This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It was sweet enough for RSL to have wiped out the Los Angeles Galaxy in its Major League Soccer home opener the other night, just for the points in the standings and the satisfaction of emphatically keeping alive a 10-game unbeaten streak against them.But coaches and players said they also earned the added benefit of soaring confidence, heading into their next game — the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal series against Saprissa of Costa Rica in San Jose on April 5. "That was huge, to get a good result" against the Galaxy, midfielder Kyle Beckerman said after the 4-1 victory at Rio Tinto Stadium, "because we're going to be off next week. We got the six points [in the first two league games]. So now we can just rest a little bit and focus for Saprissa."RSL does not play a league game next weekend in advance of the Champions League match — the league made a concerted effort in its scheduling to accommodate RSL's pursuit of the CONCACAF trophy — giving them nine days between games.Coach Jason Kreis thinks that's the "perfect" amount of time to afford giving regular players some time off this week while many of the other players in the first reserve game of the season against FC Dallas on Tuesday. Everyone has "worked so hard" and "put so much into the beginning of the season," he said.RSL is one of three teams that are 2-0 in league play — the Philadelphia Union and defending champion Colorado Rapids are the others — and it has a 2-0 lead on Saprissa heading into the second leg of the Champions League series. It will advance to the championship against either Cruz Azul or Monterrey of Mexico with a win or a draw in the return leg against Saprissa.Even a two-goal loss would do it, so long as RSL scores.And that hasn't been much of a problem so far.Although it played a scoreless draw with the Columbus Crew in frigid conditions in the Champions League quarterfinals last month, RSL has won its last four games in all competitions by a combined 11-2 margin. That included a 1-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on the road in a howling rainstorm to open the league season."That was a more suitable fit for this CONCACAF match that we have next — away, a similar formation, getting a result on the road," goalkeeper Nick Rimando said. "But again, when you beat a team like L.A. the way we did … it definitely gives us confidence going into this big game against Saprissa."