SEATTLE SOUNDERS AND REAL SALT LAKE HEADLINE THE FACILITY’S PREMIER SEASON
CASA GRANDE, Arizona (February 4, 2010) With the arrival yesterday of current U.S. Open Cup soccer champions Seattle Sounders, Casa Grande grabs the limelight for the first time as one of the sport’s premier training destinations. When they take the field for their first round of practice this morning, the Sounders will officially introduce Grande Sports World as the newest, finest, and most all-inclusive soccer training campus in the United States.
February will be a whirlwind inaugural month for Grande Sports World, as no sooner do the Seattle Sounders complete their training and depart the facility’s host city of Casa Grande than current MLS Cup Champions Real Salt Lake arrives to take their place. Grande Sports World is directly adjacent to Arizona’s legendary Francisco Grande Hotel & Golf Resort, where coaches, players and their families can relax, swim, dine, play championship golf and bond as a team.
Real Salt Lake roars into its pre-season training at Grande Sports World after last year’s dream play-off run that saw them catapult from being a bottom seed to defeat both the former MLS Cup Champion Columbus Crew and an outstanding Chicago Fire team—in Chicago—to reach the MLS Cup final.
In the championship match against a star-studded L.A. Galaxy team—at Qwest Field in Seattle—Real Salt Lake faced the likes of David Beckham and Landon Donovan before capturing the title in a shootout, following regulation and overtime.
The Seattle Sounders will train at Grande Sports World through Thursday, February 11th before turning the spotlight over to Real Salt Lake—who arrive in Casa Grande on Saturday, February 13th and depart on February 27th.
The Vancouver Whitecaps and Colorado Rapids will also be training at Grande Sports World in February, with the Whitecaps arriving on Tuesday, February 9th and the Rapids on Sunday, February 21st.
