With Real Salt Lake’s 2010 preseason just around the corner, RSL head coach Jason Kreis will wraps up a busy offseason with an appearance on KUTV 2’s Talkin’ Sports. Kreis, whose squad will officially begin its preseason with a week-long “Rookie Camp” kicking off on Thursday, had plenty to talk about with host David James, including the Claret-and-Cobalt’s spring training plans, the club’s team-building strategy for the 2010 campaign, and the additional challenges faced by beginning the season as the defending MLS Cup champion.

“Championship Cup Tour” Itinerary – Week #1 (Jan. 31-Feb. 7)

During February’s “Championship Cup Tour,” members of the Real Salt Lake organization will usher North American soccer’s top prize in a tour-theme-wrapped Volkswagen Routan across the Beehive State, a journey fans worldwide will be able to follow on www.RealSaltLake.com; the team’s Behind the Shield blog, located at www.RSLtotheCore.com; RSL’s Facebook fan page at www.Facebook.com/RealSaltLake; daily KUTV 2 News weather updates; clicking the Cup icon on the Sports page at www.Connect2Utah.com; and over the radio airwaves via KALL 700 Sports’ top-of-the-hour updates.

While on the tour, Real Salt Lake’s representatives will be visiting with youth soccer clubs and speaking at dozens of school assemblies to give the team’s youngest fans the chance to see what can be achieved by setting goals and putting in the hard work necessary to achieve them – themes that have been embodied in Kreis’ “Fortune Favors the Bold” and “The Team is the Star” mantras since he stepped from the field to the sideline in 2007. Fans at stops along the route will be able to take photos with the MLS Cup trophy and mascot Leo the Lion, bring home giveaway items, and have the chance to win RSL merchandise and 2009 MLS Cup Championship memorabilia. KUTV 2 will also host an “Enter 2 Win” opportunity at each tour stop, with the Grand Prize of a 32” flat-screen television awarded on-air live by an RSL player or coach when the tour wraps up on the February 28 edition of Talkin’ Sports.

Beginning with appearances in Manila (Daggett County) and Vernal (Uintah County), the following is a day-by-day itinerary of the first week of the “Championship Cup Tour.” For more information on the tour, including the full tour schedule and events planned to take place at each tour stop, please visit Real Salt Lake’s official tour page or contact John Koluder in the RSL Communications Department at jkoluder@RealSaltLake.com or 801-727-2716.

WEEK ONE:

Sunday, Jan. 31: Appearance with Jason Kreis on KUTV 2’s Talkin’ Sports (10:35 p.m. MT)

Monday, Feb. 1: Kickoff in Salt Lake City @ KUTV 2News Studios; then to Manila (Daggett County) and Vernal (Uintah County)

Tuesday, Feb. 2: Duchesne (Duchesne County) and Price (Carbon County)

Wednesday, Feb. 3: Castle Dale (Emery County) and Moab (Grand County)

Thursday, Feb. 4: Monticello (San Juan County) and Kanab (Kane County)

Fri./Sat., Feb. 5-6: St. George (Washington County)

Sunday, Feb. 7: Off day

Monday, Feb. 1 – Manila (Daggett County): The first official stop on the “Championship Cup Tour” will be bright and early in the Daggett County seat of Manila on the Utah/Wyoming border. The stop in Manila – population-wise, the smallest town of the tour’s 35 stops (308 citizens as of the last census in 2000) – will start at the city’s Town Hall (100 East Highway 43) at 8:30 a.m. with Mayor (and Fire Chief) Chuck Dickison welcoming the Cup before a Manila Fire Department truck will take the trophy on a four-block ride to Manila Elementary School (200 North, 200 West), where the first of dozens of school assemblies along the trip will start at 9:30 a.m.

Distance from Salt Lake City to Manila: 170 miles (3h 14 m)

Population (as of 2000 census): 308

Elevation: 6,348 ft.

“Fun Fact” about Manila: Manila is the lone official municipality in all of Daggett County (pop. 921) – the town of Dutch John is unincorporated, and land where the “ghost town” of Linwood once stood was abandoned in the late 1950’s after being bought by the government as part of the building of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which inundated the town site upon completion in 1964.

