About America First Field
At the base of the Wasatch Mountains in Sandy, Utah, a 20,213-seat stadium gives Real Salt Lake a home-field edge that visiting clubs can feel by halftime, thanks to a 4,450-foot elevation. America First Field is home to RSL in MLS and the Utah Royals FC in the NWSL.
The $110 million stadium, designed by Rossetti Architects and built by a Layton Construction–Turner Construction joint venture, opened on October 9, 2008, as Rio Tinto Stadium. The naming rights changed to America First Field in September 2022 after a deal with America First Credit Union, a local institution replacing an international mining company. The 23-acre site includes the stadium, practice fields, and the adjacent Mountain America Expo Center.
The stadium nearly didn’t happen. A ceremonial groundbreaking on August 12, 2006, timed to the day RSL hosted Real Madrid in the Xango Cup before 45,000 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium, proved premature: in January 2007, Salt Lake County’s Debt Review Committee voted 4-0 against the project, and owner Dave Checketts announced the team would be sold and likely relocated. Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. intervened, the Utah legislature approved $35 million in state funding via hotel-tax diversion, and construction finally got underway in 2007.
Real Salt Lake rewarded the investment immediately. In 2009, the club, seeded 5th in the Western Conference with an 11-12-7 record, won the MLS Cup, defeating the LA Galaxy on penalty kicks. It was one of the lowest-seeded MLS Cup champions ever and Utah’s first major professional sports title since 1971. The stadium has since hosted Gold Cup matches, CONCACAF Champions League fixtures, and U.S. Open Cup finals.
Getting to America First Field
Public Transit
America First Field has light rail service, one of the better transit connections for an MLS stadium outside a major downtown.
→ Via TRAX Blue Line: Sandy Expo station is a 5-10 minute walk from the stadium. Trains connect to downtown Salt Lake City (Courthouse Station, ~29 minutes) and run south to Draper.
→ Via Bus: Routes 201, F525, and F590 serve nearby stops. The FrontRunner commuter rail connects to the broader Wasatch Front with a TRAX transfer.
The TRAX Blue Line from Salt Lake City International Airport runs through downtown to Sandy Expo station, a direct airport-to-stadium connection with one seat on the train.
Driving + Parking
The stadium address is 9256 South State Street, Sandy, UT 84070. I-15 is the primary approach from all directions.
→ From Salt Lake City (~14 mi): I-15 South, exit 9000 South, head east, right on State Street. About 15 minutes.
→ From Provo (~33 mi): I-15 North, exit 10600 South, head east, left on State Street. About 33 minutes.
→ From Ogden (~53 mi): I-15 South through Salt Lake City, exit 9000 South, head east to State Street. About 52 minutes.
On-site parking requires a pre-purchased permit for RSL games. ADA and EV spots cost $20 (card only). Off-site parking at Jordan Commons is $15 game-day. Street parking in adjacent neighborhoods is posted “No Parking” on event days without a Sandy City permit.
Rideshare
Uber and Lyft drop off and pick up in the East Parking Lot, entered via southbound State Street just past the main East Entrance. From downtown Salt Lake City, expect $25–$30. From the airport, $30–$35. Surge pricing applies on game days.
From the Airport
→ Salt Lake City International (SLC): About 20 miles, roughly 25 minutes by car. The TRAX Blue Line runs from the Airport station through downtown to Sandy Expo station, a direct connection. Rideshare runs $30–$35.
Construction & Design
America First Field was conceived as a soccer-specific home for Real Salt Lake after the club’s early seasons at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus. ROSSETTI designed the venue as a compact, steep-tiered bowl built for intimacy and atmosphere rather than multipurpose flexibility. The general contractor was a Layton and Turner joint venture, with Martin & Associates as structural engineer and SCP Worldwide, the Dave Checketts-led ownership group, acting as developer and project manager. Ground was broken on August 12, 2006, and the stadium opened on October 9, 2008 as Rio Tinto Stadium, named for the mining company behind the nearby Kennecott copper operation, before its 2022 renaming under a deal with the Utah-founded America First Credit Union.
The stadium’s signature architectural element is a rolling canopy roof that sweeps over the west stands and part of the seating bowl, its profile intentionally echoing the peaks of the Wasatch Front that rise to the east. Fabricated by Structurflex, the canopy uses roughly 70,000 square feet of PTFE-coated fiberglass membrane that screens out UV and excess heat while letting natural light reach the seats. At night the translucent membrane, with embedded lighting and speakers, doubles as a lighting stage and helps concentrate crowd noise. The open pitch below is natural Kentucky bluegrass laid over a laser-graded 120-by-75-yard field, and at 4,450 feet the venue sits at one of the highest elevations in MLS.
Built at a cost of about $110 million, the project was financed largely with private capital, with public participation from Sandy City and Salt Lake County and state tourism-tax mechanisms that made it one of the more privately funded stadiums of its MLS generation, an arrangement fought over publicly before it landed in Sandy. Beyond Real Salt Lake and NWSL matches, the 20,213-seat bowl expands past 25,000 with floor seating for concerts, and it anchors a wider network of club facilities, including an adjacent practice ground seeded with the same grass mix as the match pitch and the club’s development pyramid centered on the RSL Academy at the Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman.
History of America First Field
America First Field was built to give Real Salt Lake a soccer-specific home after years of playing at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus. The $110 million project held a ceremonial groundbreaking on August 12, 2006, timed to a Real Madrid exhibition (the Xango Cup) that drew 45,000 fans across town, though real construction followed in 2007 once state funding was secured.
