The 2011 Real Salt Lake season was the club's seventh year of existence, as well as their seventh season in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

, and their seventh consecutive season in the top-flight of American soccer. Salt Lake's season was highlighted by reaching the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League Finals, becoming the first American soccer club to reach the final of the newly designed CONCACAF Champions League, as well as the first non-Mexican club to reach the finals. Including the predecessor tournament, the Champions' Cup, it was the first time in 11 years an American club reached the North American club final, the last being

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...

. Additionally, Salt Lake finished third place in both the Western Conference and overall MLS tables during the regular season, thus earning a berth into the

2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League The 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League was the 5th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 48th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of Nor ...

. In the

2011 MLS Cup Playoffs The 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs was the sixteenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began on October 26 with the play-in round and concluded on November 20 with the championship match. It was t ...

, Salt Lake reached the Western Conference Final, but fell to eventual MLS Cup champions, Los Angeles Galaxy. Salt Lake also reached the quarterfinals of the

2011 U.S. Open Cup The 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 98th edition of the USSF's annual national soccer championship, running from June through early October. Seattle Sounders FC, who entered the competition as the two-time defending champions, successfully ...

before falling to eventual semifinalists,

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

Background

Review

November

Towards the end of November 2010,

held its

Expansion Draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansion ...

for the arrivals of

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

and

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...

. Among Salt Lake's unprotected players for the draft, Portland selected two:

Robbie Findley Robert Findley (born August 4, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He was capped 11 times by the United States national team, having made his international debut in 2007. Findley played college soc ...

and

David Horst David Horst (born October 25, 1985) is a former American soccer player who last played for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer. Career College and amateur Horst played college soccer at Old Dominion University, and in the USL Premier Developme ...

. Findley, though, following an expired contract with the Royals, declared his intentions to play overseas, with rumors circulating about him possibly playing for

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each yea ...

clubs Brøndby and

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

, even

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

club

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

. On November 24, Randers denied rumors that Findley was on trial with the club. Subsequent to the expansion draft, the Royals made a trade with the Timbers to bring in

Salvadorian Salvadorans (Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvado ...

Arturo Alvarez, whom previously played his club soccer for

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

, in return for allocation money and draft picks.

December

After much anticipation, Salt Lake agreed to buy striker Alvaro Saborio on loan from the Swiss club

Sion Sion may refer to * an alternative transliteration of Zion People * Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name Plac ...

on December 1, for a fee of around $1.0M. Saborío, spent the 2010 season on loan with the Royals where he scored 12 league goals and bagged six Champions League goals. He will sign as a

Designated Player The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap (either by offering the player higher wages or by paying a transfer fee ...

being the first in club history. After much rumor as to where striker

would end up, he eventually signed for

English Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

club

, making Findley the first RSL player to leave for Europe since

Yura Movsisyan Yura Movsisyan ( hy, Յուրա Մովսիսյան; born 2 August 1987) is an Armenian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Most notably, Movsisyan played for Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League. He played for the Arm ...

went to

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The team's signature colours are purple ...

. The match, played on April 5, ended in a 2–1 victory for Saprissa, although Salt Lake would win 3–2 on aggregate, secured by

Jamison Olave Jamison may refer to: People with the surname Jamison: *Jamison (surname) In places: * Jamison, California * Jamison, Nebraska, US * Jamison City, Pennsylvania, US * Jamison, Pennsylvania, US * Jamison Valley, New South Wales, Australia Other: * J ...

's half volley in the 71st minute of play. The win booked Salt Lake a spot in the Champions League finals, in which they became the first American team to make the finals under the current format, as well as the first American team to make the finals of a CONCACAF club tournament since

in 2000. On April 6, it was learned that Salt Lake would be playing

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

of Mexico in the Champions League finals, after Monterrey pulled off a 2–1 aggregate win over

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...

. On April 9, the club would return to league play, flying out to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to take on

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

. Because of the Champions League match three days earlier, many first team players rested this weekend and mainly a team composed of reserves and a few starters played in the game. In spite of this, Salt Lake was able to pull off a 2–0 win at New England, giving them a perfect 3-0-0 record. Following the New England match, the club had another mid-week fixture against

Rocky Mountain The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

rivals,

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

. Due to the club's recent success in 2011, the match was expected to be hotly contested. A crowd of nearly 15,500 showed up for the mid-week game as Salt Lake pulled off a controversial, late goal in injury time. The goal was scored by

Fabián Espíndola Edgar Fabián Espíndola (born 4 May 1985) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward. Club career Early career Espíndola started his career in 2005 with Argentine giants Boca Juniors. He played six games for the club, but Boca failed ...