Monday, Feb. 1 – Vernal (Uintah County): Even trophies get hungry, so the first visit in Vernal for the day will be to the KFC Restaurant (1260 West 500 South) from 12:15–12:45 p.m., which will also mark the first opportunity for fans to purchase $14 two-for-one KFC Colonel’s Corner vouchers for RSL’s opening day on April 10 v. Seattle. After heading over to Davis Elementary School (4101 South 2500 East) for an assembly from 1:45-2:45 p.m., the trophy will have a little down time before finishing its first day on the road at the Uintah Recreation Center (610 S. Vernal Avenue) for a public gathering from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Distance from Manila to Vernal: 63 miles (1h 34m)

Trip odometer: 223 miles (4h 48 m)

Population: 7,714

Elevation: 5,328 ft.

“Fun Facts” about Vernal: It is one of the only cities in the nation of its size that does not have a railroad running through it (nearest track is about 60 miles away from city limits) and is the birthplace of actor James Woods (Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and Diggstown) and Gordon Gee, who has held more University presidencies (5) than any other American (currently in his second term overseeing The Ohio State University).

Tuesday, Feb. 2 – Duchesne (Duchesne County): On Tuesday, the gang will catch U.S. Highway 40 and head south through Ft. Duchesne, Roosevelt, and Myton on its way to Duchesne, where the tour’s second day will start with a school assembly at Duchesne Elementary School (198 West 200 North) from 10:00-10:30 a.m.

Distance from Vernal to Duchesne: 58 miles (1h 19m)

Trip odometer: 281 miles (6h 07 m)

Population: 1,408

Elevation: 5,518 ft.

“Fun Fact” about Duchesne: Duchesne is only 86 miles from the end-point of U.S. Highway 40, which now stretches 2,285 miles from Atlantic City, N.J. to Park City (but ran all the way to San Francisco when originally constructed in the 1920’s)

Tuesday, Feb. 2 – Price (Carbon County): The Championship Cup Tour will continue on to the south, this time heading down U.S. 191 to the Carbon County seat of Price, where its stay will begin with a trio of school assemblies at Carbon High School (750 East 400 North) spanning from 12:15-3:00 p.m. The MLS Cup trophy will remain at Carbon H.S. and be joined by Mayor Joe Piccolo and Price city officials for a public reception from 3:30-4:30 p.m. and make an appearance at Price’s KFC Restaurant location (130 N. Carbonville Road) from 5:00-5:30 p.m. before being awarded a key to the City of Price during a private dinner ceremony hosted by Mayor Piccolo that evening.

Distance from Duchesne to Price: 54 miles (1h 24m)

Trip odometer: 335 miles (7h 31 m)

Population: 8,402

Elevation: 5,627 ft.

“Fun Fact” about Price: The College of Eastern Utah, located in Price, is one of the few two-year colleges with an accredited museum – the CEU Prehistoric Museum.

Wednesday, Feb. 3 – Castle Dale (Emery County): Wednesday morning the crew splits south down State Route 10 to Emery County and Castle Dale, where the MLS Cup will be met by Mayor Neil Peacock at City Hall at 8:00 a.m. to be presented the key to Castle Dale before earning another fire-truck-chaperoned ride to a pair of school assemblies at Castle Dale Elementary School (195 East 600 North) from 8:30-9:15 and Emery High School (975 N. Center Street) from 9:40-10:30.

Distance from Price to Castle Dale: 31 miles (48 min.)

Trip odometer: 366 miles (8h 19 m)

Population: 1,657

Elevation: 5,676 ft.

“Fun Fact” about Castle Dale: The initial desire of the community was to name their town Castle Vale after the castle-like geological formations in the region, but the post office listed it as Castle Dale and it was never changed.

Wednesday, Feb. 3 – Moab (Grand County): One of the longer legs of the tour will be the trek from Castle Dale to Moab, where the three-hour ride will conclude with the Cup being hosted at Helen M. Knight Intermediate School (168 West 400 North) for an assembly from 1:30-2:00 p.m. From there the trophy will put its hiking boots and head over to Grand County’s – and likely Utah’s – most picturesque setting, Arches National Park, where a guide will hustle the CCT crew to the famed Delicate Arch for a quick photo opportunity before sundown hits that afternoon.

Distance from Castle Dale to Moab: 148 miles (2h 54m)

Trip odometer: 514 miles (11h 13 m)

Population: 4,779

Elevation: 4,026 ft. (first tour stop below the “mile-high” elevation of 5,280 ft.)

