Real Salt Lake’s 2017 season opener is just three weeks away and excitement is starting to build around Rio Tinto Stadium. There are still plenty of opportunities to join in the spectacle that is RSL soccer at the RioT, so we thought we’d offer up some reasons to be part of something special as the Claret-and-Cobalt opens the season against defending Eastern Conference champions Toronto FC on March 4.
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Living Legends – Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman have rewritten Major League Soccer’s record books over the last few years while also representing RSL with the U.S. National Team. The World Cup veterans have made Salt Lake home since 2007 and have been instrumental in the club’s successful runs to the 2009 MLS Cup title as well as finals in the 2013 MLS Cup, 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and 2011 CONCACAF Champions League. It is incredibly rare to have a pair like this for so long and fans continue to celebrate their storied careers at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Legends in the Making – Before Rimando and Beckerman were perennial MLS All-Stars, they got their start as young up-and-comers who were given a chance to perform. RSL has those potential superstars in spades on the 2017 roster. With 11 players age 23 years old or younger on the roster and four players who will represent the U.S. at the CONCACAF U-20 Championships in the coming weeks, there is a slew of players who could become the next great stars in the league. Jordan Allen has been a rising talent that is poised to burst through to the next level. Albert Rusnák comes with high expectations as he pulls the strings in RSL’s attack. And who knows who will be the next to make a name for themselves donning RSL’s crest? But it’s quite something to be there from the start.
A Winning Atmosphere – Ever since opening in 2008, Rio Tinto Stadium has created one of the greatest home-field advantages in MLS. When new players arrive from other clubs, they speak highly of the fans, grateful to finally have those voices offering support. The team has consistently responded to that support, too, posting a 78-17-39 regular season record in 134 home matches at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Believe – RSL’s in-stadium anthem has become synonymous with the organization. As kickoff draws nearer and the lyrics echo through the stadium, a brotherhood and sisterhood is formed by the 20,000 people in attendance that is unmatched in any other sporting event. It’s a place where friendships are formed and memories made, all with the soundtrack of a beating drum in the south end and the words of Branden Steineckert harmonizing the wide array of voices all singing in unison – “We’re here for RSL.”
