MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake to test mettle against defending champs

Published on July 2, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


If you had wagered back in March that Real Salt Lake would be even with the Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference standings halfway through the 2008 season, you would have received the longest of odds. After all, RSL had done little to distinguish itself in three barren seasons, while Houston was (and still is) the two-time defending MLS champion.

Yet 15 games into the current campaign, Real does indeed find itself on level terms with the Dynamo. Coach Jason Kreis' outfit, while still short of MLS Cup quality, has undergone a considerable overhaul and has stepped into what is, for them, the rarified air of a playoff contender. Houston, meanwhile, has struggled a bit more this season with the bull's-eye that comes with being the defending champion and has been unable to get on the kind of roll that characterizes championship teams.

So is the balance of power shifting in the Western Conference? While not quite giving a definitive answer, this week's "MLS Primetime Thursday" matchup between RSL and Houston should be revealing, with sole possession of first place in the conference going to the winner.

Five story lines to follow

1. A Real turnaround

It was 14 months ago that Kreis assumed the RSL head coaching duties, and since then he has gradually reshaped the team, bringing more ability, tenacity and athleticism to the Wasatch Front. The result has been a complete change in the team's attitude.

"In pure soccer terms, I don't think we had enough good soccer players," Kreis said. "I think the average level of player was too low, and I just thought the competitive nature of the entire group wasn't high enough. They thought it was OK to lose."

2. The Dynamo's Gordian knot

Houston hasn't been horrible in the season's first three months. In fact, the team is tied for the fewest losses in MLS. But the Dynamo have found it difficult to beat teams, and their league-high seven draws have meant that the defending champs have gone sideways for much of the season. The ire from such results appeared to boil over in last week's 1-1 tie with Dallas, when a defensive miscue allowed Kenny Cooper to equalize in the second half, and goalkeeper Pat Onstad bellowed at his defense afterward.

"The frustrating part is that you feel in those games your margin for error is very small," said Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear. "That's what's hurting us, because we have a lapse, and teams are capitalizing. That's the story of the season so far."

3. The pit of despair

Ever since San Jose's Spartan Stadium ceased being a league venue in 2005, Real's Rice-Eccles Stadium has claimed the prize of "least favorite stadium to visit" in MLS. At issue are the venue's narrow dimensions and an artificial surface that's about as forgiving as an airport runway. Of course, it wasn't long ago that Real was complaining, too, but now the team has taken a liking to Rice-Eccles, and RSL is one of two teams in the league that is unbeaten at home.

"This year, I think the mentality of the group has been, 'We're on it, we're going to play on it, and we're going to have a very aggressive mind-set at home and not even talk about the surface,'" Kreis said. "That mind-set and aggressive mentality has helped us more than anything."

4. Houston's dinged-up defense

With World Cup qualifying now on hiatus until August, Kinnear thought he was close to getting his entire first-choice lineup back. But All-Star defender Eddie Robinson likely will miss Thursday's game with a right ankle sprain, and understudy Patrick Ianni also might be sidelined due to an injured shoulder (hurt in last week's 1-1 tie with Dallas). The injuries have come at a key time, with Houston's SuperLiga commitments congesting its calendar in the coming weeks.

5. Real's Kansas City hangover

Still one of the poorer road teams in MLS, Real was on the verge of a rare away result last week against the Wizards, when disaster struck in the form of an 89th-minute own goal by defender Tony Beltran. It's the kind of defeat that in the past would have delivered a heavy blow to the team's confidence, and while Kreis feels there won't be any carryover into this week's match, the team's ability to bounce back will be tested.

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