In 2009, Real Salt Lake shocked the nation by winning the Major League Soccer championship, held at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington. PMI employees are big supporters of the Real Salt Lake team and relished the recent opportunity to play a crucial game on their professional-grade practice field. The RSL field is located less than a mile from PMI headquarters, so a team of employees was assembled to take to the field to battle XanGo, a corporation headquartered right across the street. XanGo are official sponsors of the RSL squad and made history in 2006 when they became the first sponsor to be featured on the front of a Major League Soccer team jersey. Their dedication to the sport is undeniable and PMI knew it would be facing a daunting adversary.
After posing together for a friendly group photo, the two teams took to their sides and the game was on. PMI started off with a strong attack and controlled the ball well. Their forwards were able to take several great shots, but XanGo’s experienced goalie prevented them from scoring. The game then shifted in XanGo’s favor, as their offense adjusted to the fierce PMI defense. At the end of the first half, XanGo held the lead and PMI fans wondered if their team could pull off an upset.
In second half action, PMI again took it straight to the XanGo defense. Their excellent passing and aggressive play led to three highlight-worthy goals. XanGo refused to surrender, however, and the opposing team notched two scores of their own. At the conclusion of the match, XanGo had won the inaugural PMI – XanGo Soccer Challenge. Both teams eagerly await the opportunity to again take to Real Salt Lake’s beautiful field to battle it out in a rematch!
