Real Salt Lake's 2018 schedule has finally been unveiled and Claret-and-Cobalt fans across Utah are already marking several must-see home matches on their calendars.
Here are the top four RSL home matches for the 2018 season:
Saturday, March 10 vs LAFC
RSL will welcome league newcomers Los Angeles Football Club to Rio Tinto Stadium for the Claret-and-Cobalt’s home opener. LAFC is currently building its first-ever roster which currently boasts stars Carlos Vela, Laurent Ciman and Marcos Ureña as the club opens its inaugural campaign.
Saturday, April 21 vs Colorado Rapids
The first installment of the 2018 Rocky Mountain Cup will be held at Rio Tinto as RSL looks to win its tenth Rocky Mountain Cup against its rivals from Denver. Last season RSL claimed the Cup after beating the Rapids in the first two meetings between the two sides before dropping the final match of the series in the second-to-last game of the 2017 season. Highlighting the rivalry last year was an 87th minute winner from newly acquired Brooks Lennon as his first goal for the club solidified a win on the road for RSL.
Wednesday, July 4 vs Sporting Kansas City
An always bitter rivalry unfolds when RSL and Sporting meet and the first match between the two Western Conference sides in 2018 will be held on Independence Day in Sandy with fireworks sure to bloom both on and off the field. 2017 brought mixed results for RSL as it went 1-1-1 against Sporting, including a season-capping 2-1 home victory to close out the 2017 season.
Saturday, October 6 vs Portland Timbers
RSL claimed victory over the Timbers twice in 2017, which included a 2-1 result in Sandy as Albert Rusnák and Jefferson Savarino both struck wonder-goals to earn the win. Led by newly signed head coach Giovanni Savarese, the Timbers will be looking to extract revenge against RSL after the club failed to win a match against the Claret-and-Cobalt a season before.
