Hey all! This is Calvin Westfall (you can call me Cal) and I am joining the MLSNow Podcast team to write about Real Salt Lake.
Originally from Southern California, I grew up playing soccer among other sports like baseball and football. It wasn't until after I lived in Spain for a few years, however, that I developed a passion for the global game. Since I lived in the heart of Barcelona, I became a huge FC Barcelona fan. I returned to the US for university, only to go back to Spain for a study abroad in 2016 in Madrid, during which I attended 3 Champions League matches: Real Madrid vs. Sporting Lisbon, FC Barcelona vs. Manchester City, & Atletico Madrid vs. Rostov (spoiler alert: they were all amazing!). I came back to Utah and started following RSL, both the Men's and the Women's US National Teams, and BYU's Women's and Men's teams. I even covered a few matches for the university newspaper and did social media management for a youth soccer league in California.
After a few years of watching RSL, I went back to Spain once more for an internship with Real Oviedo in the Social Affairs department, translating interviews and club materials to and from Spanish, attending to VIP guests during matchdays, giving tours of the stadium and museum, organizing youth camps and communicating with shareholders. It was a wonderful experience that allowed me to see the inner workings of a professional team and learn more about the different aspects of the sports industry!
Now I'm back in Utah for graduate school, and ready to cheer on RSL once again! I look forward to returning to in-person matches at the RioT, but until then I will watch from home and write about RSL's matches, administration, fans and other news. You can follow me on Twitter @calvinjwestfall where I tweet about RSL, MLS, USMNT, and LaLiga, among other things. I'll do my best to keep it Real!
IF YOU BELIEVE THEN JUST STAND UP ON YOUR FEET
AND SHOUT IT LOUD "REAL!"
HERE AT THE RIOT THE BATTLE HYMN'S BEGUN.
WE'RE HERE FOR RSL!