Real Madrid to bring its stars

For those soccer fans worried that Real Madrid's superstars wouldn't be accompanying the team to Utah for August's exhibition match against Real Salt Lake, those fears were put to rest Wednesday.

At a press conference officially announcing the "Real Showdown" at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Real Madrid vice president Emilio Butragueno cleared up any uncertainty regarding superstars like David Beckham and Ronaldo.

"Of course we are going to come here with all our stars," said Butragueno, who played for Real Madrid for more than a decade. "We would like to win. When Real Madrid plays a match, Real Madrid wants to win."

Soccer fans in Utah must now hope Real Madrid's superstars enjoy a healthy World Cup. Along with England's Beckham and Brazil's Ronaldo, other Madrid superstars include Spain's Raul and Iker Casillas, as well as Brazil's Robinho and Roberto Carlos. Following a season in which it finished a disappointed second behind FC Barcelona in the La Liga standings, many soccer gurus expect Real Madrid to add a couple more big name players to its roster before its Aug. 12 appearance at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The international exhibition match represents the beginning of Real Madrid's preseason training camp.

Butragueno also expressed his desire to further a long-term relationship with Real Salt Lake.

"We think the United States is going to be a very important player in the future of football in the world, and Real Madrid would like to participate in this growth," Butragueno said.

The beginning of the partnership between RSL and Madrid first began nearly two years ago. Accompanied by his brother Dan Checketts, Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts, who was hobbling around on a torn ACL, took a trip to Madrid to lay the groundwork for a quality business relationship with the European super club. Not long after returning to Utah, Checketts decided to name his expansion MLS franchise Real Salt Lake.

It was also the first step toward making the Aug. 12 game a possibility.

"I'm proud to say the game will be at Rice-Eccles Stadium. As you know, there was some conversations about having it at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo," said Checketts. "That was because of the grass situation, because Real Madrid only plays on grass, so we will once again have to put grass down in this stadium. But we've come a ways on the learning curve and will be more successful the second time around."

A 93,000 square foot temporary grass field was laid over the Rice-Eccles Stadium turf last year to accommodate a World Cup qualifying match between Costa Rica and the United States. The cost to Real Salt Lake was $130,000.

Kickoff for the match is set for 7:30 p.m., and Checketts said he expects the match be televised in Spain and several other countries.