The Kansas City Royals. The Cleveland Browns. The Atlanta Hawks. Real Salt Lake?
RSL is flirting with perennial disappointment that other such teams in American professional sports leagues have suffered.
One third of the season has all but trickled down the drain and Salt Lake City’s embattled soccer team is oblivious to how victory feels.
But something begs to differ with the notion that this team will continue to look up to the rest of the league. RSL weathered a rough start to the season in 2006 and still just missed the playoffs. Even though this year’s commencement has been even less friendly, coach Jason Kreis’ squad has tangible hope.
“First and foremost was that we played against a New England team that seems to be able to score goals at will,” Kreis said after Saturday’s match in Foxborough, Mass. “So to pick up another shutout on the road is big-time for my team.”
New England is an offensive powerhouse that RSL goalkeeper Nick Romando denied time after time, tying a franchise record with 13 saves on Saturday.
“We keep getting better, so the tie is a plus for Salt Lake, for sure,” Rimando said.
RSL will enjoy the confines of Rice-Eccles Stadium for the first time in more than a month Thursday in a friendly with the China National Team.
This gives the team a chance to forget about the MLS and just play soccer. The match serves as a priceless opportunity to experiment new strategies against a skilled opponent. All practice will be welcomed before RSL invites FC Dallas to Salt Lake City on June 14.
FC Dallas took care of RSL 2-1 in Dallas on May 20 and will look to repeat the result. But Real Salt Lake has some new faces since the teams’ last meeting.
A win is not just about getting points to climb in the MLS standings this season. A win removes the proverbial monkey from RSL’s back. Before you know it, they could be relinquishing their guard post of the MLS’s bottom rung.
Such a feat would bode well for a club flirting with disaster — the type of disaster that could haunt Utah soccer fans for years to come.
The international match kicks off at 7 p.m. tonight at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Lennie MahlerFreddy Adu fights for the ball earlier this season against FC Dallas at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Real Salt Lake takes on the Chinese National Team tonight in an international friendly, which is also its first game at home in more than a month.