America First Field

America First Field

Company type	Stadium
Industry	Sports venue
Founded	October 9, 2008 (2008-10-09) in Sandy, Utah, United States
Headquarters	Sandy , United States
Area served	Sandy, Utah metropolitan area
Products	Soccer stadium, sports events venue, concert venue
Owner	Miller Sports + Entertainment (since April 18, 2025)

America First Field—previously known as Rio Tinto Stadium and colloquially called The RioT—is a stadium dedicated exclusively to soccer, located in Sandy, Utah, United States. It functions as the primary home ground for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Utah Royals competing in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Since its inauguration on October 9, 2008, the facility accommodates 20,213 spectators for soccer matches, with the capacity expandable beyond 25,000 for concert events.

The venue has been the site of numerous significant sports occasions, including hosting the 2009 MLS All-Star Game, serving as the location for the second leg of the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League Finals, staging the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final, accommodating matches during the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and facilitating the concluding rounds of the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship.

Initially, naming rights were held by Rio Tinto, whose agreement concluded in December 2020; however, their branding persisted through 2021. Subsequently, Real Salt Lake pursued a new partner for a decade-long naming rights contract. In September 2022, a deal was secured with America First Credit Union, resulting in the stadium’s rechristening as America First Field.

History

Prior to Real Salt Lake’s relocation to America First Field, there was interest from multiple cities—including Rochester, New York, and St. Louis, Missouri—in acquiring and moving the franchise. Until then, RSL had played home games at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium. Several local sites were considered for a new stadium location, notably the Utah State Fairgrounds in Salt Lake City and Vineyard, Utah. On a decisive deadline imposed by owner Dave Checketts to either finalize stadium plans or sell the club, an informal agreement was reached involving Sandy City and Salt Lake County to proceed with constructing what would become Real Salt Lake Stadium.

The groundbreaking ceremony coincided with an Xango Cup fixture featuring international club Real Madrid, attended by officials and players from both sides. On August 15, formal approval of the project was granted by the Salt Lake County Council.

Nonetheless, progress stalled when Salt Lake County’s Debt Review Committee unanimously rejected the proposal on January 26, 2007, citing doubts about Real Salt Lake’s financial sustainability. County Mayor Corroon concurred with this assessment, effectively pausing development efforts. In response, Checketts announced intentions to sell and possibly relocate the team following the 2007 season.

A revised funding plan emerged shortly after on February 2, proposing that 15 percent (approximately $2 million annually) of county hotel tax revenues be earmarked to finance stadium construction through 2017. The legislation passed in the State Senate and received a favorable vote of 48–24 in the Utah House of Representatives, securing $35 million toward stadium costs. Governor Huntsman signed this bill into law, ensuring that Real Salt Lake would remain within Salt Lake County.

After initial opposition from Mayor Corroon, Sandy City officials, state representatives, and team management reached a consensus on stadium siting. The $110 million facility was constructed in Sandy—a suburb of Salt Lake City—and designed by Rossetti’s California-based office. The stadium officially opened on October 9, 2008, with Real Salt Lake hosting the New York Red Bulls.

On September 28, 2008, international mining corporation Rio Tinto, which operates Kennecott Utah Copper locally, secured naming rights through a 15-year contract valued between $1.5 million and $2 million annually.

On April 18, 2025, Miller Sports + Entertainment—led by former Utah Jazz proprietor Gail Miller—acquired America First Field as part of a $600 million deal involving Real Salt Lake.

Club soccer

America First Field serves as the home stadium for the Utah Royals, ranking second in attendance within the NWSL and third overall among professional women's soccer teams in the United States. In 2021, it also acted as a temporary home ground for Vancouver Whitecaps FC due to Canadian COVID-19 travel restrictions. Ownership of the stadium and Real Salt Lake transferred to David Blitzer and Ryan Smith in January 2022.

