Real Salt Lake is the real deal
Real Salt Lake’s 2011 season has been anything but consistent — red hot and ice cold. They’ve appeared to be in form and unstoppable for much of the season, then they’ve also looked dreadfully out of form and inept. Real has been at the top of the Western Conference table, and has also been at the bottom — from international competition finalist to supposed MLS has-been.
The team has continued to fight through inconsistency and managed to secure an automatic berth, for the fourth season in a row, in the upcoming 2011 MLS Playoffs.
Real Salt Lake has gone from being the perennial cellar dwellers in its first three seasons to perennial powerhouse in the last three. In 2008, RSL made it all the way to the MLS Cup semi-finals. In 2009, RSL squeaked into the playoffs and then went on to win the MLS Cup. The momentum from the 2009 season carried over into 2010, when RSL set a club record with 15 wins and made it to the playoffs again, but this time got knocked out in the quarterfinals. Things were looking promising going into the 2011 season despite a playoff defeat. Coming off two great seasons, the team is fighting for a spot in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football Champions League finals. This is North and Central America’s premier club competition.
The 2011 season couldn’t have started much better for Real. It went through the month of March and the beginning of April undefeated, winning four straight, including a 4-1 thrashing of the current Western Conference leader Los Angeles Galaxy and a win over the defending MLS Champion Colorado Rapids.
Real Salt Lake also dominated the champions league in addition to a great start to the MLS season. They defeated the Eastern Conference leaders Columbus Crew, 4-0, after surviving a grueling group stage, on aggregate in the quarterfinals and followed that up with an impressive performance against Costa Rican champions Deportivo Saprissa, in the semifinals. A win in the finals meant Real Salt Lake would become just the third team in U.S. history to be crowned CONCACAF champions league winners.
After battling for a 2-2 draw against Mexican power Monterrey on foreign turf in the first leg, RSL looked to have the top hand coming back for the second leg, with an 18-game unbeaten streak at home. Real needed a 1-1 draw or a win to earn the cup. Monterrey, however, had different plans and, after scoring just before halftime, was able to hold RSL scoreless, to come away with a 1-0 win and the champions league title.
The season, which started off great, went straight downhill. Wins, which at one point were so easily attained, later came few and very far between. The team, which looked unbeatable to begin the season, now looked vulnerable all over the pitch. After picking up 12 points in its first four matches, it was only able to pick up 11 points in the following nine games. Not only that, but RSL also lost star midfielder Javier Morales to injury, in a match against Chivas USA May 7, just 10 days after the loss to Monterrey. The Argentine’s right ankle was broken after a vicious tackle from Chivas USA.
The team’s form and place in the standings dipped, and it looked like RSL might not make it to the playoffs. It was a sharp contrast from the team that won a record 15 games the season before and, just two seasons ago, took home the MLS Championship.
Another contributing factor to RSL’s woes was its inability to avoid red cards. For the majority of 2010 RSL only picked up one red card, and that was from a player on the bench. Nine RSL players have been ejected in RSL’s last 40 games.
Amid all the difficulties, Real Salt Lake players remained positive about the possibility of making it to the playoffs. RSL is playing its best soccer at the end of the season. After losing four of five games from July 30 to Aug. 20, Real Salt Lake has turned things around in a huge way. First, it picked up a road win at Chivas USA, then in following weeks beat Philadelphia, Seattle, Kansas City and earned a road win over international star Thierry Henry of the New York Red Bulls. The season-high five wins in a row helped RSL climb all the way to third place in the Western Conference and secure an automatic berth into the MLS Playoffs.
The old adage of it’s not how you start but how you finished certainly hasn’t been the case for Real Salt Lake. Instead the club finished how it started and with the recent increases in form, it looks like their hotness is back and their coldness is behind them. RSL might be primed for another long playoff run.
– eliason.wright3@aggiemail.usu.edu