Racing to catch up with a trickling rebound in the middle of the area mere moments after RSL had blown a late lead against Toronto FC, the striker lunged for the ball with a desperate slide that allowed him to poke home the game-winning goal in the 87th minute and give RSL a stunning 2-1 victory in front of 12,319 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

"It wasn't too good of a touch," he acknowledged. "But I saw the other defender coming, and I knew I could beat him there. I slid, and was able to get there first."

And speaking of first . . .

The victory strengthed RSL's hold on first place in the Major League Soccer Western Conference, and guaranteed that it will return from its team-record 18-day layoff no lower than third - and that's only if its pursuing rivals play exceptionally well in the meantime.

Even better, RSL forged a winning record - 7-6-6 - for the first time in team history, after conceding an equalizer in the 84th minute that even coach Jason Kreis acknowledged would have crushed past versions of the team.

"In past versions, there would have been another one on top of it," he said.

Instead, RSL responded to Amado Guevara's free-kick strike into the top left corner like a team that has acquired some savvy and poise. It kept up the steady pressure it had put on the Reds for most of the game, and caught a break when Findley chased down the carom of teammate Kyle Beckerman's blast from the left side that goalkeeper Greg Sutton had turned away.

"We showed a lot of character," midfielder Dema Kovalenko said.

Certainly, Findley did, making up for his abysmal miss of an easy chance not 3 yards from the goal in the first half, when he inexplicably hit the post. And nobody was happier about it than defender Jamison Olave.

The chiseled Colombian had scored his first goal for RSL in the 63rd minute, bouncing a header past Sutton at the near post. But his foul and yellow card allowed Guevara his free kick from about 28 yards out, and assured that he will be suspended for RSL's next game at Houston on Aug. 16.

"We thought we had the game already in hand, we had the result in hand," Olave said through a translator. "I lost a little hope at that point."

No need.

RSL was at home, where it has not lost all season, and Toronto (6-7-4) was both slumping and shorthanded. The Reds were riding a four-game winless streak overall and a four-game losing streak on the road, and they were playing without midfielder Maurice Edu and defender Marvell Wynne, who are with the U.S. Olympic Team preparing for the Beijing Games in China.

Toronto also was without Chad Barrett, who was not on the roster as the team works to finalize a trade to acquire him from the Chicago Fire, in exchange for the rights to striker Brian McBride.

Still, RSL knew it needed to win to avoid putting itself in jeopardy of falling out of playoff position during its break and having to dwell on a home failure the whole time.

"We've been in that position before and we told ourselves when it happens again, we're going to know what to do," Findley said. "And that's what good teams do. Good teams that gel know how to pick themselves up out of games like that."

mcl@sltrib.com

Storylines

* IN SHORT: Real Salt Lake assured it will remain in first place for at least nearly two more weeks with a 2-1 win over Toronto FC at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

* KEY MOMENT: Striker Robbie Findley slides to get his foot on a rebounded shot and poke home the dramatic winning goal in the 87th minute.