International soccer

Since its inauguration, the venue has been a preferred site for the United States men's national soccer team, hosting important World Cup qualifying matches such as a 2–1 victory over El Salvador in 2009 and a 1–0 win against Honduras in 2013. It was also a host location for Group C matches during the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, drawing substantial crowds.

The United States women's national soccer team has played three friendly international matches at this stadium, achieving wins against Mexico (1–0 in 2010 and 8–0 in 2014) and Canada (2–1 in 2012), all of which garnered strong local attendance.

Moreover, America First Field hosted every knockout stage game of the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship, including semifinals and finals contested by teams such as Honduras, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

Rugby union

America First Field has been the site of several prominent rugby events. In 2008, the USA Eagles defeated Uruguay 43–9 before an audience of 5,060. The stadium's first collegiate rugby match occurred in 2010 between BYU and Utah, followed by hosting the 2011 USA Rugby Championship where UC Berkeley triumphed over BYU 21–14 with an attendance of 11,000. BYU claimed victory in the 2012 final against Arkansas State and later won the 2014 Varsity Cup Collegiate Rugby National Championship by defeating UC Berkeley 43–33 before a crowd of 10,172.

In March 2018, ahead of their debut Major League Rugby season, the Utah Warriors played an exhibition game against Glendale Raptors at America First Field, attracting 9,186 spectators. In September 2023, the stadium hosted a notable match where the United States men's national team edged French club Stade Toulousain 24–21. On June 28, 2024, America First Field recorded its highest Utah Warriors attendance with a total of 10,900 fans.

Date	Home	Score	Away	Event	Attendance	Ref.
November 8, 2008	Template:Ru	43–9	Template:Ru	2008 end of year tests	5,060
May 21, 2011	Template:Country data UtahTemplate:Namespace detect showall BYU	14–21	Template:Country data CaliforniaTemplate:Namespace detect showall Cal	2011 Division 1-A Final	11,000
May 20, 2012	Template:Country data UtahTemplate:Namespace detect showall BYU	49–42	Template:Country data ArkansasTemplate:Namespace detect showall Arkansas State	2012 Division 1-A Final	8,733
May 3, 2014	Template:Country data UtahTemplate:Namespace detect showall BYU	43–33	Template:Country data CaliforniaTemplate:Namespace detect showall Cal	2014 Varsity Cup Final	10,172
May 2, 2015	Template:Country data UtahTemplate:Namespace detect showall BYU	30–27	Template:Country data CaliforniaTemplate:Namespace detect showall Cal	2015 Varsity Cup Final	9,033
March 30, 2018	Template:Country data UtahTemplate:Namespace detect showall Utah Warriors	15–43	Template:Country data ColoradoTemplate:Namespace detect showall Glendale Raptors	2018 Major League Rugby pre-season	9,186
September 17, 2023	Template:Ru	24–21	Stade Toulousain	Friendly
June 28, 2024	Template:Country data UtahTemplate:Namespace detect showall Utah Warriors	24–31	Template:Country data CaliforniaTemplate:Namespace detect showall FC Los Angeles	2024 Major League Rugby season	10,906

Concerts

Date	Performer(s)	Supporting act(s)	Tour name	Tickets sold	Revenue generated	Additional information
May 9, 2009	The Eagles	Michelle Branch	Long Road Out of Eden Tour	18,853 / 19,984	$2,183,969	Stadium's inaugural concert event.
July 13, 2010	Paul McCartney	—	Up and Coming Tour	25,414 / 25,414	$3,193,716	McCartney's debut performance in Utah.
September 22, 2010	KISS	—	The Hottest Show on Earth Tour	—	—	First Utah appearance after seven years.
July 21, 2011	Journey	Foreigner Night Ranger	Eclipse Tour	11,510 / 13,972	$737,642
July 28, 2012	Neil Diamond	—	—	—	—
July 27, 2013	Jason Aldean	Thomas Rhett Jake Owen	2013 Night Train Tour	—	—

