We had the wonderful opportunity to go see a Real (pronounced "Ree-al") Salt Lake soccer game down in Sandy, Utah this weekend in honor of Rob's birthday. Thanks to an...er..."unnamed benefactor", we scored field-side tickets, along with dinner beforehand. Matt has seen a MLS game before, but the boys and I had not. We decided to make it a mini family vacation and stayed the night (also to avoid having to drive home super late). It was so much fun!
The sprinklers were a welcome cooling off on the hot, hot day!
My goofy crew, ready to watch some soccer!
Something called the Parade of Kings. Not sure what that was all about, exactly, but they brought a bunch of little soccer players out on to the field for the national anthems (plural because Salt Lake was playing against Vancouver, so we got to sit through "O Canada").
The sun going down as OUR national anthem was being sung.
Beautiful evening!
Drew was...semi impressed. Mostly tired and overwhelmed. He did well, all things considered.
Loved the Real logo and mascot (lion).
The only thing that was between us and the players was a sign. Seriously. I took these shots with my 30mm lens, so this is pretty close to what you would see with your naked eye. We were so close, Drew almost caught a ball with his face, at one point.
The game got pretty heated near the end. Lots of angst and action. We even got to witness a few punches thrown.
I'm so thankful for the folks that made this night possible and I'm tickled by how it all came together for Rob. He had one heck of a birthday this year! He said he was having a hard time deciding whether riding in a racecar at the speedway or getting to see the soccer game was his favorite. I just think it will chalk up to be the birthday he never forgets. Happy 6th birthday, Rob!
