Real Salt Lake: Things have changed a lot since '05 opener

If you stop and think about it, the memories of Real Salt Lake's 2005 inaugural home game at Rice-Eccles Stadium come flooding back.

Your mind takes you back to what unfolded that balmy afternoon on April 16, 2005, when 25,287 soccer fans flocked to Rice-Eccles Stadium to see their MLS team for the first time and left happy when defender Brian Dunseth headed home a late winner to propel RSL to a 1-0 win over Colorado.

In some ways, that day seems like it could have happened yesterday. In so many other ways, however, that day seems like it happened a million years ago.

Indeed, so much has happened to Real Salt Lake — for better and worse — during the last three-and-a-half years. But to the credit of the club, once Thursday rolls around, it can proudly say it has survived everything that's come to pass since that first home-opener to stage a much grander opening act — and a much more permanent one.

RSL will open its new state-of-the-art home, Rio Tinto Stadium, on Thursday against New York, and heading into that occasion, here's a few brief comparisons between the 2005 home-opener and this week's.

THE STARTING LINEUP

2005: D.J. Countess, Rusty Pierce, Brian Dunseth, Eddie Pope, Marlon Rojas, Chris Brown, Brian Kamler, Clint Mathis, Luke Kreamalmeyer, Dipsy Selolwane, Jason Kreis.

2008 (projected): Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Ian Joy, Kyle Beckerman, Robbie Russell, Andy Williams, Javier Morales, Clint Mathis, Yura Movsisyan.

Analysis: RSL coach Jason Kreis was a starter for the first home-opener, and to his credit, he's pieced together a solid group since taking over as head coach last year. From top to bottom, the '08 lineup is so much more complete than the '05 bunch that it's scary. Interestingly, there is potentially one player who might make both lists — Clint Mathis — if his former teammate, Kreis, gives him the nod on Thursday. Potential 2008 starter Andy Williams has been with RSL since Day 1 but didn't start in the '05 home-opener.

THE PITCH

2005: At the time, people actually praised the Rice-Eccles Stadium staff for making the football lines look as unobtrusive as possible, but the artificial surface was nonetheless hard and unforgiving on Day 1 — as it proved to be throughout RSL's stay there.

2008: The pitch at Rio Tinto Stadium features pristine grass that's been carefully groomed over the last two months.

Analysis: If you're a soccer player, you want to play on grass, and RSL will get a gorgeous grass pitch to play on inside Rio Tinto Stadium. The RSL players will go from having one of the worst — if not the worst — surfaces in MLS to having one of its best — if not the best.

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