📍 Sandy, Utah
⚽ Home of Real Salt Lake

Top-tier professional soccer first arrived in the Intermountain West in 2005 in the form of Real Salt Lake, an MLS expansion franchise. Based in Utah’s capital city, RSL played their first few seasons in a way that many early Major League Soccer clubs did – in a football stadium. While waiting for a permanent palace to call their own, the squad shared Rice-Eccles Stadium with the Utah Utes for nearly four full campaigns. But by fall 2008, the financial and developmental kinks had been worked out and Real Salt Lake moved from downtown SLC into their new soccer-specific home in the southern suburb of Sandy.

Originally known as Rio Tinto Stadium, the venue was renamed America First Field in 2022 after a partnership with a local credit union was struck. The stadium is located in the shadow of the snow-capped Wasatch Mountains, which tower over the east stands and dominate the view for many fans on matchday. Due to its unique geography, America First Field is one of the highest parks in the league at 4,450 feet above sea level, second-only to Denver’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. That stadium is home to the Colorado Rapids, a regional foe with whom RSL competes annually for the Rocky Mountain Cup. The Cup, presented to the winning team at the end of each season, is a fan-awarded trophy that goes to the club with the most points in games played against each other. Real Salt Lake has historically dominated the series and holds a commanding lead, having won nearly 30 straight matches from 2014 to 2024.

The club has also been mightily successful in the postseason, competing in two MLS Cups. Their first appearance in 2009 resulted in their first-ever championship title, winning a nailbiter over the LA Galaxy in a penalty shootout. Coincidentally, their second trip to the Cup in 2013 also ended in a shootout – but this time, it was a heartbreaking loss to Sporting Kansas City.

At the center of it all are the club’s collection of passionate supporter groups – together known as the “The RioT”, a play on the stadium’s former Rio Tinto moniker – who create sustained and palpable matchday energy, waving flags and starting chants that keep fans excited until the final whistle.

With seating enough for approximately 20,000 fans, America First Field has been fortunate to host a large slate of high-profile events over the last two decades. From the MLS All-Star Game to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, these marquee contests have solidified the stadium as the premier soccer venue in the Great Basin.