Real Salt Lake, Football

Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional soccer franchise that competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) Western Conference. RSL began play in 2005 as an expansion team of the league. The club was founded in 2004 when the club's first owner and founder was awarded an expansion berth in Major League Soccer. The club plays its home games at Rio Tinto Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium located in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, Utah, since 2008. RSL initially played home games at Rice-Eccles Stadium, located on the campus of the University of Utah, from 2005–2007. The team is currently led by head coach Mike Petke. In domestic soccer, Real Salt Lake won the 2009 MLS Cup and were runners-up in the 2013 MLS Cup, the Supporters Shield in 2010, and the 2013 edition of the U.S. Open Cup. The franchise regional success to date was in the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League, where RSL finished runners-up in the tournament becoming the first American club, since the CONCACAF Champions League format was introduced in 2008, to advance to the final stage of the tournament.