"He has been fantastic," coach Jason Kreis said.

That might sound like an odd way to describe the goalkeeper for a team that drags a wretched 2-11-6 record into its game tonight against the high-powered Kansas City Wizards at Rice-Eccles Stadium. But Rimando has hardly been the problem. In fact, his spectacular work fighting off endless flurries of shots in recent weeks has kept RSL from getting blown out of games - even if it does wind up losing most of them, anyway.

"I don't know, I feel comfortable playing," Rimando said. "Once you start getting in the groove and finding your comfort zone and your confidence, you seem to run off it, and that's what I'm doing right now."

If only the rest of the team were so adept.

While Rimando has been facing more shots and making more saves in fewer games than any other goalkeeper in Major League Soccer - he has 90 saves in the 17 games he has played, while New England's Matt Reis has needed 23 games to make 91 saves - his teammates are on the verge of shattering their own record for scoring the fewest goals in a season.

RSL scored just 30 goals in its inaugural season two years ago, a mark that Columbus tied last season. But the current RSL team has managed just 14 goals in 19 games, on pace to finish with just 22 in its 30-game season.

"That's part of our problem in front of the goal," Kreis said. "We have players that feel like we get so few opportunities that they have to do something well when they get in the attacking third."

As a result, the players rush what shots they get, miss them, and ultimately force Rimando to make great save after great save just to keep RSL from getting embarrassed.

The eight-year veteran was at perhaps his acrobatic finest against Chivas USA last weekend, diving this way and that and standing firm in the face of point-blank shots to make six mostly brilliant saves - yet suffered a 1-0 loss, anyway, on an agonizing little flick-in from in front of the near post following a corner kick.

"If we can put a few goals into the back of the net - one early - I think that will help Nick from having to make those kids of saves," veteran midfielder Carey Talley said. "But he has been fantastic for us. We have asked quite a bit of him, and he has stepped up to the challenge, for sure."

Tonight, he faces another one.

The Wizards are among the most potent teams in the league, having scored 35 goals - two off the league lead - including a dozen by striker Eddie Johnson.

What's more, RSL will attempt to improve on its poor ball control in the midfield without midfielder Nathan Sturgis for the second straight game. Sturgis was walking with crutches Tuesday after having a magnetic-resonance imaging test to check for a blood clot in his injured left calf, and Kreis said he's out indefinitely.

"Not good," Kreis said.

Rimando, however, is faring far better than he feared after his first few games with RSL - the team had to rush to sign him after incumbent goalkeeper Scott Garlick unexpectedly retired during training camp - when he allowed six goals in his first three games and was temporarily benched.

"I knew that wasn't how I play," Rimando said. "I think I tried to do too much."

Since then, Rimando has been increasingly solid, and credits new goalkeeping coach Jeff Cassar with helping restore his confidence and preparedness.

"I'm just relaxing and believing in myself," Rimando said, "knowing that I can play out here, I have played out here for a while and this is just a game. Just concentrate, and you can make the saves."

mcl@sltrib.com

Eds: Toronto has used five GKs this season.

Listed below are their cumulative numbers. --MCL FACING THE FIRING SQUAD

Nobody has faced more shots or made more saves in fewer games than RSL's Nick Rimando:

Player Team Games GA Saves Shots Matt Reis New England 23 28 91 120 Nick Rimando RSL 17 24 90 118 Greg Sutton Toronto 22 35 87 128 Srdjan Djekanovic Kenny Stamatopoulis Sam Reynolds David Monsalve Bouna Coundoul Colorado 22 25 84 112

RSL vs. K.C.

KICKOFF: 7 p.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium

RADIO: AM-700, AM-1600 (no TV)

RECORDS: RSL 2-11-6, Kansas City 9-8-5

SERIES: Wizards lead, 3-1-1

LAST MEETING: Kansas City 1, RSL 0 (July 14)

Goalie's performance solid, wasted