Real Salt Lake (RSL) was founded in 2004 and began play in 2005 as an expansion club in Major League Soccer, representing the Salt Lake City metropolitan area of Utah. From modest beginnings — including a 10-game losing streak in their first season — the club steadily built an identity rooted in team cohesion rather than marquee signings.
The defining moment in RSL's history came in 2009, when the club claimed the MLS Cup by defeating the LA Galaxy in a penalty shootout, becoming the lowest seed ever to win the championship at that point. That triumph launched a golden era: in 2010 RSL posted a 25-game unbeaten home streak and reached the final of the CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the first American club to reach that stage under the tournament's group-stage format. The club also appeared in the 2013 MLS Cup and 2013 U.S. Open Cup finals, though both ended in defeat.
RSL plays home matches at America First Field, a soccer-specific stadium in Sandy, Utah, opened in 2008. The club's fiercest rivalry is with the Colorado Rapids, contested through the annual Rocky Mountain Cup — a natural geographic and conference rivalry dating to RSL's inaugural season. A sharp secondary rivalry exists with Sporting Kansas City, intensified by the 2013 MLS Cup final.
The name "Real" — drawn from Spanish royal patronage tradition — was initially controversial locally but has since become an accepted part of the club's identity. In the current decade, RSL reached the Western Conference finals in 2021 under head coach Pablo Mastroeni, signalling renewed ambition. In 2025 the club passed to new ownership under Miller Sports + Entertainment.