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RSL will be able to enjoy a little more home cooking at the start of the 2020 season.

Five of the first 10 games are at Rio Tinto Stadium for RSL, per the schedule released Thursday by Major League Soccer. In 2019, RSL dealt with nine of its first 15 games on the road.

Salt Lake will also see an early stretch of home games starting April 11 against the Colorado Rapids. That game starts a period in which Real will play six of nine games at home, where they went 12-4-1 least season.

Like the previous two seasons, however, RSL starts things off on the road. Its opener is at Orlando City on Feb. 29, which was previously announced. Last year the club started the season in Houston, where it earned a draw.

RSL’s most difficult stretch may come between May 3 and June 13. In the eight games during the period, Salt Lake will play seven teams that made the postseason in 2019, including Atlanta United on the road, the Portland Timbers at home, and the Seattle Sounders on the road.

RSL lost to the Sounders in Seattle in the Western Conference semifinals, and beat the Timbers the round before. The Sounders went on to beat Toronto for the MLS Cup.

Speaking of the Sounders, Real will get first crack at them on April 25 at Rio Tinto. They only have to wait three weeks after that to play the Timbers for the first time in the 2020 season, and that will also be at home.

RSL will also see both MLS expansion teams next year, starting with Inter Miami CF in late April. The team will also face Nashville SC twice because it is was placed in the West by the league, the first matchup being on Aug. 29 at home.

Last year, RSL had two stretches of three consecutive home games. But that’s not the case in 2020. And there’s also a long period where RSL will not play two games in a row either home or away.

Starting May 31 at Seattle, 10 games oscillate between road and home before RSL plays two straight on the road.

Some of the big home matches to watch out for are the first game against Seattle, May 23 against the Zlatan Ibrahimovich-less L.A. Galaxy, July 1 against Sporting Kansas City, and the season-ending matchup against LAFC.

RSL’S 2020 SCHEDULE


• Feb. 29 at Orlando City SC

• March 7 vs. New York Red Bulls

• March 14 at Columbus Crew

• March 21 vs. New England Revolution

• March 28 at Sporting Kansas City

• April 4 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC

• April 11 vs. Colorado Rapids

• April 18 at LAFC

• April 25 vs. Seattle Sounders

• April 29 vs. Inter Miami CF

• May 3 at Atlanta United

• May 9 vs. Portland Timbers

• May 13 at Minnesota United FC

• May 16 vs. San Jose Earthquakes

• May 23 vs. L.A. Galaxy

• May 31 at Seattle Sounders

• June 6 vs. FC Dallas

• June 13 at Philadelphia Union

• June 20 vs. Houston Dynamo

• June 27 at Toronto FC

• July 1 vs. Sporting Kansas City

• July 4 at L.A. Galaxy

• July 11 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

• July 18 at Nashville SC

• July 25 vs. Minnesota United FC

• Aug. 1 at Houston Dynamo

• Aug. 8 at FC Dallas

• Aug. 15 vs. Montreal Impact

• Aug. 22 at Colorado Rapids

• Aug. 29 vs. Nashville SC

• Sept. 12 vs. FC Cincinnati

• Sept. 19 at San Jose Earthquakes

• Sept. 26 at Portland Timbers

• Oct. 4 vs. LAFC