Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional soccer club founded in 2004 and based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference and plays its home games at America First Field in Sandy, Utah. Their most notable achievement came in 2009 when they won the MLS Cup, and they also reached the final of the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the first American club to do so during the tournament's group stage format.
History
Overview
General information about the club
Real Salt Lake became the twelfth MLS franchise when Major League Soccer awarded an expansion franchise on July 14, 2004, to SCP Worldwide, headed by Dave Checketts. The club began play in 2005 as an expansion team and is currently led by head coach Pablo Mastroeni. The Spanish title "Real," meaning "royal" in English, was chosen by initial owner Checketts to create a brand name that would follow European-style naming conventions and potentially foster a partnership with Real Madrid.
Most recent season and achievements
The franchise was acquired by Miller Sports + Entertainment, led by former Utah Jazz owner Gail Miller, on April 18, 2025, for $600 million, with David Blitzer remaining as a minority owner. The club continues to compete in MLS under the guidance of head coach Pablo Mastroeni.
History
Early years
Real Salt Lake began play on April 2, 2005, in a match against the MetroStars at Giants Stadium that ended as a scoreless draw. Forward Jason Kreis became the club's first player and scored the team's first ever goal in the following game against the LA Galaxy. The club's first home victory occurred on April 16 in front of 25,287 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium, defeating Rocky Mountain Cup rival Colorado Rapids.
The 2005 and 2006 seasons proved disappointing, with RSL embarking on a 10-game losing streak in 2005 and an 18-game winless run in 2006. The 2007 season began with the acquisition of goalkeeper Nick Rimando and midfielder Kyle Beckerman, but following poor form, John Ellinger was fired as head coach in May and replaced by Kreis, who retired as a player to take the role.
Successful period
The 2009 season saw RSL post a near-perfect home record and progress through the playoffs to the 2009 MLS Cup, where they defeated the LA Galaxy in a penalty shootout to win their first championship. As defending champions, RSL had its best season in 2010, posting a 25-game unbeaten streak and finishing second in the MLS Supporters Shield standings. Rimando finished as the league's best goalkeeper, with Olave named as MLS Defender of the Year.
Crisis and recovery
In 2013, Checketts sold his stake to minority owner Dell Loy Hansen. The season saw departures of key players but resulted in another second-place Western Conference finish and trips to both the 2013 MLS Cup and 2013 U.S. Open Cup finals, losing to Sporting Kansas City and D.C. United respectively. Following the season, Kreis left to coach New York City FC, with assistant coach Jeff Cassar replacing him.
The period from 2015-2019 saw mixed results, with the club failing to qualify for playoffs in 2015 for the first time since 2007. A poor start to the 2017 season saw Cassar dismissed, with Mike Petke taking over in April. The 2018 season was notable for the opening of the Real Academy and Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
Current period
The 2020 season saw Hansen sell his stakes following controversy over racist language, with MLS controlling the sale process. Freddy Juarez unexpectedly left as head coach in August 2021, with Pablo Mastroeni taking over as interim and later permanent head coach. Prior to the 2022 season, the franchise was acquired by sports team investors Ryan Smith and David Blitzer.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
Real Salt Lake won the 2009 MLS Cup and finished as runners-up in the Supporters Shield in 2010. They also reached the finals of both the 2013 U.S. Open Cup and 2013 MLS Cup. Their fully owned USL affiliate, Real Monarchs, won the USL Championship in 2019.
Continental and global competitions
The club finished as runners-up in the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the first American club to reach the final during the tournament's group stage format.
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
The team's colors are claret red, cobalt blue, and real gold, reflecting the club's identity and branding established since its founding.
Traditional home and away kits colors
Real Salt Lake traditionally wears home, away, and third uniforms featuring their signature claret red, cobalt blue, and real gold color scheme.
Traditional club anthem
In 2011, Branden Steineckert, drummer of punk band Rancid and a supporter of Real Salt Lake, composed the song "Believe" in honor of the club. Initially posted on YouTube, the song has since been adopted as the team's official anthem, being sung at the beginning of every home game, at the end of every home game if the result is a win, and after all goals scored by RSL.
Traditional Rivals
Colorado Rapids
The main rival of Real Salt Lake is considered to be the Colorado Rapids, with the two teams being the closest to each other geographically and competing for the annual Rocky Mountain Cup.
Sporting Kansas City
Although no annual trophy is involved, the club's more fierce rival has become Sporting Kansas City, initially born out of a 2011 preseason brawl and developed after the teams met in MLS Cup 2013. Real Salt Lake has a record of 19 wins, 12 draws and 17 losses in all competitions against Sporting.
LA Galaxy
The team maintains a smaller, fan-driven rivalry with the LA Galaxy, stemming from their historical meetings and competitive matches over the years.
Los Angeles FC
Real Salt Lake also maintains a fan-driven rivalry with Los Angeles FC as part of their broader competitive relationships within the Western Conference.
Seattle Sounders FC
The rivalry with Seattle Sounders FC derived from a meeting in the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs, later expanding through further playoff meetings and the losses of general manager Garth Lagerway, head coach Freddy Juarez, and club captain Albert Rusnák to the club.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
RSL has a long-term sponsorship deal with Intermountain Health. Additional sponsors include JetBlue Airways, Maverik, Inc., Ford, WCF Insurance, and Zions Bank. Their corporate sponsors include America First Credit Union, Adidas, and numerous other local and national brands.
Nicknames
Real Salt Lake is commonly referred to as RSL. Leo the Lion serves as the official mascot of Real Salt Lake.
Ownership and finances
As Real Salt Lake is a small-market team, one of the team's biggest challenges is bringing in enough revenue to remain competitive. Opening Rio Tinto Stadium in October 2008 provided a significant revenue boost, with season-ticket holders growing from 4,000 before October 2008 to 15,000+ in 2016.
Traditions and culture
Real Salt Lake has seven officially recognized supporters groups — Salt City United, Rogue Cavaliers Brigade, Section 26, Riot Brigade, La Barra Real, Section 11 ("The Swarm"), and Los Caballeros Reales — which as of 2019 all exist under a larger unified umbrella group known as The Riot.
Stadium
The $110 million stadium was built in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City, and was originally named after its sponsor, Rio Tinto Group. The stadium opened on October 9, 2008. In September 2022, Rio Tinto Stadium was renamed America First Field, with RSL and America First Credit Union announcing a naming rights deal. Before moving to America First Field, RSL previously played home games at Rice-Eccles Stadium from 2005 to 2007.