This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Commissioner Don Garber told reporters this week that Major League Soccer is "very close" to implementing a summer break of some kind, to accommodate teams whose players are called away for international duty to tournaments such as the Gold Cup and World Cup.
Real Salt Lake wouldn't mind one right now, thank you very much.
The severely short-handed team plays its third game in eight days against the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park on Saturday afternoon, hoping to snap a three-game winless streak on the road that seemingly has come to define it since its devastating loss to Monterrey in the finals of the CONCACAF Champions League.
No longer, it seems, is RSL the undisputed and elite jewel of MLS — so dangerous in every respect and such a threat to league records of every stripe.
Instead, robbed of many of its best players by injuries and international duty, the team looks as if it's being forced to settle for a new role as just another playoff contender, suddenly as capable of forgettable moments as glorious ones and nobody's front-runner for the Supporters Shield regular-season title.
It has fallen off the spectacular pace that its fans had grown to expect, going a modest 2-3-2 since losing the Champions League, with losses in two of its past three games (and the victory in between at home against an expansion team that ranks among the worst teams in the league).
Goalkeeper Nick Rimando even called out some of his teammates after the last letdown, a 2-1 loss at Columbus on Wednesday night in which RSL allowed two goals after the 75th minute for the first time in 63 league games spanning more than two years.
The loss also snapped a 14-game winning streak for RSL when it led at halftime, and a 12-game winning streak when it scored first.
"Some guys acted like they were defending and didn't really defend," Rimando said, adding that "some guys didn't really put the effort in. … We didn't get a result because we didn't put the effort in."
Harsh as that might sound, it hits on the same theme that coach Jason Kreis has been preaching since even before RSL entered probably the most challenging portion of its schedule — six league games in June, with at least five potential starters either hurt or gone.
"We have to work that hard if we want to win games," Kreis said.
In other words, RSL cannot always be assured of having superior talent on the field these days, and that's probably the way it's going to be for a while.
Midfielder Javier Morales is out until at least September with an injured ankle — that has been truly the biggest blow — while forward Paulo Junior is expected to miss at least two more games with a strained hip flexor.
Forwards Alvaro Saborio and Arturo Alvarez will join midfielder Will Johnson in missing the game against the Union, with only one forward or the other seeming assured of returning in time for RSL to meet D.C. United at home next weekend.
"We're not playing our best soccer right now, so that means we're going to have to come out and battle," defender Nat Borchers said recently. "It's not going to be just sexy, pretty soccer. It's going to be blue-collar soccer, and we're going to have to do that every game."
That won't be easy, though, against a team that's leading the MLS Eastern Conference and unbeaten at home.
The Union have one of the toughest defenses in the league, allowing only slightly more goals per game than RSL, even after giving up four in its past two losses — a sharp contrast to its usual impenetrability.
"When our guys are really, really committed — not just saying it, but doing everything they can for each other — they don't allow chances and we certainly don't allow two goals," Kreis said.
Still, the biggest challenge for RSL surely has been finding a way to succeed without Morales, its virtuoso playmaker for whom there is no equal.
Midfielder Collen Warner has been given most of the starting assignments in place of Morales, but Kreis said last week that it's still unclear whether the second-year pro can be the long-term solution at his crucial position.
"It's too early to say," Kreis said.
Kind of like the direction of the rest of the team's season.
Real Salt Lake at Philadelphia
P At PPL Park, Chester, Pa.
Kickoff • Saturday, 2 p.m.
TV • KMYU 2.2 / Comcast 22 / Dish 12
Radio • 700 AM, 1600 AM, 106.1 FM
Records • RSL 6-3-2, Philadelphia 6-3-3
All-time series • RSL leads, 1-0-1
Last meeting • RSL 1, Philadelphia 1 (Aug. 11, 2010)
About RSL • It's playing the third of six league games in June, and third in eight days. … Defender Nat Borchers is expected to return to the lineup, after sitting out a 2-1 loss at Columbus to take a break. … Ten players have scored goals, but forward Fabian Espindola is the only available one who has scored twice.
About the Union • Riding a three-game unbeaten streak, they're seeking their first win over RSL. … Forward Danny Mwanga leads them with four goals — including the past three in a row over an 84-minute span. … Forward Carlos Ruiz is away at the Gold Cup. … They have scored 10 of their 15 goals in the final half-hour.