The latest win was an encouraging and welcome relief.

But if Real Salt Lake really wants to make some noise around Major League Soccer, it gets its chance on the road tonight, when it tries to build on what coaches and players have described as its "fresh start" against the Houston Dynamo -- the best team in the league and champions two of the past three seasons.

"The whole team is prepared for what we're going to face there," RSL's Tony Beltran said. "It's going to be a challenge."

And a big one.

The Dynamo are riding a 10-game unbeaten streak, hoping to equal their franchise record that RSL ultimately snapped two years ago. What's more, RSL has never won at Houston and will be playing again without injured striker Robbie Findley -- he also missed the slump-snapping victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy last weekend with a sprained ankle -- while the Dynamo have outscored opponents 16-3 during their streak and remain undefeated on the narrow home field at Roberton Stadium that favors their physical style. It's expected to be hot and humid, too.

"We'll just try and play," midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "We feel like what we did against L.A. can work against them, so we're going to go and try to do the same exact thing. And really, the main thing is that the team is committed on defense."

Coach Jason Kreis has praised the team's focus and determination the past couple of weeks, and said he welcomed them back after beating the Galaxy on the road last week. Similarly, breaking their seven-game winless streak has helped the players start believing that they're finally back on the right track.

"I feel like things have turned for us as a team and as individuals, too," striker Yura Movsisyan said. "Everybody stepped up. We're starting to play our game. We're starting to play the hard-working game that we usually play, you know? So it's good to see everybody back with confidence and everybody knowing and believing in ourselves that -- you know what? -- we're a good team and we can play good soccer."

Part of the reason has been a switch to an aggressive three-striker formation that Kreis said has helped RSL defend better but also given players like Movsisyan renewed confidence in the attack. The hero of last season's playoff run, Movsisyan has scored in each of his last two games, after striking but once amid a slew of chances in the first 11 games.

"We feel like we're attacking with more numbers," he said.

The Dynamo will be without midfielder Ricardo Clark, who's away with the national team at the Confederations Cup in South Africa, and might not have injured striker Brian Ching, either. But the RSL players cited the Dynamo's depth, organization and consistency as the secret to their success.

"That's why they won all the championships that they have won," RSL's Clint Mathis said. "They just stay organized."

Yet RSL believes it can penetrate the fortress, if it just conjures the same intensity that it did against the Galaxy.

mcl@sltrib.com