First Match (October 9, 2008): RSL defeated the New York Red Bulls in the stadium’s inaugural game, with 20,000 fans filling the new venue on State Street. The stadium opened as Rio Tinto Stadium, named after the mining giant that owns the Kennecott Utah Copper operation visible from the Wasatch Front.
2009 MLS All-Star Game (July 29, 2009): MLS All-Stars faced Everton FC in a 1-1 draw, with Everton winning 4-3 on penalties. Tim Howard was named MVP before 17,597 fans, the first major showcase event at the new stadium.
2009 MLS Cup (November 22, 2009): RSL won the championship on the road in Seattle, defeating the LA Galaxy 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. It gave Utah its first major pro sports title since 1971 and validated the stadium that nearly wasn’t built.
Name Change (September 2022): The stadium was renamed America First Field after a naming rights deal with America First Credit Union, replacing the Rio Tinto branding that had been in place since opening day. Both naming partners reflect Utah’s local economy, mining and financial services.
Ownership Change (April 2025): Miller Sports + Entertainment acquired Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals for $600 million, bringing the clubs under the same ownership as the Utah Jazz.
From a project that nearly died in committee to an MLS Cup champion’s home, America First Field is where Utah soccer lives, a 20,213-seat stadium at 4,450 feet where the Wasatch Mountains frame the view and the altitude does the rest.
Sources & Further Reading
- Wikipedia entry on America First Field: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_First_Field. Architect, structural engineer, contractor, cost, capacity, and the name history.
- Structurflex, Rio Tinto Stadium project: structurflex.com. The roof fabricator on the 70,000-square-foot Wasatch-inspired canopy.
- Deseret News on the Rio Tinto naming deal: deseret.com. Coverage of the original naming rights and the stadium’s opening.
- Real Salt Lake official parking and directions: rsl.com. The club’s stadium address and access information.
Quick Facts
Everything you need at a glance.
Stadium specs
- Capacity
- 20,213
- Opened
- 2008
- Cost
- Around $110 million (2008), largely privately financed with public participation from Sandy City and Salt Lake County
- Roof
- Partial
- Surface
- Natural Grass (Kentucky Bluegrass)
- Tenants
- Real Salt Lake (MLS), Utah Royals FC (NWSL)
Construction & location
- Groundbreaking
- August 12, 2006 (ceremonial); construction from 2007 (opened October 9, 2008)
- Architects
- ROSSETTI
- Engineering
- Martin & Associates
- General contractor
- Layton / Turner joint venture
- Address
- America First Field, 9256 South State Street, Sandy, UT 84070
- GPS
- 40.5829°N, 111.8934°W
Photo Gallery
Fun Facts
At 4,450 feet above sea level, America First Field is one of the highest-elevation stadiums in MLS, giving Real Salt Lake a measurable altitude advantage as visiting teams not accustomed to the thin mountain air often visibly tire in the second half.
Real Salt Lake's 2009 MLS Cup victory made them one of the lowest-seeded teams ever to win the championship (5th in the West, an 11-12-7 record), giving Utah its first major professional sports title since the ABA's Utah Stars in 1971, a 38-year drought.
Paul McCartney's July 13, 2010 concert was a complete sellout at 25,414, the only event in stadium history to sell every single seat, and it was McCartney's first-ever performance in the state of Utah, grossing $3,193,716.
Stadium Location
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the seating capacity of America First Field?
- America First Field seats 20,213 for soccer matches. For concerts and special events, the capacity can expand to over 25,000 with floor seating on the pitch. The stadium opened in 2008 as Rio Tinto Stadium, designed by Rossetti Architects at a cost of $110 million.
- Where is America First Field located?
- America First Field is at 9256 South State Street in Sandy, Utah 84070, approximately 14 miles south of downtown Salt Lake City at the base of the Wasatch Mountains. It sits adjacent to the Mountain America Expo Center.
- How do I get to America First Field by public transit?
- Take the UTA TRAX Blue Line to Sandy Expo station, which is a 5-10 minute walk from the stadium. The Blue Line connects to downtown Salt Lake City (about 29 minutes) and runs south to Draper. Several bus routes (201, F525, F590) also serve nearby stops.
- How much does parking cost at America First Field?
- On-site parking requires a pre-purchased permit for RSL games, no game-day sales at the stadium itself. ADA and EV spots cost $20 per spot for RSL games and $15 for Utah Royals games (card only). Off-site parking at Jordan Commons is available on game day for $15 per car.
- What was America First Field previously called?
- The stadium opened as Rio Tinto Stadium in 2008, named after the international mining company Rio Tinto, which owns the nearby Kennecott Utah Copper mine. In September 2022, Real Salt Lake announced a new naming rights deal with America First Credit Union, renaming it America First Field.
- How far is America First Field from Salt Lake City International Airport?
- The airport is approximately 20 miles from the stadium, about a 25-minute drive via I-15 South and I-215. You can also take the TRAX Blue Line from the Airport station through downtown to Sandy Expo station.
- What teams play at America First Field?
- America First Field is home to Real Salt Lake (MLS, 2008-present) and the Utah Royals FC (NWSL, 2018-2020 and 2024-present). The stadium also hosts U.S. Men's and Women's National Team matches, rugby internationals, and concerts.
- Is tailgating allowed at America First Field?
- Yes, tailgating is allowed in the parking lots, but charcoal grills and open fires are prohibited. The supporter group 'The Riot' hosts a popular tailgate in the 90th lot northwest of the stadium. The lot requires a parking permit, but fans arriving by transit or on foot can walk in freely.
Last updated: 2026-07-07
