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Sandy • Standing outside Rio Tinto Stadium two days before Real Salt Lake's latest season-defining match, Kyle Beckerman is asked to reflect on what he voiced a month prior.
On Sept. 9, RSL was in last place in the Western Conference, a point behind rival Colorado. The club had lost five of six games in August. Following a training session Beckerman — the club's longtime captain and straightforward voice of the locker room — reflected on the immense amount of change at RSL in recent years.
"We broke it down," the 33-year-old midfielder said, "so now we've got to build it back up."
Fresh off a 120-minute outing in the searing Southern California fall heat Saturday against Mexico at the Rose Bowl, Beckerman called 2015 a rebuilding year Monday, just like he did on Sept. 9. RSL faces the Portland Timbers Wednesday night, a team it's chasing for the sixth and final playoff spot out West. The Timbers are three points ahead of RSL. A win at Rio Tinto pulls RSL even — at least in points, at 44.
Its abysmal August behind them, RSL has won three of its last four ahead of the Portland match.
So what would extending the club's postseason streak to eight straight years mean for the future of a now-rebuilding RSL?
"We're kind of in unfamiliar territory," Beckerman said. "We want to try and salvage this [season], see if we can get in the playoffs and then see if we can make a run. But really we're trying to build something that can be used for a long time like we did before, so it takes some time."
The road back to the MLS Cup postseason is tedious. An MLS regular season takes nearly nine months to determine which clubs are fit. RSL's road is now compact, but rockier than in years past. To get the streak to eight, RSL will likely need to win Wednesday against Portland and Saturday against FC Dallas to set up a scenario in which the season finale at Seattle on Oct. 25 holds all the cards.
A week ago, defender Tony Beltran vehemently said nothing that RSL has accomplished the last seven years pertains to this season and to this playoff chase.
"It's [about] the present," said RSL midfielder Javier Morales. "What are you doing right now? Right now, we're in a tough position — but we're still alive."
And facing another definitive performance. Win against Portland and the sudden rise of confidence shoots higher. Pressure will mount on those ahead of RSL. That's the scenario RSL envisions ahead of its last 11 days of the regular season. The unsteady performances, dip in consistency, all of which severely hampered RSL through its first six months, could be temporarily forgotten if RSL gives itself a shot.
"I think everyone knows what's at stake," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said.
Indeed. A playoff spot, and in parity-ridden MLS anything is possible once you're in. It'd go a long way for a club that lost a slew of postseason veterans in the offseason, largely written off by pundits who expected a season in which RSL took a step backward. Beckerman said RSL's playoff mode started just a little earlier than everyone else.
"We have been playing for a year, training every day, preseason, a lot of work," Morales said. "I think nobody on this team wants to go home. We're not ready for that."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Portland Timbers at Real Salt Lake
P At Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy
Kickoff • Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
TV • KMYU. Radio • 700 AM
Records • RSL 11-12-8, Portland 12-11-8
Last meeting • Portland 1, RSL 0 (Aug. 14 at Rio Tinto Stadium)
About RSL • Captain Kyle Beckerman is expected to start after playing 120 minutes in Saturday's CONCACAF Cup against Mexico in Pasadena, Calif. … Goalkeeper Nick Rimando, also part of the U.S. roster, is expected to start as well. … With Demar Phillips (yellow card accumulation) and Abdoulie Mansally (national team duty) unavailable against Portland, RSL will likely feature Tony Beltran and Jordan Allen at the outside back positions. … RSL has won three of its last four league matches and is coming off a 2-1 win at Colorado on Oct. 4. … Midfielder Javier Morales leads the club in goals (8) and assists (11).
About Portland • The Timbers' last visit to Rio Tinto Stadium featured former RSL defender Nat Borchers scoring in the last minute of extra time to win 1-0. … Since that win at Rio Tinto, Portland is 1-3-2 in league play and currently trailing San Jose on goal differential for the last playoff spot. … The Timbers have scored 31 goals in 31 games, the second-lowest scoring output in MLS behind Colorado (30). … Fanendo Adi leads Portland with 12 goals, while midfielder Diego Valeri has a team-high seven assists. … Former RSL midfielder Will Johnson had surgery on Oct. 1 to remove two screws from his right tibia and is out indefinitely.