Real Salt Lake: Goodbye and good riddance to Rice-Eccles

I first learned about Dave Checketts' interest in Major League Soccer while covering a Utah Blitzz minor league soccer game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in May 2004.

I was tipped off to Checketts' $1 million down payment to MLS Commissioner Don Garber, and immediately my soccer fan mentality had me dreaming of the possibilities. Never in my wildest dreams did I envision such a masterpiece stadium being built 10 minutes from my house some four years later.

It's simply stunning, and the Oct. 9 grand opening figures to be a special night.

Before Real Salt Lake begins anew in Rio Tinto Stadium, it's only appropriate to take a step back and say thanks to Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Sure, it was a cavernous football stadium, where the turf was like concrete, the ball always bounced funny and there were logos and lines painted everywhere, but our city wouldn't be home to Major League Soccer without it. Real Madrid never would have paid a visit to Utah, not to mention the U.S. National Team. As exciting as those matchers were, I'm gearing my Rice-Eccles Stadium swan song toward league play, when three points were always on the line.

In RSL's 59 home matches, late-match drama happened so often it bordered on ridiculous. It sure kept fans on the edge until the final whistle, and it taught us reporters never to take the 85th minute media elevator down from the press box.

In all, there were 13 matches played at Rice-Eccles Stadium in which a goal after the 85th minute changed the outcome.

Who can forget Carlos Ruiz's stoppage-time goal in the season-opener last year, or Cuauhtemoc Blanco's virtual mirror image this year. Both were disastrous starts to the season for RSL, results that fall under the classification of bad ties. The club only had three of those bad ties in Rice-Eccles Stadium history.

When factoring in its three home losses in which late goals spoiled ties, RSL lost points by allowing late goals a total of six times.

It's the seven games RSL gained points with late goals that leave an indelible impression.

Numero uno is the match against D.C. United in 2006. More than anything, it was a shocking moment for the referee. He awarded RSL two penalty kicks in stoppage time, essentially gifting RSL the 2-1 victory.

The first penalty was legit, but the second was a joke. He should have just informed the teams prior to kickoff to save their energy and play poker instead, because he had a predetermined outcome in mind.

That wasn't the only time RSL scored twice in stoppage time. In Jason Kreis' first game as head coach last May, Jeff Cunningham and Chris Brown scored in the 90th and 91st minute, respectively, as RSL rallied to "earn" a 3-3 draw.

With those memories safely stored away, I say good riddance to Rice-Eccles Stadium as a soccer venue. There's a pristine patch of green grass in Sandy waiting for some notoriety.

---

E-mail: jedward@desnews.com

Recent comments