RSL excited to finally be back at Rio Tinto, happy to have even a limited number of fans

Playing in a fanless Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday felt different for Real Salt Lake.

While the team had recently played four games without fans in Orlando, Fla., for the MLS is Back Tournament, the empty sprawling stadium with a capacity of more than 18,000 another level of emptiness.

“It felt kind of eerie, honestly,” RSL forward Corey Baird said.

But RSL won’t have to feel that way Wednesday when it plays LAFC at Rio Tinto Stadium. Roughly 5,000 fans will be allowed to attend the game, marking the first time since March 7 that the team will play in front of spectators.

“I’m definitely looking forward to having some fans there,” defender Justen Glad said.

RSL is one of just a few Major League Soccer teams that will allow fans to attend games based on local health department guidelines. The organization’s United Soccer League Championship affiliate Real Monarchs have played five matches in front of fans since July 18 in that league’s restart.

The 5,000 figure is about 20% of Rio Tinto’s full capacity, which is listed at just over 20,000. But even though the number of spectators are limited due to the team’s COVID-19 protocols, they still make a difference in the eyes of RSL.

“It still just adds a little something,” Glad said.

That something could be helpful against LAFC, last season’s leader in points and goals scored. LAFC played well in the Orlando bubble despite not having their best player, Carlos Vela.

Vela won’t play Wednesday after suffering a grade 2 MCL strain on one of his knees. There’s no timetable for his return.

Salt Lake is 0-5-0 against Los Angeles in the regular season since 2018, the year which LAFC came into MLS as an expansion team. RSL did, however, knock LAFC out of the 2018 playoffs.

Coach Freddy Juarez said he’s hopeful having fans at Rio Tinto will create a competitive advantage over clubs that aren’t allowed spectators in their markets.

“I’m banking that it’s going to be the difference maker in all these home games,” Juarez said.

RSL knows that even though they’ll see their fans cheering and chanting, it won’t be like before. There will be less of them, they’ll be in masks and they’ll have to adhere to several other protocols during the game.

“It’ll definitely be kind of a mix of, ‘This is awesome I’m excited to be back at the RioT,’ and a little kind of weird, different vibe,” Glad said.

But don’t expect RSL to feel the need to muster any extra motivation due to the lesser amount of fans. Baird said they’ll already have it because of Wednesday’s opponent.

“I think for us, as much as the fans are amazing and keep us going throughout the game, I think heading into it, I think that intrinsic motivation needs to be just coming from everyone on the team on their own,” Baird said. “And if they don’t have that, I think that’s kind of on them.”

Juarez also thought playing in Colorado felt different compared to Orlando — but in a good way. He felt the locker room setup was more comfortable at the Rapids’ stadium and the process felt more normal. Even though they played in front of thousands of empty seats, playing in a stadium gave the “natural feeling of a real game,” he said.

So it stands to reason that getting spectators for RSL’s first home game in five months will just add to the feeling of normalcy during a global pandemic.

“It’s been a long time coming and we’re excited that we’re one of the clubs that get to fans in there,” Juarez said.