Real Salt Lake matches

Position	style="background:#860900; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #F2D11A;"|Date	style="background:#860900; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #F2D11A;"|Match	style="background:#860900; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #F2D11A;"|Outcome	style="background:#860900; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #F2D11A;"|Crowd size	style="background:#860900; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #F2D11A;"|Remarks
1	August 6, 2022	vs LAFC	L 1-4	21,810
2	June 22, 2024	vs LA Galaxy	L 0–1	21,570
3	July 3, 2024	vs Houston Dynamo FC	W 3–2	21,522
4	August 26, 2023	vs Houston Dynamo FC	L 0–3	21,471
5	September 1, 2018	vs LA Galaxy	W 6–2	21,363
6	October 10, 2022	vs Portland Timbers	W 3–1	21,333
7	October 7, 2023	vs Sporting Kansas City	L 2–3	21,205
8	August 24, 2024	vs San Jose Earthquakes	L 0–2	21,015
9	September 19, 2015	vs LA Galaxy	W 3–0	21,004
10	July 4, 2015	vs Orlando City SC	D1–1	20,956

Utah Royals matches

Position	Date	Fixture	Outcome	Crowd	Remarks
1	March 16, 2024	vs Chicago Red Stars	L 0–2	20,370	First home match of the franchise's revival
2	April 18, 2025	vs Chicago Red Stars	W 1–0	17,085
3	April 14, 2018	vs Chicago Red Stars	L 0–1	19,203	First home game of the original franchise
4	April 20, 2019	vs Washington Spirit	W 1–0	18,015
5	May 3, 2019	vs Chicago Red Stars	W 1–0	16,556
6	July 19, 2019	vs Portland Thorns FC	D 2–2	15,931
7	August 23, 2024	vs Bay FC	W 2–1	14,539
8	September 8, 2018	vs Chicago Red Stars	W 2–1	11,851
9	May 23, 2025	vs Orlando Pride	L 1–3	11,668
10	September 6, 2019	vs Portland Thorns FC	W 1–0	10,897

Men's

Position	Date	Fixture	Scoreline	Spectators	Remarks
1	September 4, 2015	Template:Fb vs Template:TRI	3–3	20,560	Exhibition match
2	June 18, 2013	Template:Fb vs Template:Fb	1–0	20,250	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round
3	September 5, 2009	Template:Fb vs Template:Fb	2–1	19,066	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round
4	June 9, 2021	Template:Fb vs Template:Fb	4–0	19,007	Friendly encounter
5	July 13, 2013	Template:Fb vs Template:Fb	4–1	17,597	2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C
		Template:Fb vs Template:Fb	1–0
6	June 3, 2017	Template:Fb vs Template:Fb	1–1	17,315	Exhibition match

Women's

Position	Date	Match	Score	Crowd	Remarks
1	June 30, 2012	Template:Fbw vs Template:Fbw	2–1	16,805	Exhibition game
2	June 28, 2022	Template:Fbw vs Template:Fbw	2–0	16,077	Exhibition game
3	October 19, 2016	Template:Fbw vs Template:Fbw	4–0	14,336	Exhibition game
4	June 7, 2018	Template:Fbw vs Template:Fbw	1–0	13,230	Exhibition game
5	October 26, 2023	Template:Fbw vs Template:Fbw	0–0	13,058	Exhibition game
6	September 13, 2014	Template:Fbw vs Template:Fbw	8–0	8,849	Exhibition game
7	March 31, 2010	Template:Fbw vs Template:Fbw	1–0	3,732	Exhibition game

Sponsorship

On September 20, 2008, the global mining corporation Rio Tinto, proprietors of Kennecott Utah Copper and the Bingham Canyon Mine, finalized a decade-long agreement for stadium naming rights worth an estimated $1.5 to $2 million per year.

See also

• List of soccer stadiums in the United States
• Lists of stadiums

External links

• Official stadium website
• Rio Tinto Stadium on StadiumDB.com
• MLS article covering groundbreaking, August 12, 2006