This is the event that first brought XanGo and Real Salt Lake together. The bonds that were forged during the first-ever XanGo Cup proved to be the foundation of a quality partnership for years to come. As a venue for top international talent, the annual XanGo Cup gives the Utah community a unique entertainment experience while providing Real Salt Lake the valuable opportunity to match wits and kicks with the best in the world.
2006
Viewers worldwide tuned in, 45,000+ people crowded into Rice-Eccles Stadium and 22 men stepped on the field to decide the outcome of the inaugural XanGo Cup. And the hometown underdogs stepped up their game to meet the visiting Galacticos head-on.
The match was back and forth; the crowd was up and down. The stars shone, the orange glowed, the world watched–and Real Madrid walked out with a 2-0 victory, laying claim to further ownership of the Real name. Real Salt Lake's performance was just as impressive and everyone in attendance left satisfied. People came from all over the United States and more than 25 countries to Salt Lake City to see this match (and, of course, Sir David Beckham).
2007
This year's XanGo Cup was a 2-match, 3-nation affair–and over 28,000 fans attended. Two well-respected and well-supported clubs traveled thousands of miles to tread the turf at Rice-Eccles Stadium against Real Salt Lake. The two century-old squads to challenge our team were England's Premier Club Everton FC and Argentina's Copa Libertadores Champions, Boca Juniors.
On the first leg, Saturday July 21, Real Salt Lake fans saw a confident and fresh team take the legs out from under one of England's finest. They looked to be running on all 11 cylinders as they knocked in 2 loud goals within the space of a minute, hardly giving anyone the chance to finish celebrating the first before the second hit.
Real's newest acquisition, Kyle Beckerman, was the lynchpin as RSL played a clinical game of possession, moving the ball with pinpoint accuracy. In the end, fireworks burst upon a victorious RSL side and their 12,000 supporters. The score: 2-0.
For the second leg, on July 24, Freddy Adu was back in action against the pride of Argentina: Boca Juniors. The match played evenly from the beginning, giving the 16,000 XanGo Cuppers plenty of action to take in, seeing shots on both ends, and some heart-stopping saves–especially from RSL's Nick Rimando, who got some serious hang time knocking shots out of the atmosphere.
For the closing half, Boca laid it on pretty thick and quick, constantly pressuring our half. They succeeded in heading one past Rimando to set the score at 1-1. That's how the match would end, too: an action-packed draw.
2008
After bringing in clubs from Spain, England and Argentina, the third XanGo Cup featured its first Mexican opponent–the reigning Mexican Clausura champions, Santos Laguna. The match took place at Rice-Eccles Stadium on July 9 in front of an evenly split fan base.
The border-sharing dimension of this year's cup added a hint of rivalry, a boost in attendance and an extra helping of passion from the stands. Early on, Santos took the lead in a match that looked destined for a handful of goals. They came prepared to show a new audience why they were the reigning Mexican champions.
After going down, 2-0, Real pulled a goal back off an Andy Williams corner that Alex Nimo redirected into the net. But that was as close as RSL would get to their dream comeback. The night belonged to Santos Laguna, who closed up the Cup with 2 more goals, leaving Utah with a 4-1 victory–the first home-field loss for RSL all year.
2009
In a successful effort to recreate the same competitive spark of the previous year's matchup, XanGo and Real Salt Lake decided to call up yet another Mexican mega-club for the 2009 XanGo Cup–Club América. As the richest and second most decorated team in México, they presented a world-class challenge and a major draw. And this year, Real was fully prepared for a hard-fought, slightly less friendly version of a friendly.
With the fans all in place, with the sun shining–and with Gordon Morton calling the coin toss–XanGo Cup 2009 was on! As the first XanGo Cup in the new Rio Tinto Stadium, this event enjoyed a new type of spectacular soccer atmosphere. Every seat was a prime viewing area, and all who attended were counted lucky to have been a part of RSL's second XanGo Cup victory–compliments of a beautiful bending goal from star midfielder Javier Morales.