. Originally, Salt Lake was to host

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

on April 23, but the Union voluntarily rescheduled their match to September 3. The Union rescheduled the match to help aid Salt Lake in their Champions League campaign. On April 20, Salt Lake resumed Champions League play with the first leg of the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League Finals being held at

's Technology Stadium. Salt Lake found themselves trailing within the first 20 minutes of play, following a defensive mishap that led to a loose ball tapped in by

Aldo de Nigris Jesus Aldo de Nigris Guajardo (born 22 July 1983) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker, who is the current assistant manager of Liga MX club Monterrey. Club career He started his career at the youth divisions ...

. The ''Claret and Cobalt'' would draw level in the 35th minute of play, thanks to a header off of

Nat Borchers Nat Borchers (born April 13, 1981) is an American former soccer player who played as a defender. He won the MLS Cup in 2009 with Real Salt Lake and in 2015 with the Portland Timbers. Youth and college career Born in Tucson, Arizona, Borchers ...

from a

Javier Morales Javier Morales (born 10 January 1980) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a midfielder. He currently serves as an academy coach at Inter Miami CF. Career Argentina From 1998 to 2006, Morales played for four different clubs in the Ar ...

set piece, leading to a 1-1 scoreline at halftime. In the second half of play, a 62nd minute handball from Salt Lake defender

consequently led to a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

for ''Los Rayados''. Chilean international

Humberto Suazo Humberto Andrés Suazo Pontivo (; born 10 May 1981), nicknamed ''Chupete'' (in English, ''Lollipop''), is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a striker for Deportes La Serena. In 2006, he was awarded the IFFHS World's Top Goal Sc ...

converted the penalty, regaining the lead for Monterrey, 2–1. In the dying minutes of the match, Salt Lake midfielder, Morales, made two cutbacks over Monterrey defenders

Sergio Pérez Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza (; born 26 January 1990), is a Mexican Auto racing, racing driver who races in Formula One for Red Bull Racing, having previously driven for Sauber, McLaren, Force India, and Racing Point. He won his first ...

and

Neri Cardozo Neri Raúl Cardozo (born 8 August 1986) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Venados. He is able to play on both sides of the field and is known for his ball control. He holds Mexican citizenship. Cardozo made ...

to score the equalizer, leading to a final scoreline of 2-2. The draw against Monterrey resulted in only the fourth time in history that an American soccer club had tied a Mexican opponent on Mexican soil. The previous time was when

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

tied

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in M ...

1–1 in the 2009–10 edition of the Champions League. The result brings American club performance in Mexico to (0-21-4) and MLS club performance in Mexico to (0-23-6). Salt Lake will host Monterrey in the second leg of the finals on April 27 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Match results

Preseason

''Note: Results are given with Real Salt Lake's score listed first.''

Major League Soccer

Regular season

Playoffs

CONCACAF Champions League

U.S. Open Cup

Major League Soccer

League tables

Western Conference table

Overall table

Results summary

Club

Roster

MLS roster

''As of September 15, 2011.''

CONCACAF Champions League roster

''As of February 22, 2011.''

Staff

Coaching staff

Disciplinary record

''Last updated on March 2, 2011''

Player movement

Transfers

In

Out

Loan

In

Out

Competitions

Miscellany

Allocation Ranking

Real Salt Lake is in the #8 position in the MLS Allocation Ranking. The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the league after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking.

International Roster Spots

Real Salt Lake possesses 6 international roster spots. Each club in Major League Soccer is allocated 8 international roster spots, which can be traded. The club dealt one spot permanently to

on 29 June 2005 and dealt another spot permanently to

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guada ...

on 24 November 2004. The club also dealt a spot to

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

on 23 February 2010 but use of that roster spot was for the 2010 season only. There is no limit on the number of international slots on each club's roster. The remaining roster slots must belong to domestic players. For clubs based in the United States, a domestic player is either a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident (green card holder) or the holder of other special status (e.g., refugee or asylum status).

Future Draft Pick Trades

Future picks acquired: 2012 SuperDraft conditional pick acquired from

.
Future picks traded: None.

MLS Rights to Other Players

Real Salt Lake maintains the MLS rights to

after the player declined a contract offer by the club and signed overseas on a free transfer.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:2011 Real Salt Lake Season Real Salt Lake seasons

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...