This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
San Jose, Calif. • The current state of affairs, explains Tony Beltran, speaks for itself.
"Three games left, in postseason position," said Beltran, Real Salt Lake's right back, "so if you can't get up for this game, then you don't belong here."
Coming off a scoreless draw against FC Dallas last weekend, RSL draws a team with the slimmest of postseason hopes. The ninth-place San Jose Earthquakes have won twice in their past 20 regular-season matches, a pitiful four-month stretch capped off by Wednesday night's 3-1 loss on the road against the Montreal Impact.
Teams below RSL in the standings this year haven't exactly struggled. One of the primary reasons RSL isn't higher in the Western Conference table at the moment is due to its lapses against the lower-tier clubs at Rio Tinto Stadium this year. RSL coach Jeff Cassar voiced his disgust after the 1-0 home loss to the Houston Dynamo two weeks ago.
In preparation for the Quakes at Avaya Stadium on Saturday evening, Cassar revisited that trend this week.
"Their mental state is probably at a tipping point," he said, "but we got to make it tip."
Now, can they do it? Can RSL effectively end a team's postseason hopes at home? A win could be the sort of needed launching point toward the playoffs, not to mention eradicating the frustrations of a three-game scoreless streak at such a critical juncture.
"I think no matter who we're playing, whether it's the best team in the league or the worst team in the league, you've got to find a way to get up for each game," Beltran said, "because with all these games you got to make it count."
According to ESPN's Soccer Index, RSL had a 95 percent shot of qualifying for the MLS Cup postseason entering this weekend. The Earthquakes? A whopping 2 percent. MLSSoccer.com pieced together a strength of schedule graph for each conference that took into account the average points per game for each club's opponents earn both at home on the road. RSL came in ranked six out of 10.
"A win in San Jose certainly puts us closer to being able to analyze different situations," RSL general manager Craig Waibel said. "Our goal at the beginning of the year was to make the playoffs because last year felt horrible to end our season without it. Until we accomplish that goal, I really wouldn't get too carried away about anything else."
Which is why RSL's arguably easiest remaining match on the calendar demands at least a point. The nationally televised home match against Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, Oct. 16, will likely play the largest role in determining where the teams vying for the No. 4 or 5 seed in the playoff picture will finish. Sporting KC trails RSL by two points for the fourth spot out West.
"There's a lot of teams that need points more than we do," Cassar said. "This is the time where big-time players have to come through and step up to the challenge. I think our entire team recognizes what we have in front of us and what we're going to need to do."
Pelting a couple into the back of the net to end the longest goal-drought of the year is a solid start.
"I think sometimes on the road there's a little bit less pressure in terms of the style with the way you play and that can mean more opportunistic, more space in behind for our guys to play into," Beltran said. "I'm not concerned about [the goal drought] at all. It's a long season and defensively, offensively, you hit a lull at some point."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Real Salt Lake at San Jose Earthquakes
P At Avaya Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
Kickoff » Saturday, 8:30 p.m., MDT
TV » KMYU Radio » 700 AM
Records » RSL 12-10-9; San Jose 7-10-13
Last meeting » RSL 1, San Jose 1 (July 22 at Rio Tinto Stadium)
About RSL » Forward Yura Movsisyan (bruised heel) is considered questionable for the match. … Javier Morales (quad) and Joao Plata (quad) trained fully this week and are expected to start for RSL. … RSL enters this weekend riding its worst goal drought of the year, having not scored a goal in three straight matches. … RSL rookie midfielder Omar Holness was named to the Jamaican national team roster for upcoming international friendlies.
About San Jose » Earthquakes star Chris Wondolowski has scored 11 of his team's 29 goals this season. … San Jose is the lowest-scoring club in MLS with 29 goals in 30 regular-season matches. … Forward Quincy Amarjikwa is out nine months after suffering a torn ACL last weekend. … Defender Jordan Stewart is also sidelined with a right hamstring injury. … San Jose has won two regular-season matches since May 11. … The Earthquakes have taken a league-low 109 shots on goal in 2016.