SANDY, Utah (Thursday, August 25, 2016) – Real Salt Lake and Special Olympics Utah kick off the inaugural year of their partnership this Friday, August 26, 2016, when RSL’s Special Olympics Unified Soccer Team hosts the Colorado Rapids Special Olympics Unified side directly following the parent clubs’ Rocky Mountain Cup decider.
Kickoff on the newly-installed pitch at Rio Tinto Stadium between the Utah and Colorado Unified Sports teams is expected to be at approximately 8:15 p.m. MT. For media accreditation and other information, please contact Mary VanMinde, Executive Director, RSL Foundation. 801.330.3162 // mvanminde@rsl.com.
In 2013, Major League Soccer and Special Olympics created a Unified Sports exchange program that is the cornerstone of the ongoing partnership between MLS and Special Olympics North America. Unique to this partnership is an exchange program for Special Olympics Unified Sports soccer teams, which are comprised of players with and without intellectual disabilities. Through the Unified Sports exchange program, soccer teams from MLS cities travel to other MLS markets to receive training from MLS players and coaches, as well as compete in exhibition matches with their Special Olympics counterparts in that MLS market.
Unified matches are scheduled in conjunction with MLS club matches, providing MLS fans with an opportunity to witness first-hand, the talents and abilities of Special Olympics athletes and unified partners. The exchange program not only provides Special Olympics athletes with top-level training and competitive experiences, but also excellent life experiences in which they might not otherwise engage.
The partnership leverages the strength of Major League Soccer to promote awareness, respect, inclusion and acceptance of Special Olympics athletes throughout the soccer community.
In April, Real Salt Lake teamed up with Special Olympics Utah, holding tryouts at Rio Tinto Stadium for the Inaugural RSL Unified Team. Players were selected by Real Monarchs coaching staff and by Special Olympics Utah. The newly-selected team was invited to an official signing day at Rio Tinto Stadium, where the team members were each given a contract and shown to their locker room, where they were each presented with an original RSL kit. The team is lead by veteran Unified Coach Jenna Holland. For more information, please contact D’Arcy Dixon Pignanelli, President & CEO, Special Olympics Utah at 801.363.1111 // dixon@sout.org.
Colorado’s team is celebrating its fifth year in the MLS Unified Sports League. For more information, please click on http://www.coloradorapids.com/community/soco.
Real Salt Lake continues its late-season homestand against Western Conference elite Friday night in Sandy, against regional rival Colorado Rapids. The nationally-televised kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. MT, as the Claret-and-Cobalt seek to capture the fan-created Rocky Mountain Cup for the eighth time in the last decade with a victory.
Head Coach Jeff Cassar’s team is one of just four MLS sides unbeaten this season at home, as RSL’s 7-0-5 mark at Rio Tinto Stadium this season buoys the club’s overall 11-8-7 mark, good for third place in the West and a 1.54 points-per-game average, placing RSL sixth overall in the MLS Supporters Shield race.
Including RSL’s 1-0 home win over Colorado back on April 9, the Utah side is unbeaten in its last 13 home regular-season games played against Colorado dating back to Sept. 22, 2007 – winning nine of the 13 with four draws – the Rapids have captured two of the last three Rocky Mountain Cups. RSL has won seven of the 11 all-time regional cups in the rivalry, outscoring the Rapids 22-5 in the last 13 meetings on Utah soil (Colorado last won at Rice-Eccles in April, 2007).
Should he start and play until the game’s 88th minute, RSL Captain and MLS icon Kyle Beckerman will surpass Steve Ralston to become Major League Soccer’s all-time field player minutes leader, with 33,143 played (and counting). Friday could mark Beckerman’s 399th career appearance – already the most among field players – while GK Nick Rimando is also expected Friday to make his MLS-record-breaking 417th appearance in MLS history.
How to Follow Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado Rapids
- Coverage Begins: 6:00 p.m. MT
- Local TV: KMYU (2.2 air / 12 satellite / 643 Comcast HD) – David James & Brian Dunseth
- English Radio: ESPN700 AM (5:30 p.m. MT) – Bill Riley, Jay Nolly, Spencer Warne & Jeremy Horton
- Spanish Radio: 102.3 La Gran D FM / 1600 AM – Nelson Moran & Fernando Hortal
- Online: The @RealSaltLake Twitter feed provides updates
Game Guide for Friday’s RSL vs. Colorado Matchup Available Online
The link to the Adobe PDF version of the MLS Game Guide in advance of Friday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Colorado is available by clicking HERE.
