Real Salt Lake is dancing with glittery soccer stars

SEATTLE � Here come the comparisons again: The Big Orange vs. the Big Green Jell-O Salad. Central Casting vs. Scrapbooking Central.

When Real Salt Lake meets the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup title game at Qwest Field today, it will mark yet another chapter in the L.A.-Salt Lake rivalry. It happened the last two years in the NBA playoffs and several times prior to that. Now comes a soccer match supreme.

The only problem is that it isn't really a rivalry. That's because L.A. doesn't take anything from Utah all that seriously.

Salt Lake vs. L.A.?

An arrangement of circumstance.

It would be hard to find two American cities, or soccer clubs, less alike. L.A. is all about the glamour. It is sunglasses, convertibles, Botox and implants. Salt Lake is more about finding a good camping spot.

One team is a constant television tabloid story, the other is just happy when it's on TV at all.

L.A. has the league's MVP, Landon Donovan, and its most famous player, David Beckham. It has celebrities like Kate Beckinsale, Ben Stiller, Tom Cruise and Will Smith attending its games.

Not to mention Beckham's glamorous wife, the erstwhile Posh Spice, aka Victoria Beckham.

Consequently, there is usually a lot of drama. The most recent incident was last summer when Donovan published a book that included accusations that Beckham wasn't completely invested in the Galaxy. Beckham said Donovan shouldn't have aired dirty laundry in public.

As it turned out, they worked out their differences.

That sort of soap opera couldn't really happen with RSL. It has nobody famous attached. Real's biggest celebrity fan is Brandon Steineckert, the Provo native and drummer for the punk rock band Rancid — which is appropriate considering the way RSL has played for most of its history.

Naturally, Real is fine playing the underdog role. Beckham's salary is reportedly four times the combined salaries of RSL.

"Just like everybody says, it's sort of superstars vs. a superstar team," said RSL's Yura Movsisyan. "So we feel like as a group, our team is a star."

That stuff may not fly with TMZ or Entertainment Tonight, but it has worked nicely for RSL in the post-season.

"They've got a celebrity on their team that is world renowned," said midfielder Kyle Beckerman. "But he's just a soccer player. It's really about just playing the game."

True, but that doesn't mean playing L.A. is like playing, say, Columbus. The media contingent for RSL's practice Saturday was less than half the size of the one that showed up two hours later for L.A.

Drew Carey, the TV star and comedian, appeared between sessions.

Beckham and Donovan, who handled media obligations on Friday, skipped the mixed zone interview period, Saturday, leaving it up to less famous players like Chris Klein, a Galaxy midfielder.