Soccer: U.S. women's team to play March 31 at Rio Tinto Stadium

SANDY — The U.S. Women's National Team will kick off its 2010 soccer schedule at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on Wednesday, March 31, against Mexico.

The 7 p.m. kickoff will be broadcast on ESPN2.

"We are thrilled to bring the U.S. Women's National Team back to Utah and look forward to welcoming them and Mexico here at Rio Tinto Stadium," said Real Salt Lake and Rio Tinto Stadium President Bill Manning. "We look forward to another spirited atmosphere when the women come to Sandy on March 31."

Tickets starting at $18 go on sale to the public this Friday at 10 a.m. through ussoccer.com, by phone at 888-4RSLTIX (Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.), and at the Rio Tinto Stadium ticket office (open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.).

Real Salt Lake season-ticket holders' presale opportunity will begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. with tickets available for purchase exclusively online through www.RioTintoStadium.com.

This will be the first visit by the U.S. Women's National Team since it beat Ireland 5-0 in a friendly at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The team had a scheduled match against Japan at Rio Tinto Stadium last summer, but it was cancelled amid the swine flu scare.