Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2004, the club began play in 2005 as an expansion team.

The club plays its home games at America First Field, a soccer-specific stadium located in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, Utah, which they share with their sister team, Utah Royals FC. Before moving to America First Field, RSL previously played home games at Rice-Eccles Stadium, located on the campus of the University of Utah, from 2005 to 2007. The team is currently led by head coach Pablo Mastroeni.

In domestic soccer, Real Salt Lake won the 2009 MLS Cup, and they finished as runners-up in the Supporters Shield in 2010 and the 2013 editions of both the U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup. The club additionally finished runners-up in the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the first American club to do so during the tournament's group stage format. Their fully owned USL affiliate, Real Monarchs, won the USL Championship, the second division in American soccer, in 2019.

Name

The word "Real" means "royal" in Spanish and has been used by many famous soccer teams since the early 1900s. When the team in Salt Lake City was created, its owner wanted a simple name that followed European traditions and might connect with Real Madrid, a very successful team.

At first, some people in Salt Lake City were not sure about the name "Real Salt Lake." Other names like "Highlanders" were suggested instead. But over time, people began to like the name and it became a symbol of the community.

History

Main article: History of Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake joined Major League Soccer as its twelfth team in 2005. The club started playing on April 2, 2005, and had its first home win on April 16 in front of many fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

In the early years, the team had some challenges but began to improve. By 2008, they qualified for the playoffs for the first time and opened their own soccer-specific stadium, America First Field, in Sandy.

The team had great success between 2009 and 2012, winning their first championship in 2009 by defeating the LA Galaxy. They had strong performances and reached the playoffs several times.

In 2013, new ownership changed the team, and there were many player changes. Despite some good seasons, they sometimes struggled to qualify for the playoffs.

By 2017, new coaches helped the team improve, and they opened a new academy and stadium in Herriman. In 2020, the team's ownership faced issues, and a long-time player retired.

In 2021, the team had a strong finish to the season and made the playoffs. New owners took over in 2022, and by 2025, the team was sold again to new investors.

Colors and badge

The team's colors are claret red, cobalt blue, and real gold.

Uniform evolution

Home, away, and third uniforms.

• Home

• Away

• Third/special

Stadium

Real Salt Lake decided to build a new stadium, but at first, they faced some problems. The local government wasn't sure about supporting it. However, later, the state government agreed to help with money for the new stadium.

The stadium cost $110 million and was built in Sandy, near Salt Lake City. It was first named after a sponsor, the Rio Tinto Group, and opened on October 9, 2008. In 2022, the stadium was renamed America First Field after a new deal with America First Credit Union.

Club culture

Rivalries

Further information: Rocky Mountain Cup

Real Salt Lake's biggest rival is the Colorado Rapids. They compete for the Rocky Mountain Cup every year. Both teams are close by and started this rivalry when Real Salt Lake joined Major League Soccer in the 2005 season. As of the 2026 season, Real Salt Lake has won the cup more often, with 14 wins compared to Colorado's 7.

The team also has a strong rivalry with Sporting Kansas City. This started after a rough game before the season in 2011 and grew after 2013 MLS Cup, when Kansas City won against Real Salt Lake. Both teams often play in the same part of the league.

Fans of the club also have friendly competitions with the LA Galaxy, Los Angeles FC, and Seattle Sounders FC.

Supporters groups

Real Salt Lake has seven official groups of fans called supporters groups—Salt City United, Rogue Cavaliers Brigade, Section 26, Riot Brigade, La Barra Real, Section 11 ("The Swarm"), and Los Caballeros Reales. Together, they are part of a bigger group called The Riot.

The team's official mascot is Leo the Lion.

Club anthem

In 2011, Branden Steineckert, a drummer from the band Rancid and a fan of Real Salt Lake, wrote a song called "Believe" for the team. He first shared it on YouTube. Now, the song is the team's official anthem. Fans sing it at the start of every home game, after every win, and after each goal Real Salt Lake scores.

Revenue and profitability

Real Salt Lake is a smaller team, so making enough money to stay strong can be hard. Building their own stadium, called Rio Tinto Stadium, in October 2008 helped them earn more. The number of fans who bought tickets for every game grew from 4,000 before the stadium opened to over 15,000 a few years later.

