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Real Salt Lake

DF Jake Besagno Loaned to RSL for Remainder of Season, Joining Younger Brother Nik

September 15, 2006 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SALT LAKE CITY (Friday, September 15, 2006) - Real Salt Lake (9-12-6, 33 pts. 5th West) announced today that the team has acquired DF Jake Besagno on loan from the Seattle Sounders of the USL First Division. Besagno, the older brother of current RSL DF Nikolas Besagno, will wear jersey #14 and is set to join the team for training on Friday. Besagno will be placed on the developmental roster for the remainder of the season and is expected to be available for the reserve game on Sunday when the RSL Reserves battle the FC Dallas Reserves at Quinn's Junction in Park City. First Kick for the game is 10:00 a.m.

The Besagno duo come together at RSL several months after the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, where four players with brothers who have played or are currently playing in the league were selected. The Chicago Fire took defender Jeff Curtin out of Georgetown University with the 14th overall pick, joining his brother Jim who has been with the Fire since being drafted in the 2001 SuperDraft. D.C. United selected Jeff Carroll with the 39th overall pick, joining his brother Brian, who has been with the club for two years. Houston took defender/midfielder Patrick Ianni with the eighth pick overall. His brother Tayt played two seasons with the San Jose Clash in 1996-97. Finally, FC Dallas draftee Justin Moore -- a second-round pick Friday (15th overall) -- saw his brother Jason taken first overall in 1999 by D.C. United. Jason went on to play in 92 games with four teams over the course of five seasons after being taken with the No. 1 pick in '99.

The Besagnos become the 12th set of brothers to be in the league at the same time, and the 9th to be on the same teams at the same time during their time in the league, joining the Curtains and Carrolls this year, as well as: Chris and Sean Henderson (Colorado, 1996-1998); Alexi and Greg Lalas (New England, 1997); Judah and Micah Cooks (D.C. United, 2000-2001); DaMarcus and Jamar Beasley (Chicago, 2001); Martin and Fausto Klinger (MetroStars, 2001); and Daouda and Ibrahim Kante (New England, 2003).

Remaining sets active in the league at the same time were Sam and Seth George and Imad and Nidal Baba, as well as New England Revolution striker Taylor and his brother James, who did not make an appearance in an MLS game in his rookie season last year with the San Jose Earthquakes.

The only younger brother drafted while his older sibling was already with the club was Micah Cooks, taken in the 2001 SuperDraft after Judah had already been with the team as a Project-40 allocation. All the other brothers came together by trades, discovery or free agent signings or allocations.

USYSA TO AWARD $10,000 PRIZE TO WINNER OF HALFTIME PROMOTION: Real Salt Lake is pleased to announce that The United States Youth Soccer Association will be holding a halftime promotion during the Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas game taking place at Rice-Eccles Stadium tomorrow, Saturday September 16th, 2006 at Rice Eccles Stadium. The promotion will feature two contestants who will be taking free kicks from a pre-determined area on the field, and the winner will be awarded a grand prize of $10,000, courtesy of the USYSA. First kick for tomorrow's game is 7:00 p.m. MT.

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