It's for ReAL! Beckham and Ronaldo coming to Utah


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Real Salt Lake will be playing its namesake.

Utah's Major League Soccer club announced that Real Madrid has agreed to an exhibition match to be played Aug. 12.

"The match will be an extremely exciting event for the people of Utah, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one of the world's great soccer clubs," Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts said.

Real Salt Lake, which joined MLS last summer, is named after the Spanish club. The American team has been trying to form a partnership with the Spanish team, which includes world-known stars David Beckham and Ronaldo.

"We will put on a great show for the fans in Salt Lake, and we will bring our best players. Everyone involved is looking forward to the experience," said Emilio Butragueno, Real Madrid vice president of sport.

The two Reals have been working out the details for a while and announced the agreement Friday. They are still trying to decide on a venue. Provo's LaVell Edwards Stadium, which has a grass field, and Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City are the possibilities.

Rice-Eccles, currently the home of Real Salt Lake, has an artificial surface, which Checketts has said wouldn't be suitable for one of the top teams in the sport. A temporary grass field was installed at the University of Utah stadium last summer for a U.S. national team exhibition against Costa Rica, which drew 40,589 fans.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-05-27-06 1337MDT

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