Sponsorship

Real Salt Lake has special deals with companies to help them. One big partner is Intermountain Health. Other partners have included LifeVantage and Xango. They also work with JetBlue Airways, Maverik, Inc., Ford, WCF Insurance, and Zions Bank. Their full list of sponsors includes America First Credit Union, Adidas, Atlas Disposal, City Creek Center, Coca-Cola, Collins Roofing Inc., Continental Tires, England Logistics, Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, Great Clips, Key Bank, Les Olson Company, MarketStar, Michelob ULTRA, Pikus Concrete, Planet Fitness, Presidio, RealMedia, Sew Sweet, Sherwin-Williams, Siegfried and Jensen, Summit Technology, Toro, Toyota, Utah Children's Dental Network, Utah: Life Elevated, WGU, YESCO, and Zagg brands.

Broadcasting

Sinclair Broadcast Group had the rights to show Real Salt Lake games that were not broadcast by Major League Soccer’s main TV partners. These broadcasts included special coverage before and after the games. Sinclair’s Utah station KMYU was the main station for the team, and the games were also shown on other Sinclair stations in the area, as well as on some stations in Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Tucson. In 2018, the team renewed its TV agreement with Sinclair and started a streaming partnership with KSL-TV. This allowed fans to watch Real Salt Lake, their former sister club the Utah Royals, and their reserve team the Real Monarchs online. In 2020, the team extended its TV deal with Sinclair until 2022.

Players and staff

For details on former players, see All-time Real Salt Lake roster.

Roster

As of April 30, 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Technical and coaching staff

Last updated: January 6, 2024
Source: Real Salt Lake

Ring of Honor

Team captains

General managers

Ownership history

• Dave Checketts (2005–2013)
• Del Loy Hansen (2009–2020)
• MLS (2021)
• Ryan Smith (2022–2025)
• David Blitzer (2022–present)
• Gail Miller (Miller Sports + Entertainment) (2025–present)

Head coaches

• Includes MLS regular Season, MLS Playoffs, CONCACAF Champions League, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and Leagues Cup.

As of April 25, 2025

Honors

Team results

Main article: List of Real Salt Lake seasons

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by Real Salt Lake. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Real Salt Lake seasons.

^1. Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
^2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in League, MLS Cup Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, MLS is Back Tournament, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.

See also: MLS performance in Champions League

• Did not qualify for Champions League tournament in years not listed

As of April 25, 2025

• Win %- Number of wins divided by number of games played (ties count as half a win)
• Games decided by a PK Shoot out counted as win or loss not Draw.

As of April 25, 2025

MLS records

• Fewest goals allowed: 20 (previous record 23, Houston 2007)
• Overall goal difference: +25 (previous record +22, San Jose 2005 and D.C. United 2007)
• Home goal difference: +24 (previous record +23, Real Salt Lake 2009)
• Total home points (30-game season): 37 (previous record 35, Columbus 2009)
• Fewest home losses: 0 (equals previous record set by San Jose in 2005)
• Fewest home goals allowed: 7 (previous record 8, Colorado 2004)

Associated teams

See also: Real Monarchs, Utah Royals FC, and Real Salt Lake Women

Real Salt Lake has a reserve team called Real Monarchs SLC. It started in 2014 and played in the United Soccer League beginning in the 2015 season. They share the same home field, Rio Tinto Stadium, with the main team. In 2018, they moved to a new smaller stadium, Zions Bank Stadium, near the team's training center in Herriman.

The club also has women's teams. One team, Real Salt Lake Women, began in 2008 and plays in United Women's Soccer. Another women's team joined the top-level National Women's Soccer League in 2017, taking the place of FC Kansas City. This team is called Utah Royals FC and also plays at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Player records

Here are some important facts about the top players in Real Salt Lake's history.

The records only count regular season games played with Real Salt Lake. Games from playoffs, the U.S. Open Cup, and other tournaments are not included. These stats are current as of October 19, 2025.

The single-season records also only include regular season games.

Here are some players who scored many goals in a single game.

Player honors

League honors

MLS All-Star appearances

Players in bold currently play for Real Salt Lake.

Player awards

The following awards were given to Real Salt Lake players by Major League Soccer in the season indicated:

Team honors

The annual season-ending award winners are decided based on voting by RSL players.