Real Salt Lake: Rio Tinto garners rave reviews
Although Thursday night's 1-1 draw with New York was not the result RSL and the fans wanted, the overall feeling of the stadium-opening game was a success.
"It was a fantastic experience out there tonight, and a terrific atmosphere for a big game," said coach Jason Kreis. "I think, maybe, it was too good of an atmosphere, really, for what we saw out there because the quality of the soccer, I think, was a little bit lower than what we're used to seeing over the past few weeks. I think our guys looked very, very nervous."
It took the first half for RSL's players to settle down and get on top of their nerves. The second half, they played much better soccer. But along with the nerves, perhaps it was the environment and the field that took some getting used to for the players.
"The crowd is just on top of them, so they had to get used to how noisy it was, and having all those people standing and waiving white flags was great," said RSL owner Dave Checketts. "But the pitch is grass, not turf, and I think a couple of times tonight that was an adjustment for them.
The enthusiasm was contagious, as all 20,008 fans seemed to appreciate the moment, and that extra spirit could be felt by the entire squad. Even if they felt like they left two points on the pitch, RSL is ecstatic to have a place to call home.
"It was great, it was amazing," said defender Chris Wingert. "The fans were awesome, they were loud. Everything was perfect. I thought the organization did an unbelievable job in opening, just setting everything up perfectly. The only thing that wasn't perfect was the result."
"It's fantastic," said midfielder Will Johnson. "The fans here are unbelievable. We don't need to tell you guys that; it's a given that whenever we show up that we're going to have the full support of these people behind us, and tonight was no exception. It was a special occasion, but to not get a win is inexcusable."
With one regular-season game left at home, plus the possibility of a playoff game, Rio Tinto has already left a great impression on everyone associated with it.
"Awesome. The best in the league for sure," said goalkeeper Nick Rimando. "From the grass, the pitch to the locker rooms and the atmosphere, I was really happy with everything tonight."
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com
Recent comments
great work on the stadium, just wish it were downtown, but beggars…
stadium is rad | Oct. 13, 2008 at 9:56 p.m.
I made the trip from St. George for the opening game in this stadium…
bobcat | Oct. 13, 2008 at 3:25 p.m.
Beautiful stadium!
Absolutely | Oct. 13, 2008 at 10:23 a.m.
