Real Salt Lake looks to change the current trend for two teams on our nation’s 230th birthday, when RSL faces Chivas USA at Rice-Eccles Stadium tomorrow.
RSL enters the match on a four-game winless streak, including its latest loss at Chicago on Wednesday, at which the team blew a 1-0 lead in the final 10 minutes of the match.
On the other hand, Chivas USA is riding a five-game winning streak. During that stretch, Chivas is 2-0-3, the latest victory coming against Western Conference leader FC Dallas. Chivas won the game in convincing fashion, blanking Dallas 3-0 in front of its home fans.
Real Salt Lake will have its hands full tomorrow night as Chivas features Ante Razov, the top goal-scorer in the MLS this year. Razov leads the league with 10 goals, but he isn’t just one-dimensional, as he also leads his team with six assists. Chivas also features Claudio Suarez, one of the best defenders in MLS, who is just returning from a World Cup experience with Mexico.
Despite Chivas’ dangerous forward momentum, RSL does have some reason for optimism. Chivas has allowed a Western Conference-high 15 goals away from home, something Jeff Cunningham and Jason Kreis hope to exploit.
This match is also the beginning to what could prove to be a pivotal month in RSL’s season. Real Salt Lake is scheduled to play eight games in a 26-day span, which averages out to fewer than three days’ rest between each match.
Six of the eight games will be at home. RSL will face both MLS conference leaders FC Dallas and DC United at home. Other home matches include two meetings with Chivas USA, a friendly match against Morelia of the Mexican league and a U.S. Cup third-round match at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
July may very well dictate whether Real Salt Lake will be playing for a playoff berth, or if it can only try and salvage a disappointing sophomore season when the second half of the season reconvenes after the Aug. 5 All-Star match in Chelsea, UK.
RSL will need to use the entire depth of its roster during July and will also need to find a way to make each game meaningful, a problem that the team has seemed to struggle with lately. RSL players may find themselves decisively out of the playoff hunt if they cannot change their winless ways during this decisive month.
RSL could also be right back into the playoff picture if it can use some of the momentum that has been building. A victory over Chivas on Tuesday night would surely inject a surge of confidence that RSL has been searching for during its last few matches.
The team has been showing definitive signs of improvement but hasn’t yet put an entire body of work together during the current losing streak.
RSL will look to start off its brutal month on the right foot against Chivas tomorrow night. Body language and attitude may go a long way toward proving to fans just how the rest of the season will pan out.
Kamil KrzacynskiRSL forward Atiba Harris tries to get past a New England defender during June 24’s showdown with the Revolution, which ended in a scoreless tie. RSL hosts Chicago Tuesday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.