RSL's Manning Hopes to Have Team In Black In Coming Years

Real Salt Lake (RSL) President Bill Manning, in a meeting with the Deseret News editorial board, said that he "hoped to have RSL 'in the black' in the next couple of years," according to Jasen Lee of the DESERET NEWS. Manning said that the team for its new $110M stadium, set to open this fall, is "seeking a long-term naming-rights deal in the neighborhood of the average price among the most recent [MLS] teams that have build soccer-specific stadiums -- around $1.6 [M]." But he "would be willing to strike a deal that would provide long-term stability for the franchise even if it were for a bit less money." Manning said that the stadium is "about 75[%] completed right now," and he added that the venue will seat 20,056 fans for soccer and up to 25,000 for concerts and other events. Manning: "I wasn't here when all the shenanigans or whatever you want to call it were going on and how the stadium got funded. But it is funded now, so what I want to do is want to try to make it a great facility for the community and a great facility for us." Meanwhile, among the ideas Manning said that he has to "enhance [the RSL] brand among the area's sports franchises is to develop its own recipe for fry sauce sold at home games." Manning also "wants to align the team with 'American Idol' finalist David Archuleta," a Utah native. Manning: "We've already reached out to him. I'm sure there will be a price tag associated with it, but I want him to open the new building. I want him to sing the national anthem when we have our first game" (DESERET NEWS, 6/3).

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