A visit to the future home of Real Salt Lake & random thoughts
August 1, 2008 by f4denz.
Looking really good
So first let me say thanks to Trey Fitz-Gerald for letting me wander around the stadium taking pictures and asking questions. I forgot to ask if we could clean off the webcam, but I will remind him next time I see him. So my first question was to confirm a rumor I had heard that RSL was significantly ahead of where they thought they would be as far as 2009 season ticket sales. Trey confirmed they were ahead and that much of that came from the relocation event were people not only renewed their seats at a higher rate than expected, but they also added more tickets at a high percentage. I asked how ticket sales were going for the premium seats, and the golden circle seats (those that will have a private club by the players tunnel, leather seats, and other perks) are just over 50% sold, so you rich guys line up and spend some money, this is your chance to get your RSL “bling seats”. The rest of the premium club seats are selling at a nice pace, but there are still some left, I have gone way out on a limb and told Trey and I will make it public now, if we win the Western Conference I will purchase one of the club seats. I have no idea what the hell I am going to do if I end up with 6 season tickets, but a deal is a deal.
Next I got a look at inside of Dave’s private suite, I didn’t take any pictures because it was still just a mess of construction, but one very cool feature is a stair case that leads down to a platform just above the players entrance, as Trey says “Dave expects to present a lot of trophies on that platform”. The areas for players and trainers are really great, first class facilities that when Robbie Russell saw them he compared them to the facilities of European teams at that “second” level of European football. So while we still can’t compare to the clubs that compete at the Champions League level, we will have facilities on par with teams competing at the UEFA Cup level of play, and that is mighty impressive.
A nice look at the lockers in the locker room.
So a nice feature is that all the RSL facilities are on the north side of the player tunnel and visiting facilities are on the south side. The training facilities will offer things like auqa massage baths, great rooms for equipment and trainer offices. I have been inside locker rooms of MLB clubs, NBA clubs, and what I saw is as good as or better than anything I have seen before.
One area that made some real progress in the last couple weeks is the concession stands
Anyone want some Popcorn?
So in the south end of the stadium the sections are still under construction, but you can see one thing really clearly, and that is that at match time 7pm the people in the south end will have it made in the shade.
Section 8
Section 9
Nobody is sure if the south end stands will be open for the October matches, but I sure hope they will be, but either way those matches can’t get here soon enough.
Another big thing that I noticed is how good the grass looks in just a couple weeks
notice that you can now start to see the pattern that will be our home pitch
it looks just like carpet up close.
Oh, I almost forgot one big thing, seats are going in way up high in the upper deck
I will post more pictures on photobucket tomorrow.
Some miscellaneous things
First some thanks to everyone who visits and links to the blog, in July we just missed 20,000 page views and daily visitors was up about 30% over last month. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the blog, please let me know. I also look forward to working on the RCB social networking site that should allow for a lot more fun in the coming months.
Consider Toronto ussoccerplayers.typepad.com
Andrew Dixon sorts through the hype attached to Toronto FC in search of an answer to a simple question: Why so soon?
This is a great read and poses some good questions about the hype and makes me wonder if all the cries for two more teams in Canada is perhaps a bit too much, a bit too soon.
New expansion teams to be announced in late 08 or early 09 sportsnetwork.com
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced the timeline and application process for the next two expansion teams, which would bring the league to 18 teams by 2011, it was announced on Thursday.
A nice overview of how the league plans to expand in 2011 and it includes a short list of the leading cities to land a team. I will be writing a more detailed look at expansion and why I think the best pick for MLS is Las Vegas.
RSL up to third; jam packed form fifth on down… settingthetable.info
What the standings would look like in MLS if we had a single table, it points out that while New England, Columbus, RSL, and Chicago are out front that everyone else (minus San Jose) is within two points of each other.
MLS Playoff Race sportsclubstats.com
Want to know how big the victory Monday night was? RSL is now 12.7% more likely to make the playoffs. This site has some great stats and shows how important this weekend will be in MLS, while RSL is off this weekend, many teams could see their playoff hopes rise or fall in huge ways. Most Western conference teams could see their chances jump or fall 20-30%.
RSL’s Rimando tapped Player of July web.mlsnet.com
Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando was voted MLS Player of the Month for July after posting three shutouts in four matches. He helped lead RSL to the top of the Western Conference for the first time in club history, as the team went undefeated in July.
Catching up with the New Guy rsltothecore.com
Since the team’s got a bit of down time here, we thought now would be the perfect time to give everyone a little introduction to the newest member of the RSL roster, Robbie Russell. We threw a few questions his way and thought you’d like to check out what he had to say…
After practice on Sunday I along with a couple others had a chance to talk with Robbie as he waited for his ride, and my impression of him is that he is one of the nicest and most intelligent people (not just players) I have met in a long time. He expressed how happy he was to be here in Salt Lake and how impressed he was with the city and the team. Based on his limited time in Monday’s match I think we have made a good move here, and Robbie could become a real force for RSL on the pitch and in the community.
OFF MY SOAPBOX