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Heads hung. A smattering of scarlet scarves lay limp, and an awkward silence choked the chamber.

For Real Salt Lake fans, this defeat stung. Not only did they just lose a nail-biter vote for a Sandy stadium, they also fear they might lose something more dear: their team.

Indeed, RSL owner Dave Checketts warned that Tuesday's 5-4 Salt Lake County Council decision - which sent the team's suburban stadium dreams into oblivion - "puts the future of the club in Utah in serious jeopardy."

Media reports in St. Louis (where Checketts owns the National Hockey League's Blues) say RSL already is looking at moving the team there. Portland, Ore., Phoenix and Rochester, N.Y., are also considered in the chase, along with a rejuvenated Salt Lake City offer.

But Sandy? "As far as I'm concerned, the 'stadium" project is dead," said Mayor Tom Dolan, who in part blamed the news media. "It's totally anti-Sandy. It's always been about Salt Lake City."

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, who was eating lunch with Checketts when the pair received word of the council rejection, offered a grim analysis hours after digesting the news.

"We can't allow that team to stay in that market unless we have some vision for a soccer-specific stadium," he said.

Despite the bewilderment from soccer brass, county politicians may have revived proposals to erect a 20,000-seat stadium in or near downtown Salt Lake City. Before jaws could be collected - Councilman David Wilde shocked fellow Republicans including Dolan with the decisive 'no' vote - Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson was touting the merits of taking the team to the state Fairpark. Unlike the $35 million in tourist tax RSL wanted from the county, the fairpark plan would cost half that amount.

If no such bond can be brokered, Anderson worries the team could bolt - perhaps for western New York. He said Rochester investors are willing to offer Checketts "three times" what he paid for the franchise.

But Checketts said Tuesday's setback is not the "end of the road" for RSL in Utah. Any move would be costly. To locate in St. Louis, for instance, the team might have to settle for a new stadium across the Mississippi River in Illinois.

At the same time, Salt Lake City Councilman Eric Jergensen is pushing downtown. He said there are a "number" of locations. Past possibilities include a block on Main Street at 600 South and properties west and north of The Gateway. "There is a possible proposal in downtown Salt Lake," he revealed. "The issue is, where does Real want to go?" Sandy's proposal - it called for $35 million in hotel taxes for a city-issued bond, with the remaining $60 million available for other county projects - did not pass muster with county accountants. Council attorney Karl Hendrickson warned the finance scheme put the county at risk and could jeopardize its ability to fund other projects. County Mayor Peter Corroon agreed - "the project still does not work," he said - and later said he would have vetoed the request. After the dire pronouncements, Councilman Joe Hatch tried to resuscitate the stadium with a revamped proposal that he argued shifted the risk to Sandy. The plan called for giving the suburb $30 million, while steering $45 million toward a downtown arts district and $15 million for west-side parks and baseball fields. But when Hatch refused to lower the capital's take to $41 million, Wilde balked. "It's got to be $45 'million" and screw you if it's anything else," he said incredulously about Hatch. "My constituents want fairness for the rest of the county." The major concern now, Wilde said, "is how this is going to play with the Legislature. I'm not trying to poke them in the eye, but I'm certainly not going to lose sleep over doing what I think is right." After the vote, Hatch alleged Wilde "has made a career of making Salt Lake City a bogeyman. This is a continuation of that career." But Councilman Mark Crockett called Wilde - who was flooded with so many supportive e-mails after the vote they clogged his computer - a "hero." "Today, more so than anything else, says when people voice their opinion, it does change the outcome," Crockett said. But the decision left RSL fans at a loss. "I'm really disappointed," said Steve McAfee, a West Jordan season-ticket holder. "It seems like there are a few people who say, 'I love soccer, I love soccer.' Obviously, they don't." Even so, Midvale's Scott Stucki argues too many powerful people still are pulling for soccer in Utah. "It will happen somewhere," he said. Corroon says despite being dubbed a contrarian, his door remains open. "Everybody seems to think it's: 'No, no, no, heck no,' " he said. "It's: 'Bring us something that makes sense and we'll consider it.' " Nonetheless, Checketts took a swipe at Corroon and the council for their "lack of support." "They believe, mistakenly, that they have protected the Utah taxpayer. In fact, they have only stood in the way of what would be one of the largest private capital investments ever made in state history."

For his part, Dolan plans to pursue legislative help for a $650 million mega-development - blending shops, restaurants, condos and offices - near 9400 South State Street. But without the stadium, it falls short of what he envisioned. In an omen of the vote to come, Dolan's cell phone went off during the debate. The ring tone: the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."

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Tribune reporters Heather May, Michael C. Lewis and Jacob Santini contributed to this report.