Real Salt Lake Stadium to Host 2009 MLS All-Star Game

Real
Salt Lake
Stadium will host the 2009 MLS All-Star Game. The new 20,000-seat stadium in
Sandy, Utah,
which is expected to open in October, will host the 14th annual MLS mid-summer
showcase. The 2009 MLS All-Star Game will be the sixth time the MLS All-Stars
will take on a high-profile international club, continuing the tradition of
“MLS Takes on the World.”

“We are excited to bring the 2009 MLS All-Star Game to
Utah and Major League
Soccer’s newest world-class venue,” said MLS President Mark Abbott. ”
Real Salt
Lake has a history of
hosting first-rate soccer events, and we certainly expect Dave Checketts and
his staff to continue this tradition with the All-Star Game. It is a testament
to the growth of the League that we are able to host this wonderful event in a
soccer-specific stadium for the seventh consecutive year.”

“The decision to call
Utah
home of the 2009 MLS All-Star Game represents precisely the type of opportunity
that this Stadium and this team seek to set into motion,” said Checketts.
When we broke ground on that fateful August day in 2006, we knew that this
Stadium would bring spectacular events to this community, and I cannot think of
another event that exemplifies that idea more than this one. The eyes of the
world will focus on the majestic
Wasatch
Mountains and stare in
wide wonder. World-class players will witness the passion of our fans, and
travelers from across the country will fill the streets of this valley over
three days next summer to celebrate this wonderful game.”