RSL offers up the first of the Real Madrid replacements
June 13, 2008 by f4denz.
From Client Experience email
Dear Royal Club Members,
We wanted you to be the first to know that we are continuing the tradition of bringing world-class international competition to the State of Utah, as we are partnering with XanGo for the third consecutive year to present XanGo Cup 2008. This summer’s international festivities commence with 2008 Mexican League Champion Santos Laguna on Wednesday, July 9, at Rice-Eccles Stadium, with an 8:00 p.m. MT kickoff.
Tickets for XanGo Cup 2008 at Rice-Eccles Stadium are included in 2008 Royal Club Season Ticket packages as Bonus Ticket B, which will be the ticket you are to present that day at the stadium. Individual ticket prices for the match are $30 (Corner/Goal), $45 (Premium) and $60 (VIP), with an additional $5 group discount in each seating area for qualifying purchases. Royal Club Members have an exclusive window – through 10:00 a.m. MT on Monday, June 16 – to purchase additional seats, which they will receive at the group discount price.
Santos, as the team is known colloquially south of the border, becomes just the second club of Mexican origin to visit the Wasatch Front since Major League Soccer officially expanded to Utah in 2004. In its short history, Santos has raked in the hardware, earning three Primera División championships (Invierno 1996, Verano 2001, and Clausura 2008) and the inaugural InterLiga championship in 2004, which earned the squad qualification into that year’s Copa Libertadores tournament. By virtue of their 2008 Clausura championship, Santos will be competing in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League starting this September. Like Real Salt Lake, Santos is in the midst of constructing a brand- new stadium, with the 28,000-seat Nuevo Estadio Corona expected to open in August of 2009.
Club Santos Laguna will enter its 25th year of existence during the upcoming Mexican Apertura season as the reigning champions of La Primera División de México, this after claiming the 2008 Clausura Championship earlier this month. Santos Laguna was established on August 13, 1983, by Grupo Modelo, the brewery that produces Corona, which explains why the Santos team logo is adorned with the Corona crown and plays at Estadio Corona in Torreón, Mexico.
The exhibition against Santos Laguna will mark the first international exhibition of 2008 for Real Salt Lake, which has squared off against eight international opponents in its first three seasons. Please look for other upcoming announcements regarding international friendly games over the next few weeks.
Thanks again for your continued support,
Kris Katseanes
Chief Ticketing Officer
Real Salt Lake Soccer
Info and facts on Santos
Club Santos Laguna
wikipedia.com. Club Santos Laguna, also known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club. They represent la Comarca Lagunera which is made of Torreon, Gomez Palacio and Lerdo. Santos Laguna plays in the Primera División. The club’s debut in Mexico’s top division was in the 1988/89 tournament. They have won the league championship three times. First in the Invierno 1996 tournament in the Verano 2001 tournament and the most recent Clausura 2008 tournament. They have also reached the finals in the 1993-1994 season and the Verano 2000 tournament
Santos homepage on ESPN soccernet.espn.go.com
Some fun recent events for Santos Captain Sanchez
How do you say jerk in Spanish? Blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com
I’m pretty self-conscious about my Spanish. I understand absolutely all of it without a problem and everyone understands me just fine, but I have an American accent when I speak it. I’m really embarrassed about it, which is one of the reasons I don’t do ESPN Deportes more often (the other reason is that I just don’t like doing TV or radio).
Partying Soccer Goalie Escorted Out of Westin Chicago hotelchatter.com
Looks like Michael Madsen isn’t the only celebrity on bad behavior in hotels this week. The Mexican soccer goalie, Oswaldo Sanchez, was arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest early Monday morning, after refusing to turn down the volume on the stereo in his hotel room at the Westin Michigan Avenue.
Mexico goalkeeper Sanchez is arrested signonsandiego.com
Sven-Goran Eriksson is still a few weeks away from officially taking over as Mexico’s national soccer coach, and already he has his hands full. 
Last week, he watched El Tri take a 4-1 spanking by Argentina at Qualcomm Stadium. Yesterday, the captain and starting goalkeeper got arrested in Chicago. Oswaldo Sanchez was charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal trespassing and resisting arrest after a rowdy incident in a hotel, according to Chicago police. He was released and ordered to appear in court July 11.
(Here is hoping that his July 9th match isn’t too much of a distraction for his court date just two days after the match)
ON MY SOAPBOX
Yawn, does anyone else really care? Sorry I could totally care less about RSL playing this match and having yet another road trip at RES, how about getting a team that RSL fans would enjoy watching, instead of one that you can sell to fans that will never come back (unless Chivas is in town or Blanco is here with Chicago). Poor choice by my opinion, this is a match I will have no interest in watching, but it sure could be fun messing with Oswaldo.
Here is hoping that whatever else they try to use to fill the Real Madrid gap is much better than this, because this one in my opinion sucks.
OFF MY SOAPBOX
