SANDY — Someone should write a book chronicling the back-and-forth wranglings of Real Salt Lake and local politicians throughout the Rio Tinto Stadium funding process. The way everything unfolded was a political mess, one all parties share the blame for. A book might help future cities and teams avoid similar negotiation pitfalls.

At the end of the day though, arrangements were made and the stadium was built, but at what cost?

The process that led Salt Lake County to kick in $35 million in hotel tax money to help fund the stadium didn't go smoothly at all. At one point, when funding was initially nixed by Salt Lake County major Peter Corroon, Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts threatened to move the team to St. Louis.

Over a year later, and with the stadium scheduled for its grandest of openings this Thursday, Checketts realizes all isn't forgotten. He knows there's negative sentiment from citizens around the state about the stadium, and that it won't just simply dissipate.

In an interview with the Deseret News at the start of the 2008 MLS season, he said changing perceptions about his team and stadium would take time and effort. He reiterated, however, that building a quality multipurpose stadium, one the entire community can be proud of and visit even if they never attend a soccer match is the best remedy.

Beginning this week, Real Salt Lake can start taking tangible steps toward healing the fracture in the community — one that doesn't necessarily just follow a pro-soccer and anti-soccer divide.

Construction of Real Salt Lake's stadium eventually went ahead as scheduled, and it's now set for its much-anticipated opening in front of a nationally televised audience. The team opens its gates for the first time this Thursday when RSL takes on the New York Red Bulls, a game that will be televised on ESPN2 at 8 p.m.

A packed house is expected in the stadium league officials are dubbing the best in Major League Soccer.

RSL defender Chris Wingert agrees with that assertion on many, many levels. First and foremost, for his own personal reasons, it's all about the field.

"As a player there's nothing better than going onto a beautiful pitch of grass. Besides the field, I love the fact it's going to be our home," said Wingert. "Utah's been great supporters of Real Salt Lake since its conception, before I was ever here. Hopefully we can reward them a little bit and get into the playoffs and make a good run here."

During the early stages of stadium site scouting and negotiations, there was talk of building the stadium downtown, something Checketts even admitted was his first choice. It instead was built 15 minutes south in Sandy, but Wingert says he doesn't see that as a drawback at all.