Folks, the teams are out on the pitch warming up and the atmosphere is already UNBELIEVABLE! This is going to be a special night, for certain. Due to the crazy nature of this evening’s match and all the work there is to do, we won’t be liveblogging the match for you. However, we’ve still got you covered. RSL’s excellent beat writer from the Salt Lake Tribune, Michael Lewis, will be liveblogging tonight’s game here at the Trib’s new RSL blog.

Make sure to check that out and we’ll be back after the match with a full recap (and some photos we’ve been snapping from around the grounds).

Folks, if you don’t have tickets for tonight, we hate to say it but, you’re too late to the party. The RSL vs. NYRB match and Rio Tinto Stadium opener this evening is officially a sellout! We look forward to seeing all 20,000+ of you out there, it’s going to be a special affair.

If you weren’t able to snag any seats, we’re sorry you’ll miss it, but you’re not completely out of luck. The match will be televised live as ESPN’s MLS Primetime Thursday match, so tune in there. Also, make sure to pick up some tickets for our next match, the October 18th date vs. FC Dallas at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Curious about how the rules and regulations at Rio Tinto Stadium will differ from those at Rice-Eccles? Well, wonder no longer, we’ve got everything you need right here. Below we’ve got a list of restricted items, as well as general stadium policy:

Restricted Items
·No Bottles, Cans, Coolers, Containers or Food or Beverage of any Kind
·Noisemakers- plastic horns, air horns, whistles
·Fireworks, Flares, or Smoke bombs
·Pets (with the exception of service animals)
·Umbrellas
·Strollers
·Weapon

Anyone with an item that does not pass security measures will be asked to either take the item back to their vehicle or dispose of it. Purses, backpacks, fanny packs, diaper bags or any other bags may be brought into the stadium, but will be thoroughly searched at the bag inspection area.

Banners are encouraged provided they are not commercial, offensive, or in poor taste. All banners and signs are subject to approval of content and message. Banners may not obstruct the view of any guests, stadium signage, or present any safety hazards.

Field: Persons entering the field of play without proper access or credentials will be removed from the stadium and may be subject to a permanent banner from Rio Tinto Stadium. Persons throwing items onto the field of play or at individuals on the field of play will be removed from the stadium and may be subject to permanent ban from Rio Tinto Stadium. Streamers thrown in the air in celebration are permitted.

Re-entry: There is no re-entry policy at Rio Tinto Stadium. In case of medical emergency see a guest services staff member.

So, when you show up with your backpack full of flares and air horns and they won’t let you in, don’t say we didn’t warn you. See you there…

Recently we’ve spent a lot of time focusing on the team, its playoff push, and, most of all, the Rio Tinto Stadium opener this Thursday. Well, that’s all great, but we’d like to take this chance to talk a little more about the wonderful efforts of the folks over at Soccer Unites. If you’ve visited us much recently, you know that Soccer Unites is leading the efforts to assist RSL midfielder Andy Williams and his family with his wife Marcia’s recent diagnosis with Leukemia.

We’ve already had a pair of great fundraisers (a golf tournament at The Ranches in Eagle Mountain and last week’s Judge vs Juan Diego girls soccer game) that were highly successful events, but perhaps the biggest event yet is scheduled for this weekend.

This Saturday night, October 11, Soccer Unites will be hosting a dinner and casino night at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Tickets are $50 and are available online at soccerunitesutah.com or at the Leo’s Pride booth at Thursday’s Carnival Real. Included in the price of admission are dinner, 50 casino chips, and a raffle ticket for an autographed 2002 U.S. Men’s National Team jersey.

It should be a great night with dinner, dancing, a live auction, and, of course, some great casino games. Come on down, mingle with the guys (the whole team is scheduled to be present), and enjoy a great evening. See you there…

P.S. Tickets must be pre-purchased, they will NOT be sold at the door.

Kickoff is just over 48 hours away and they’re putting the finishing touches on Rio Tinto Stadium. We’re sitting in one of the broadcast booths as we speak and we thought we’d give you a glimpse from here. Check it below…

After a bit of time and work, we’ve finally got our Javi and Kyle Show t-shirts in and they’re pretty sweet. Each shirt has the Javi and Kyle logo on the front and one of three separate sayings on the back: “Yes My Friend”, “Gracias Para Joining Us”, or “Come With We”. On top of the different sayings, we’ve also got three different color combinations to choose from: white with red rings, white with blue, and gray with black. Get ordering and you’ll be able to pick the combination that best suits you. When you figure out what you want, give our merch crew a ring at 801.924.8572 and they’ll get you set up. The shirts are only $20 a piece, so you could even grab a couple if you’d like…

That would be a fully lit Rio Tinto Stadium. The guys are out here taking to the pitch under the lights for the first time. Check it out below…

Major League Soccer this morning announced this week’s Sierra Mist Goal of the Week nominees and RSL’s own Andy Williams leads the pack. The veteran midfielder fired home off a beautiful feed from Javier Morales to give Real the 2-0 lead on the road. After checking out the other nominees from this week, we feel comfortable saying that if Andy doesn’t win in a landslide, Al Gore will be demanding a recount. Yes, his was just that good.

Check all the nominees out and cast your vote here.

That’s what they’ll be doing tonight out at Rio Tinto Stadium on both KJZZ (9:30 p.m.) and KUTV (10:30 p.m.) as David James hosts tonight’s Talkin’ Sports episodes from the brand new pitch. It should be a great night showcasing RSL’s new home under the lights. We’ll see a great piece featuring RSL owner Dave Checketts, defender Nat Borchers will join DJ live, and we’ll get an all-around great view of the new digs. Make sure to tune in for all the action…

Also, don’t forget that we’ll be out at Rio Tinto Stadium bright and early at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning with Big Buddha and the Fox 13 morning show. We’d love to see as many of you out there as possible. Ask everyone who was with us when we did it last week, there’s nothing like seeing the sun rise from the pitch! Hopefully we’ll see you there…

With just four days to go before Rio Tinto Stadium officially opens its doors, the buzz is really getting loud. Both The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News ran excellent special sections in their Sunday editions this morning. If you really want to get the lowdown on everything Rio Tinto Stadium related, make sure to pick up each of those special issues. In the mean time though, feel free to click below for each paper’s RSL section as well as a link to the pdf of the awesome center section that the Tribune put together…

The Salt Lake Tribune

Tribune Special Section

The Deseret News