Real Salt Lake’s newest draft picks, a handful of trialists and a sprinkling of veterans have gone through the paces of the first three practices of the team’s “Rookie Camp” up at Newpark field house in Park City since last Wednesday, and we’ve got the evidence in photograph form below the jump. For those of you wondering, the veterans that have been in the house for at least one day of these optional practices for the “geezers” include (in alphabetical order, so as not to play favorites, of course) Jean Alexandre, Kyle Beckerman, Tony Beltran, Raphael Cox, Ned Grabavoy, David Horst, Chris Wingert, and Andy Williams.

Rookie Camp winds down with a session on both Monday and Tuesday before physicals for the rest of the reporting veterans take place on Wednesday. From there it’s full-sided sessions on Thursday (Newpark from 1:00-3:00 pm) and Friday (U of U’s Spence-Eccles Fieldhouse from 10:00 a-12:00p) before heading south for the sunny climates of Arizona.

The three practices thus far have been fairly routine, the sessions usually starting with smaller-sided possession-based games that put the onus on speed and decision-making before breaking into some two-sided drills that expand to some full-field, team v. team  exercises towards the end of the day. Essentially, the five “Rookie Camp” days are make-or-break for the young gents trying to prove their worth and make it to the next phase of the preseason, let alone a spot in the full come the end of the month. For some photos of the assembled gang working out up at “The Newpark,” jump with us …

Continue Reading »

Sorry for the delay in dispatches, but we’ve been so darned busy getting out and about Southern Utah these past few days that I haven’t had time to sit at the olde keyboard for more than two seconds! But since it’s a new week, i thought it only fair to see how the last part of Week One turned out, so take the jump to review what went on in Day 4 of the Tour in Monticello and Kanab!

Continue Reading »

After a day of rest on Sunday, Real Salt Lake’s “Championship Cup Tour” is back at it today with a visit to Iron County and the fair towns of Cedar City and Parowan in addition to a stopover at Brian Head Ski Resort. For the full details on where to catch the Cup, continue after the jump.

Continue Reading »

After setting a Cannonball Run-esque pace (Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise not included) through the first four days of the “Championship Cup Tour,” the gang will get to slow down a bit during a weekend stay in St. George that begins today. For the full two-day details of the CCT’s Washington County experience, take the jump.

Continue Reading »

Talk about a jam-packed day, Day 3 of my “Championship Cup Tour” was so hectic, so full of laughter, smiles and joy that … well, enough blabbering, just take the jump to find out more of what went down “downstate” in Castle Dale and Moab yesterday!

Continue Reading »

Step outside and take a deep breath … what’s that smell, you say? No, thankfully it’s not the lake today (certainly it smells better than that!).

Let us help you out. That smell is the smell of competition, the odor of hard work, the scent of determination and, for some, desperation … those are the distinct olfactory characteristics of “the preseason,” which begins today for Real Salt Lake with the first of five days of “Rookie Camp” workouts across the next week (mandatory for draft picks, optional for veterans and trialists). We’ll be up in Park City this afternoon for the first day of training up at Newpark (which really is the equivalent of the first day of school) to meet some of the rookies and perhaps some other new faces and let you know who we see (and how we see them) later on in the afternoon.

Wait no longer, RSL Nation, the season’s finally here!

Another day, another pair of cities on our “Championship Cup Tour” barnstorming of the great State of Utah, with today’s lucky winners being Monticello and Kanab of San Juan and Kane Counties, respectively. For the full docket of details on today’s lengthy journey, take the jump with us.

Continue Reading »

Christmas morning is great and all, and birthdays are alright, but nothing beats the day that the MLS regular season schedule comes out! What, you’re not as excited as we are for this annual joyous occasion? Well that’s too bad, because we’ve got some tailgating and road trip planning to do, and we’re not waiting for you to catch the fever!

So you want to see just what RSL’s got lined up during the defense of its MLS Cup 2009 crown? Then click here to go to the schedule page at www.RealSaltLake.com.You want some highlights, you say? Then take the jump …

Continue Reading »

Greetings from the road everybody! Day 2 of the “Championship Cup Tour” (aka, the “Me Tour”) was another doozy, as Leo, “The Intrepid RSL Travelers” and myself made our way to Duchesne and Carbon Counties … where folks were mighty happy to see little old me! Before I get ahead of myself, go ahead and take the jump to see just what hi-jinks we got into yesterday!

Continue Reading »

It’s Day Three of the Championship Cup Tour already? Indeed it is, which means it’s time to dive deeper into the state for one of the more scenic days of the trek, beginning with our short stay in Emery County and Castle Dale this morning. Then the group will roll down to Moab for a school assembly before making the well-worth-the-hike effort to visit one of Utah’s most iconic locations, Delicate Arch, before calling it a day. To read all the particulars about Day Three’s adventures, take the jump.

Continue Reading »