Sandy » When Real Salt Lake faces Mexico's Club America here Saturday night in what has become an annual friendly against international competition, RSL expects to be the road team.

Sure, the match is at Rio Tinto Stadium. And yes, the stadium is expected to be full. But Club America is the premier club in Mexico, and one of the best in the world. That has made the matchup a hit among the Salt Lake City area's large Latino fan base, and a daunting matchup for RSL -- both on the field and in the stands. The crowd is expected to be split 50-50 between the two teams.

"I think that's being generous," Real Salt Lake forward Clint Mathis said Thursday. "I think it'll be tilted a little further in their favor. But we know this is our opportunity to go out and play some good soccer. It's our chance to prove ourselves to our fans. We want to go out and prove that we're just as good as these guys. And we hope that if we come out and show well that some of those cheers will begin to go our way."

As exhibition games go, this is considered one of the biggest draws Real Salt Lake has ever had, with Club America being one of the most successful teams in the Mexican first division for over a decade.

"We're very glad to have been invited there," said Club America president Michel Bauer. "It's very important for us to be in a position where we can go play anyone at anytime. This is an opportunity to play a very good MLS team, so we're honored to be there. Obviously the Spanish community will be happy to see us in the United States."

With 10 championships, Club America trails only Chivas, which has 11 titles, as the most successful team in Mexico. The two have quite a rivalry and are the only two clubs that have been in the first division of the Mexican football league from the beginning.

But while Club America trails Chivas domestically, the team internationally is one of the most successful in the world. With eight international titles, Club America has only FC Barcelona (Spain) and FC Bayern Munich (Germany) as peers. Because of that, anytime Club America kicks off, it's a team facing a ton of pressure. One Real Salt Lake official called the club "The New York Yankees of Mexican soccer." The team has a bull's-eye on its back with every match.

"We know that the fans want to see the team win every time we play," Bauer said. "That's a huge responsibility for all of the players. When you add it all up, this has all of the ingredients for a very good match on Saturday. It's a chance for the fans to see a different type of soccer."

Real Salt Lake is no different from any team that wants to give Club America its best shot. Although this is an exhibition, RSL is putting a high premium on the game -- with the knowledge that a win would do much to raise its profile around the league and beyond.

"We just look at it as a chance to play well against one of the best teams in the world," Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis said. "Against Real Madrid, I thought we showed really well. We lost the match, but for 45 minutes I thought we were the better team. We want to go out and get a win. It's not enough to go out and just play well. We want to be the better team."

Real Salt Lake is 5-4-1 in exhibitions, with Club America being the fourth Mexican team to visit Utah -- joining Santos Laguna, Morelia and Los Tigres, who played RSL last season.

Notes

RSL will be shorthanded Saturday with midfielder Kyle Beckerman having been called up to the national team. Real Salt Lake is also dealing with Yura Movsisyan's contract status, as the forward recently signed to play with a team in Denmark. Major League Soccer, which owns Movsisyan's contract, is currently negotiating with Movsisyan and it's unclear whether the 21 year old will finish the season with RSL.

tjones@sltrib.com