A poll - commissioned by the soccer team that wants the stadium, Real Salt Lake, and released Thursday - shows Murray is a stronger contender than downtown Salt Lake City. Thirty-six percent of people polled prefer the suburban city versus 14 percent who favor downtown.

Real (pronounced "Ree-al") Salt Lake has zeroed in on those two locations in its search for a permanent home. The team will initially play at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium, starting in April.

Another 21 percent of poll respondents said they preferred "West Salt Lake," which Real spokesman Josh Ewing said means the west side of the Salt Lake Valley.

The anti-downtown results may have to do with the widely held perception of the hassles of downtown parking. It's available, but people have to pay for it. Ewing suspects the results reflect where the bulk of soccer fans live.

"Where do soccer moms live? They live in the mid-valley. [Murray is] easier for them to get to," he said. And he noted that many Latino residents live on the valley's west side. "Those will obviously be strong soccer fans."

Real owner Dave Checketts on Thursday met with Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and some City Council members to review potential downtown stadium sites, which city officials have not publicly revealed.

Ewing said Real still had not decided which city to pick. While the team had wanted to resolve the location by the end of the year, it probably won't until later next month. In January, Real also wants to hold public meetings to share more details about the sites in both cities.

"Nobody has any intent to slide anything past anybody," said Councilman Carlton Christensen, who attended the private meeting.

Ewing said the team will take the poll numbers into consideration as it picks a location, especially because the team plans to ask Salt Lake County residents to kick in $30 million toward the stadium. The team would also pay $30 million or so.

"It's obviously easier, on the face of it, for voters to support that in Murray," Ewing said.

Survey USA polled 500 Salt Lake County residents Dec. 8-10. Fifty-five percent said they oppose using public funds to build a stadium, though support grew when the respondents knew Real would help pay for it. The margin of error is 4.5 percent.

The results show more support than a privately-funded poll. One commissioned by the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV in November found 64 percent of Utah residents probably or definitely didn't want to spend public money on a stadium.

It also showed 85 percent probably or definitely will not attend a game, while Real numbers show 57 percent would likely not attend. The LDS Church-owned newspaper then editorialized against a publicly funded stadium.

It appears Real Salt Lake has some campaigning to do, too.

From it's own poll, just 55 percent knew that a Major League Soccer team is in Utah and 61 percent didn't know the team wants a new stadium. Latinos registered the strongest support for attending games and for a publicly-funded stadium.

Real, which plans a public campaign to gain support, wants a more intimate stadium than Rice-Eccles, which seats 48,000. The new venue - seating 22,000 - would also host concerts and other events, as well as youth soccer tournaments.

The stadium requires a 10-acre block, and finding one downtown has been a struggle. Such parcels are owned by several different property owners and Salt Lake City's Redevelopment Agency would need to purchase the land. It's simpler in Murray because one private owner is already happy to sell.

Salt Lake City Council Chairwoman Jill Remington Love said a majority of the council is willing to spend RDA money to buy property for the stadium. And she said the city understands the facility likely won't be a major economic engine for downtown.

For instance, the baseball stadium Franklin Covey Field was supposed to revitalize the neighborhood around 1300 South. Ten years later, that vision hasn't been realized.

"We would all prefer to have it than lose it to Murray," Love said.

Downtown has been a favorite of soccer officials. Ewing suggested more public-opinion makers need to make the case for downtown. One group, the Salt Lake Chamber, passed a resolution in July that supports that concept.

hmay@sltrib.com