“Fun Fact” about Moab: Several famous motion pictures and TV shows have filmed in scenic Grand County, with the expansive list including Rio Grande (1950), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1988),Thelma & Louise (1990), City Slickers II (1994),Mission: Impossible II (2000),Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) and, of course, MacGyver.

Thursday, Feb. 4 – Monticello (San Juan County): The MLS Cup and its crew will dive further into the southeast portion of the state to start off Day 4, as another early-morning start will take the gang to San Juan County and its seat of Monticello. The brief stopover in Monticello will consist of an assembly at Monticello Elementary School from 8:00-9:00 a.m. before the tour takes off for the longest leg of the month-long tour.

Distance from Moab to Monticello: 54 miles (1h 8m)

Trip odometer: 568 miles (12h 21 m)

Population: 1,958

Elevation: 7,070 ft.

“Fun Fact” about San Juan County: The largest of Utah’s counties from an area standpoint, San Juan County is bordered by 12 other counties in four different states (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico & Colorado).It’s square mileage of 7,933 would make it the fourth smallest state in the Union, beating out Rhode Island, Delaware, and Connecticut.

Thursday, Feb. 4 – Kanab (San Juan County): The longest drive of the trip – a nearly five-hour, 290-mile sojourn that will sweep the gang through northern Arizona and near northern rim of the Grand Canyon – will take the Cup from Monticello to Kanab, the county seat of Kane County located on the Arizona border. While in Kanab, the Championship Cup Tour take some photos around Bryce Canyon and some of the olde “Little Hollywood” sites and enjoy some dinner with Kanab civic leaders at the famed Parry Lodge Motel (89 E. Center Street) before heading over to Kanab Elementary School (41 East 100 North) for a children’s clinic and public photo appearance from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Distance from Monticello to Kanab: 290 miles (4h 44m)

Trip odometer: 858 miles (17h 05 m)

Population: 5,400

“Fun Fact” about Kanab: The city of Kanab is often called "Little Hollywood" because of its film-making history over the years. Surrounded by a variety of western geologic scenery ranging from coral pink cliffs and sand dunes, volcanic craters and lava flows to deep canyons, majestic mountains and plains, Kanab was where Planet of the Apes, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, and Daniel Boone – along with dozens of other motion pictures and television series – were filmed.

Friday, Feb. 5 – St. George (Washington County): The first weekend of the “Championship Cup Tour” starts out with a two-hour drive to the southwestern Utah hub of St. George, which will host a two-day stay beginning Friday at Dixie Middle School with an assembly from 9:30-10:30 a.m. The Cup and crew will then travel over to the new St. George Recreation Center from 3:30-5:00 p.m. and Hansen Stadium from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for a pair of appearances that will be open to the public. The final stop of the day will take place at Deseret Hills High School (828 Deseret Hills Drive), where Leo the Lion will bring out the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy during a recognition ceremony at halftime of the Boys Basketball game between the DHSS Thunder and Snow Canyon H.S., taking place at approximately 7:45 p.m. (game tips off at 7:00 p.m.)

Distance from Kanab to St. George: 81 miles (2 hours and 2 minutes)

Trip Odometer: 939 miles (19h 07m)

St. George Population: 72,718

Elevation: 2,860 ft.

“Fun Fact #1” about St. George: In the spring of 2000, a farmer living in the St. George area was flatting the ground at the edge of his property. As he worked he discovered what turned out to be the largest collection of dinosaur tracks ever found. The tracks were made in a casting like process, thus giving scientists and curious visitors a rare look at what dinosaur skin, and claws were like.

Saturday, Feb. 6 – St. George (Washington County): The second day in St. George will begin with the MLS Cup trophy arriving at the KFC Restaurant location at 877 E. St. George Boulevard from 12:00-12:30 p.m. before marching on to an event at the National Guard Armory from 1:00-3:00 p.m. that will be open to the general public. From there, the Cup will be greeted by area youth soccer players at a private event for AYSO Region 1343 from 3:30-5:15 p.m. before wrapping up its stay in Washington County at the Dixie State College Women’s and Men’s Basketball games at Burns Arena (400 South 700 East), tipping off at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.

“Fun Fact #2” about St. George: It’s doubtful many people would guess that the fastest-growing community in the country, population-wise by percentage, would be the St. George/Washington County Metropolitan area. St. George’s population increased by 75% between 1990 and 2000, and the last decade showed continued growth of nearly 50%, with more than 72,000 people calling St. George home as of 2007, bringing Washington County’s total population north of 140,000.