REAL SALT LAKE INKS LANDMARK DEAL WITH
UTAH YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION
FOR 2022 SEASON
Each and Every Registered Player Receives One Ticket to 2022 RSL Home Match;
Nearly 60,000 Youth Players Benefit From Facility Access, Coaching Instruction & More;
RSL to Sponsor Youth Tourneys and Presidents Cup, Advise in Development
SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, March 1, 2022) – Real Salt Lake and Utah Youth Soccer Association (UYSA) are proud to announce a landmark deal featuring unprecedented commitments from both entities, one aimed at providing every registered youth soccer player across the State of Utah – approximately 60,000 players – as well as their families, clubs and coaches – access to game tickets, instruction, mentorship and more, with RSL, Real Monarchs (MLS NEXT Pro) and the Club’s Herriman and Sandy facilities.
RSL’s 18th Major League Soccer campaign kicked off Sunday with a 0-0 draw at Houston, with the home portion of the Club’s schedule launching this Saturday, March 5, at 4:00 p.m. MT against long-time rival Seattle Sounders FC.
“During our entire 18-year history, the youth soccer community has been the foundation of so much of our collective success,” said RSL President John Kimball, a longtime Utah media and sports industry executive. “Our UYSA partnership is simply unprecedented within MLS, and knowing now that each and every one of these youth players, their families and their coaches have access to all facets of our organization, week-in, week-out, is inspiring.”
In addition to the ticketing relationship, Real Salt Lake and Utah Youth Soccer Association jointly partner on various 2022 community events, including the hosting of UYSA State Cup Championship matches at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, as well as ODP training options at America First Field in Sandy.
"We are excited to work with RSL to provide a ticket for all of our players and we know this partnership will create lifelong RSL fans,” said Bryan Attridge, UYSA Chief Executive Officer. “We've worked with Real Salt Lake for years, we could not be more excited about the club's future and are grateful that our players receive this incredible access. We believe that every player in that state should have the opportunity to attend an RSL match each year."
Real Salt Lake will also utilize its avenues on-site, online and throughout the Club’s grassroots outreach programs to help promote UYSA initiatives, with RSL Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni sharing his thoughts through a digital curriculum available to all UYSA coaches.
“Utah Youth Soccer Association has been a fabric of this community for 40+ years and we couldn’t be more excited to announce an unprecedented partnership with their organization,” said Matt Rader, RSL Vice President, Ticketing, who recently returned to the MLS Club after two-plus years as the Utah Youth Soccer Association Chief Operating Officer. “Our youth soccer community has been extremely instrumental in supporting RSL since the team’s inception in 2005, and this partnership takes it one step further by providing a platform for every youth player under the UYSA umbrella to enjoy an RSL match of their choice during the 2022 season.”
ABOUT UTAH YOUTH SOCCER:
Utah Youth Soccer Association aspires to be THE premier youth sports organization in Utah, and is the leader in promoting, developing and governing youth soccer in the State. UYSA provides expansive programming opportunities with a goal of allowing as many of Utah’s youth a chance to experience the world’s game in the most affordable way possible. The Spring season begins on March 19th.
ABOUT RSL’S UPCOMING HOME GAME:
Looking ahead to March 5, RSL enters the home portion of its 18th MLS campaign with a 7-1-9 (Win-Loss-Draw) record all-time in home-opening matches dating back to its inaugural 2005 season, with a 6-1-6 (W-L-D) all-time mark in those held at Rio Tinto Stadium. The 2021 season saw RSL earn an emphatic 3-1 win in its home opener over Sporting Kansas City, riding a brace from FW Rubio Rubin and a third goal from eventual RSL 2021 Golden Boot winner Damir Kreilach to vanquish one of its key rivals.
All-time in MLS regular-season play against Seattle, Real Salt Lake is 10-1-3 on Utah soil, unbeaten at home against the Sounders since May 28, 2011, a 2-1 road result for the “Rave Green.” During the decade since, RSL has posted a dominant 9-0-2 record at home against Seattle, including a 1-0 victory last September courtesy another game-winner from 2021 Team MVP Kreilach.
With the 0-0 road draw at Houston on Sunday, RSL remains unbeaten in its last 13 season opening matches, posting a 6-0-7 (Win-Loss-Draw) record since 2010, the second-best mark in MLS over that period (FC Dallas, 7-0-6, also last lost a season opener in 2009.
Real Salt Lake – which won MLS Cup in 2009, before losing in the final in 2013 – has advanced to the postseason 11 times in 14 seasons, and three occasions in the last four years (2020 outlier). The Claret-and-Cobalt join Sporting KC as ONLY two of 26 possible MLS clubs to have advanced at least one round in the MLS Cup Playoffs in three of the last four years, something so-called “powerhouses” have failed to accomplish.
