But coach Jason Kreis remains confident that Real Salt Lake is on the right track heading into its game against D.C. United at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday.
"I do try to look at things as the glass is half full," he said. "If we had come away from these two games with one point, and had only created four or five chances throughout the two games, I would be disappointed and very upset and very bewildered at where we were and whether or not we're taking the right direction. But when we have 27 goal-scoring chances in two matches, against two playoff teams last year . . . we feel very good about that."
Certainly, RSL has looked more poised and in control during its first two games this season than it has in the past, and it ranks nearly at the top of Major League Soccer with its 28 shots (only Chivas and Columbus have more, with 33 each).
And though only 11 of those shots have been on frame, that number ranks fifth in the 14-team league - suggesting RSL is doing the right things to create chances and that it's just a matter of time before it starts finding the back of the net.
"Signs are good," striker Kenny Deuchar said. "I think we're definitely heading the right direction. The coaches are trying to instill good habits and get us playing together as a team and pressing together and working hard for each other. . . . Hopefully, we get rewarded for our hard work on Saturday."
Injury report
Midfielder Andy Williams has not practiced the last two days because of a "bruised-slash-strained" ligament in his knee, though Kreis said there's a "good chance" he will be ready by the weekend. Williams has started one game and come on as a substitute in the other.
Called to camp
Rookie striker Alex Nimo will leave RSL on Sunday to join the U.S. Under-20 men's national team for its trip to the Campos Verdes International Tournament in Beja, Portugal.
The Americans will train in Portugal for two days before playing Northern Ireland on April 15, the Cape Verde Islands on April 16 and Portugal on April 18 in the round-robin tournament. Nimo has yet to make his debut with RSL.
Dynamic and dangerous
Kreis half-jokingly acknowledged rooting for D.C. United to play overtime against Pachuca of Mexico in the CONCACAF Champions Cup in Washington on Wednesday night, in the hope that it would wear them down a bit before they travel to meet RSL.
Instead, United won the game 2-1 in regulation, but lost the series on goal differential.
Nonetheless, Kreis called United a "very dynamic" and "extremely dangerous" team, armed with not only striker Luciano Emilio - he led the league with 20 goals last season, including two against RSL - and all-time leading scorer Jaime Moreno, but also designated player Marcelo Gallardo.
The heralded midfielder joined the team from Paris-St. Germain and has played in two World Cups and two Olympics for his native Argentina.
He's making $1.88 million this season, making him the league's third-highest-paid player behind the Galaxy's David Beckham and Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire.
mcl@sltrib.com
