Other than the U.S. World Cup team, I've never seen so many people care about a soccer team like this in my life. We had old ladies calling our station wondering what channel the Real Salt Lake-Monterrey game was on. Producers, directors, anchors and interns all gathered in the sports office to watch. My wife (MY WIFE!!) wanted to know what the score was. She cares about soccer about as much as I care about the royal wedding.
The RSL frenzy was in full force this past week, as Real had a chance to become the first Major League Soccer team ever to advance to the Club World Cup in Japan. It was the kind of story that brought entire communities together, soccer fans and non-soccer alike. Real Salt Lake was the talk of the entire state. That hadn't happened since they won the MLS Cup back in 2009, but even then, since that happened in November, their accomplishment kind of got lost among the end of the Utah and BYU football seasons and the start of the Utah Jazz season.
So this was different. No other sport in the state was even close to this. Heck, writers from USA Today to the Mexican newspaper El Norte were in town. All Real had to do was salvage a draw, and they'd be bigger than any professional soccer club could be in this country.
But alas, it was not meant to be. Monterrey scored a 1-0 victory, and Real was left on the podium holding their second place medals instead of actually getting to play teams like Barcelona or Manchester United. It was still farther than any MLS team had ever gone before. It was truly a historic run that won't soon be forgotten.
So even though international powerhouses like Monterrey aren't coming to Rio Tinto Stadium anytime soon, I sure hope the enthusiasm and interest this incredible team we have right here in our own backyard generated doesn't fade. They proved they deserve our full attention, no matter how close they come to making history.
