Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Real Salt Lake history
Real Salt Lake company history timeline
The club was founded in 2004 when the club's first owner and founder were awarded an expansion berth in Major League Soccer.
RSL began play on April 2, 2005, against New York MetroStars at Giants Stadium, which ended in a scoreless tie.
First Place Finishes: 1 since 2005
League History 2005 – Present / Major League Soccer Breakfast: 15 Foods You Should Never Eat in the Morning n/a >
RSL's first season was 2005 under head coach John Ellinger.
In 2006, Real Salt Lake's second season, the team recorded five losses and one tie in the first six matches of the season.
Jeff Cunningham, who came to Salt Lake from Colorado, provided most of Real's highlights during an otherwise poor 2006 season.
Their first game of the 2007 MLS season was a 2–2 draw for FC Dallas on Real's home turf.
Although late-season signings Luis Silva and Juan Manuel Martinez provided strong performances, the team did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
The team's home field advantage improved dramatically in with the opening in October 2008 of Rio Tinto Stadium, the new soccer-specific stadium in Sandy.
Finishing 2008 with a 10–10–10 record, RSL advanced to the playoffs for the first time.
In the 2009 MLS season, RSL proved nearly invincible at home, having a 9–1–5 record in Rio Tinto Stadium, with a record-setting +23 goal differential.
The 2010 season saw RSL continue its home unbeaten streak.
For the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League, Real Salt Lake were placed in Group A with Cruz Azul of Mexico, Toronto FC of Canada and Arabe Unido of Panama.
The second leg of the final was held on April 27, 2011, at Rio Tinto Stadium; Monterrey scored the only goal of the game, giving Monterrey a 3–2 aggregate victory.
In their 2011 MLS season, RSL's home unbeaten streak ended at 29 games on May 28, 2011, with their loss to the Seattle Sounders FC. Real finished the regular season with a 15–11–8 record and finished third in the western conference.
In the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League, RSL were placed in Group 2 with Herediano of Costa Rica and Tauro of Panama, but were eliminated at the group stage.
In 2013, Checketts sold his stake in Real Salt Lake to minority owner Dell Loy Hansen.
Despite barely making the playoffs, the team progressed to the conference finals for the first time since 2013, upsetting both Seattle and Kansas City (interestingly, through another stoppage-time goal) before being defeated by the Portland Timbers.
However, by at least 2014, reaction to the name had improved, with the team establishing its identity as a representative of Salt Lake.
Despite a five-game unbeaten start to the 2015 season, the team eventually began to struggle in the standings, coupled with a loss to Sporting Kansas City in the semi-finals of the 2015 Open Cup.
On March 20, 2017, the club announced that head coach Jeff Cassar had been dismissed from his duties only three games into the season.
FBref.com launched (June 13, 2018) with domestic league coverage for England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and United States.
The 2018 season was heralded with the opening of the new $78 million Training Center and Zion's Bank Real Academy in Herriman, Utah.
The club also saw the dismissal of head coach Mike Petke on August 11, following an incident between the coach and match officials during the 2019 Leagues Cup.
Unable to find a new owner, MLS took over the sales process on January 8, 2021, and RSL began the 2021 season with no defined ownership.
On January 5, 2022, Real Salt Lake was formally sold to a group led by David Blitzer, best known as a co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and Crystal Palace, and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith.
Rate Real Salt Lake's efforts to communicate its history to employees.
Real Salt Lake jobs
Do you work at Real Salt Lake?
Does Real Salt Lake communicate its history to new hires?
Real Salt Lake competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Union | 2008 | $3.3M | 236 | 9 |
| Orlando City SC | 2010 | $8.9M | 409 | 9 |
| FC Cincinnati | 2018 | $6.0M | 190 | 42 |
| Nashville Predators Foundation Empowered by SmileDirectClub | 1998 | $8.4M | 149 | 3 |
| Sacramento Republic FC | 2012 | $3.6M | 107 | 4 |
| Houston Dynamo FC | 2005 | $9.5M | 278 | 5 |
| Chicago Red Stars | 2006 | $5.8M | 66 | - |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2008 | $5.3M | 259 | 5 |
| United Soccer League | 1986 | $8.0M | 75 | - |
| D.C. United | 1994 | $12.0M | 308 | 13 |
Real Salt Lake history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Real Salt Lake, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Real Salt Lake. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Real Salt Lake. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Real Salt Lake. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Real Salt Lake and its employees or that of Zippia.
Real Salt Lake may also be known as or be related to Real Salt Lake.