RSL today announced that, in conjunction with Soccer Unites Utah, we will be holding a pretty special auction starting February 14. Not long ago we received an incredible collection of game-worn MLS jerseys from FC Dallas equipment manager Marcus Owens. Having spent time with RSL midfielder Andy Williams during his time in Miami and New York, when Owens heard of Marcia Williams’ struggle with Leukemia, he felt compelled to do what he could to help the family. He was able to wrangle up 25 player-worn jerseys from 11 MLS squads throughout the League’s history.

Beginning on Valentine’s Day RSL and Soccer Unites Utah will put two of the jerseys up for auction on eBay each day, with each jersey available for bidding for 7 days. All proceeds from the auctions will go to Soccer Unites Utah to help the Williams’ with their extensive medical bills.

There are some truly awesome kits that will be made available highlighted by five players with Real Salt Lake ties (Williams, Jason Kreis, Clint Mathis, Eddie Pope and Freddy Adu), some of the League’s all-time great midfielders (Marco Etcheverry, Cobi Jones and Preki), a trio of National Soccer Hall of Famers (Jeff Agoos, John Harkes and Tab Ramos) and current U.S. National Team stalwarts (Carlos Bocanegra, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard). The full roster of 25 jerseys is listed below:

• Freddy Adu – D.C. United #9 (away / white, L/S) – autographed
• Jeff Agoos – San Jose Earthquakes #12 (2004 away / white)
• Chris Armas – Chicago Fire #14 (2005 home / red)
• Carlos Bocanegra – Chicago Fire #4 (2003 home / red)
• Dwayne De Rosario – San Jose Earthquakes #14 (home / blue)
• Mamadou Diallo – MetroStars #15 (away / black & white
• Youri Djorkaeff – New York Red Bulls (2006 home / red)
• Landon Donovan – Los Angeles Galaxy #10 (2005 home / gold)
• Marco Etcheverry – D.C. United #10 (home / black)
• Amado Guevara – MetroStars #20 (home / red & black)
• John Harkes – New England Revolution #6 (away / white)
• Chris Henderson – Colorado Rapids #19 – (home / black & blue)
• Chris Henderson – Miami Fusion F.C. #19 (2001 away / white)
• Tim Howard – MetroStars #18 (orange GK, L/S)
• Cobi Jones – Los Angeles Galaxy #13 (white / away) – autographed
• Cobi Jones – Los Angeles Galaxy #13 (warm-up top / gold)
• Jason Kreis – Real Salt Lake #9 (2006 away / white) – autographed
• Pablo Mastroeni – Colorado Rapids #25 (home / black & blue)
• Clint Mathis – MetroStars #13 (home / red & black)
• Ronnie O’Brien – Dallas Burn #6 (home / red, L/S) – autographed
• Eddie Pope – Real Salt Lake #23 (2005 away / white)
• Preki – Kansas City Wizards #11 (away / white)
• Steve Ralston – New England Revolution #14 (home / blue)
• Tab Ramos – MetroStars #10 (home / red & black)
• Andy Williams – New England Revolution #7 (away / white) – autographed

You’ll be able to preview the kits that will go up the following day right here at Behind the Shield and we will also provide you with direct links to the relevant eBay pages.

Remember, we’ve got another bone marrow drive going on right now out here at Rio Tinto Stadium (9256 South State St.) through 7:00 p.m. tonight and, as an added bonus, we’ve got all of the jerseys that will be up for auction displayed during the drive…

Check out this nasty strike sir Beckham himself threw in this afternoon. After scoring his first goal for Milan over the weekend, he struck again today for his first at the San Siro. There’s not much else to say about it, so take a look…

MLS officially released the 2009 Regular Season schedule this morning and, of course, with it came the RSL schedule. We’ll touch on a few of the highlights below, but feel free to check out the full, 30 game schedule right here…

• March 28 @ Seattle - RSL kicks off its campaign in the Sounders’ second ever match at Qwest Field
• April 2 vs Columbus - The 2009 home opener will be this nationally televised ESPN2 affair against the Supporter’s Shield and MLS Cup holders
• May 2 @ Colorado - The Rocky Mountain Cup part V kicks off with RSL headed to Denver for an early season rivalry clash
• May 6 vs Los Angeles - The Galaxy roll into town to kick off a celebratory week that will include Rio Tinto Stadium’s first concert with the Eagles on May 9
• June 6 vs Colorado - The Rapids come to town for their first ever trip to the (un)friendly confines of Rio Tinto Stadium
• July 29 - The 2009 MLS All-Star game hits Salt Lake City in what will certainly be one of the most exciting events of the year
• September 12 vs Chicago - Cuauhtemoc Blanco and co. head to Utah as the playoff push really starts to heat up
• October 14 vs New York - RSL looks to avenge its Western Conference Final loss to the Red Bulls in another ESPN2 showdown
• October 24 vs Colorado - After closing the regular season with a Rocky Mountain Cup decider at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for two straight year, the script is flipped and RSL hosts the final clash. Will the drama in 2009 live up to that of the past two years? Only time will tell…

What do you think of the schedule? What games are you really excited for? Hit back below…

This week’s RSL merchandise offer is a good one. For the rest of the week you can pick up a package of items including an adidas/RSL backpack, a vertical flag, and an RSL scarf for just $50. With the season less than two months away, this is a great way to really show your colors and proudly support your squad.

