SANDY (ABC 4 Sports) - Instead of hiking down to Lehi for its training sessions, Real Salt Lake now only has to go a few blocks to get to America First Field. And players will be the first to tell you, it's kind of a big deal.
That's because in RSL's early days, the team had no permanent place to practice. Sometimes it would be up on the turf at Rice-Eccles Stadium while other days they'd be forced to find a local high school to train at.
"We were a team without a home in every aspect," said head coach Jason Kreis. "We had no training site, no home stadium to play in and now we have this gorgeous training field behind us."
On top of that gorgeous training field, RSL has its own stadium, its own locker room and the list goes on. It's no secret, Real Salt Lake has come a long way since being founded back in 2004.
"It's awesome," said defender Chris Wingert. "This is another step in the right direction for the organization. It's been a high priority for them."
"It's a huge deal," added goalkeeper Nick Rimando. "This is our own training field. America First stepped up and the City of Sandy stepped up."
The best part for the team is the fact that America First Field is just half mile from Rio Tinto Stadium. Players could walk there
IF they wanted to.
"It's a nice day," said RSL team president Bill Manning. "I told Jason this is another chapter for us...another notch up on the belt."
"We're happy to be here at America First," said team captain Kyle Beckerman. "We're trying to put the hard work in here to get another championship."
RSL kicks off the 2012 season on Saturday night against the Galaxy. It's a game you can see right here on ABC4 at 8 o'clock. For the entire
RSL-ABC4 broadcast schedule click
HERE.
YOU CAN WATCH MORE ON THIS STORY TONIGHT ON ABC4 AT 6.
