny Acosta, FW Sebastian Saucedo and FW Brooks Lennon, along with Academy product Aaron Herrera – continue today with the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team, led by head coach Tab Ramos, to the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, the largest representation from one club. After all four rostered RSL players started and played the full 90 minutes in last Saturday’s 0-1 loss to Panama, the U.S. qualification hopes were buoyed by Lennon’s hat trick Tuesday in a 4-1 win over Haiti, a game that saw Glad, Acosta and Lennon start, with Saucedo appearing in the final 19 minutes. The U.S. kickoff against St. Kitts & Nevis is at 3:30 p.m. MT today, live on Univision Deportes Network and CONCACAF/U.S. Soccer Facebook pages. For more on Lennon’s heroics earlier in the week, click here!
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 training camp report in Sandy, UT. Last week, the Monarchs preseason kicked off with new assistant coach Jamison Olave, the former MLS Best XI member and Defender of the Year w/ RSL and New York Red Bulls. The Monarchs 2017 USL schedule was recently released; please visit www.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.
Season Tickets for both Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs' 2017 campaigns are now on sale; please visit www.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 at www.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.
