Thursday night land marked another milestone for the MLS as Real Salt Lake opened their new stadium Rio Tinto, with no football logos or hashes, in Sandy, Utah and what a powerful opening it was.
If you had told me you were going to blind fold me and teleport me to a soccer game somewhere in the world, I would have guess somewhere in the north of England or Scotland. There were chants, boos, drums, and even bagpipes to serenade the newly relocated home team.
The field was unblemished, with brand new, top quality soccer equipment everywhere you look. When Real Salt Lake, which sits on the same latitude as Real Madrid, scored through Jamison Olave at the end of the first half the crowd erupted as if Newcastle Utd had scored the winner in a north east derby.
Soccer hasn't just arrived in the US, it is growing faster than any other sport thanks largely to David Beckham and other notable foreign imports.
What an experience. Thank you MLS! Thank you RSL fans!
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