Also, remember our merch guys have instituted the new Real Hours at the Team Store on Fridays from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., when they’ll be offering a select item or two for a greatly discounted rate. This Friday’s items are a size 5 RSL ball for $10 or a mini-ball for just $5.

What’s not to like? Come on in and get geared up (or give the merch guys a call at 801.727.2888 and they can get you taken care of over the phone).

With the official report date for RSL players being this Thursday, we’ve been seeing several guys rolling in and starting to get settled a little early. In the last couple of days we’ve caught up with Kyle, Nick, Yura, and Nat, while rumor has it that both Ian and Javi are back in town as well. In talking to the guys they seem more positive and excited for this season than any in team history.

At this time last year we had a group of guys who knew nothing about one another, much less how to coexist on a soccer field. It’s a totally different ballgame this year though, as we’ve got a group that really came together last year and cares about each other. That really shows, both in the locker room and on the pitch.

In talking to Kyle, it’s obvious that these guys feel like they’ve got the pieces to be a truly special team this year. From Chris bringing his experiences in the National Team camp to our backline, to Robbie gaining some confidence and showing his early form with Brondby this weekend (putting home a pair of goals and an assist in the first half), Kyle couldn’t keep the huge grin off of his face when discussing his team.

It’s fun to see these guys getting ramped up for a big year. We can’t help but get excited for the season to come.

P.S. The League should be releasing this year’s schedule sometime tomorrow morning, so keep your eyes open for what that season will actually be looking like…

Check out this great article from ESPN.com today chronicling the story of Andy and Marcia Williams and there family’s struggles with Marcia’s Leukemia. The outpouring of love and support from the national soccer community has been truly touching of late, but unfortunately all the love and support in the world won’t save Marcia’s life. Marcia’s doctors are still desperately searching for a compatible donor to provide Marcia with a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

This is where we can help. If you haven’t done so already, join us at Rio Tinto Stadium (9256 South State St.) this Thursday between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. when we’ll be hosting a bone marrow drive. The test to see if you are compatible is simply, quick, and absolutely painless. All it takes is a simple swab of your inner cheek and you’re done. Get everyone you know, who fits the donation criteria (find out more here), and come on over to the Stadium on Thursday. It could be any one of us. Let’s make this happen!

We know that a lot of you (understandably) want to hear some info about potential incoming players after the departure of several guys in the last couple of weeks. Well, though we can’t be too specific, we can tell you that both Jason and Garth are currently on a scouting trip in South America until Thursday. They’ll have an especially keen eye out for left-sided players as well as quality attacking talent.

That’s about all we know for now, but we’ll try to get back to you with more concrete info once we have it.

Also, in response to a few recent comments, many of you are curious when the final schedule will be out. The League has told us that the official announcement should come at some point this week, so stay tuned…

The U.S. National Team is putting in final preparations for tomorrow night’s match against their Swedish counterparts. The squad has been in camp for the last couple of weeks incorporating some new faces into the fold as they kick off a busy 2009.

Real Salt Lake’s own Chris Wingert is one of those new faces and will be looking to pick up his first cap for the full national team during tomorrow’s contest. Throughout the camp, the team (and especially the backline) have been rocked by injuries and players leaving for club-related reasons, leaving just six defenders listed on the roster for tomorrow’s game (with left-back Jonathan Bornstein also in doubt due to a foot injury suffered yesterday). This could open the door for Chris to get a look and, hopefully, his first cap.

Do you think Chris will get some time? What lineup do you think Bob Bradley will roll out? What do you think will happen in the match?

Tune in to the Fox Soccer Channel tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. MT to catch the match.

With music legends, the Eagles, scheduled to be the first ever concert at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, May 9, it’s time to make sure that you’re set up to be there. The show will be the Eagles’ last date in the United States for 2009, so now’s your chance. Tickets go on sale to the general public Saturday at 10:00 a.m. MT and the Rio Tinto Stadium west-side ticket windows will open on Monday at 10:00 a.m. MT for in-person purchases. If you’re an RSL season ticket holder you can currently purchase your tickets to ensure the best seats. Head on over to RioTintoStadium.com to book your spot now…

Today we can confirm yet another move that has been rumored in recent days, as Real Salt Lake and forward Kenny Deuchar have mutually agreed to part ways so that the striker can return to Scotland.

“We have reached an amicable, mutual agreement with Kenny that will allow him to return to Scotland and play for Hamilton” Garth told us just moments ago.

Despite some struggles to find the back of the net, Kenny was a very quality player and a great person to have in our organization. We would like to wish Kenny the best. He will definitely be missed in these parts.

Also, in our conversations with Garth, he did confirm that striker Robbie Findley is currently training with Danish power Brøndby IF. This is a great opportunity for Robbie to get some extra training and fitness in before he returns to Salt Lake for the players’ January 29 report date.