History of the RSL Loyalists

Made up of mostly BigSoccer posters and former supporters of the Utah Blitzz, the Loyalists were RSL's first supporters group.

Founded in 2004, shortly after the announcement that a MLS expansion team would call Salt Lake City home, the Loyalists mobilized to provide the team with stellar support and create a soccer atmosphere inside Rice Eccles Stadium with flags, streamers, drums and chants. An atmosphere that many soccer fans in Utah might not have been used to at the time.

The Loyalists gave it a valiant effort.

Yet half-way thru RSL's first season head-butting with a new supporter group, which had set up shop in the section right next to the Loyalists at Rice Eccles Stadium, began to weigh on some of it's members. Coupled with at times a "clique-ish" feel the Loyalists began a slow decline.

The final blow to the Loyalists came when RSL moved into Rio Tinto Stadium at the end of the 2008 season. The team's popularity had grown so much by that point that even more supporters groups began to pop up and with three or four times the number of supporters than the Loyalists.

Basically, the Loyalists were gobbled up by the bigger supporter groups and faded away into RSL lore.

However, I will always have a smile on my face when I think back and remember the excitement that I felt those first couple of seasons. Never will be forgotten the times RSL would score a goal and the Loyalists would wave the flags and let the streamers fly.