This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There has been name-calling, accusations of sabotage and face-to-face shouting matches.
And that's just from the team owner.
Throw in a coach challenging his players' manhood, the league's leading scorer storming out of practice and two players accusing opponents of racial slurs and you've got story lines that would make the writers of the former ESPN series "Playmakers" blush.
Real Salt Lake's first two years of existence read more like a reality television transcript than a Major League Soccer season recap. Jack Bauer would have a hard time taming this much emotion and passion.
Yet somehow, through the outrageous twists and turns, RSL has maintained a more tame story line, one that fills the gaps between dramatic pauses.
The players have eschewed the drama and jumped head-long into a playoff race.
"That stuff really doesn't affect the players as much as what people think," defender Eddie Pope said. "I think we've gone through a lot on the field, you know, ups and downs."
Yeah, like:
ä Forward Atiba Harris accused New York Red Bulls coach Peter Nowak of saying the RSL player should be "sent back to Africa," during an exhibition game in February. Though the coach denied he had made the comment, the league fined Nowak for an undisclosed amount for "improper remarks."
ä In the home opener April 15, midfielder Andy Williams claimed New York's Amado Guevara called him a "monkey." The league found no evidence that Guevara made such a comment.
ä Star Jeff Cunningham publicly criticized his teammates after a loss in June. He later apologized.
ä During a drawn-out struggle to land a deal for a new stadium, owner Dave Checketts called Salt Lake County officials "bush league" and "unprofessional" and accused Jazz owner Larry Miller of working to sabotage the proposal.
ä Coach John Ellinger dropped his guard at a postgame press conference in July, after his team allowed a tying goal in the final minutes. "There's something that goes in a jockstrap and I guess you got to have that to play this game, and we're missing it," he said.
ä On Sept. 2, Checketts charged toward Colorado Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni after the World Cup star taunted fans at Rice-Eccles with obscene gestures after RSL lost 1-0. The two engaged in a face-to-face shouting match. Checketts asked the league to review the postgame celebration, but MLS later said the incident required no disciplinary actions, except that some of Mastroeni's behavior was deemed inappropriate.
ä Last week, Cunningham, who leads the league in scoring with 15 goals and is second in assists with 10, uttered expletives and appeared upset as he left practice early.
The next cliffhanger could very well center on RSL's playoff fate.
With five wins and one tie in the last nine games, RSL is five points back of the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with five games remaining. And RSL's next two games, including the one Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium, are against West-leading FC Dallas.
"Our ultimate goal is to make it to the playoffs," said midfielder Carey Talley. "And we don't want anything less than that."
It's quite a difference from a year ago, when RSL limped to the finish line with 11 losses in its final 14 games.
"Last year, this was a point where we were fading," said Ellinger, who has coached RSL since its inception. "This year, we're still strong and we're still out running, out working.
"I think in the beginning, we were a team who felt we could be a good team. . . . But now, you're talking to a group who actually believe they can win every game. And I think that's the difference. They believe in themselves, they believe in the team."