Following Tuesday’s announcement that the U.S. Men’s National Team will be returning to Rio Tinto Stadium to face Costa Rica this summer (June 9; ESPN2, Univision), we wanted to recap the history of the USMNT’s matches on Utah soil since Real Salt Lake’s inception in 2005.
When the team steps onto the field against Costa Rica this June, it will be the first time since 2017 that the USMNT has hosted a match at Rio Tinto Stadium, bringing an end to a four-year hiatus for the federation. The team’s match against Costa Rica this year will be the second time the two countries have faced one another in Utah after the first match between the sides came via a 2006 World Cup Qualifying Final Round match at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City that drew over 40,000 fans in early-June 2005.