This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • Is it a temporary slide or a long-term funk?
Real Salt Lake's late-season struggles have been confounding for such a battle-tested, playoff-proven group that has championship-or-bust aspirations.
A shaky 2-4-1 record over the last seven weeks has forced the club to not only reassess some of its season-long goals, but to figure out its issues with another MLS Cup postseason looming, starting with Saturday's Rio Tinto Stadium date against San Jose.
Any hopes RSL had for earning the Supporters' Shield are long gone. The Seattle Sounders and L.A. Galaxy are now in a two-team dash for both the Shield and the Western Conference title. Each has already eclipsed the 60-point mark with three matches remaining.
RSL (13-8-10), which has earned just seven points in its last seven matches, has been left in the dust.
However, some observers believe RSL still has a chance to get things turned around.
"It's not time to hit the panic button and it's not a death spiral by any means," said MLSSoccer.com editor and analyst Matt Doyle. "It's just kind of a confluence of a couple unfortunate things in terms of personnel and maybe a little bit of chemistry. But, is it better to have these issues in late September and early October, than say, late October and early November? Obviously."
The schedule, which eased a bit in July and August, has been less forgiving as of late. Since RSL's 2-1 win over Seattle on Aug. 16 — a result that put the club briefly atop the entire league — five of its last seven matches have been away from Rio Tinto Stadium. They've gone 0-4-1 in those matches, earning a lone point away at San Jose on Aug. 30. Away losses at FC Dallas, Seattle, Vancouver and Chivas have kept a grasp on the No. 3 seed in question.
And that puts a spotlight on one of RSL's glaring, season-long problems. Of the club's eight losses this season, seven have been on the road.
And that road, as of late, has featured its share of bad breaks and lackluster outings. RSL lost to a 10-man FC Dallas team on Aug. 22, saw Nat Borchers sent off in a dramatic 3-2 loss at Seattle on Sept. 12. Salt Lake was on the wrong side of two penalty kicks in a 2-1 loss at Vancouver on Sept. 27 and most recently managed just a single shot on goal against lowly Chivas USA.
"Obviously you want to see better road performances," RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey said. "This time of year, all you can do is win the next game. I think if we qualify for the playoffs, it will really lighten the load for us. It may seem silly if you're playing for third place, but just mentally, once you're in, I think everyone relaxes a little bit. This time of year, you've got to kind of follow the cliche of one game at a time. You've got to find short-term solutions and have everyone hyper-focused on that next solution."
Midfielder Ned Grabavoy said the team realizes the expectations it has for itself. These players aren't strangers to a couple rough months, nor are they unable to wiggle out of it. The team's core group has been playoff-tested since 2008 and has qualified for four respective cup finals.
"It starts individually," Grabavoy said this week. "We can all look in the mirror and say, 'Can we give 10 percent better across the board in everything we do? Can we do it individually and can we do it collectively as a group?' Because I think if we do that, it's just the little things. If we just do those little things better, it makes a huge amount of difference. It takes us from a pretty good, talented team — which we know that we have — to a very, very good and dangerous team which we know we can be as well.
"We have to do that on a consistent basis week in and week out, and we certainly need to start doing it."
Doyle said RSL's all-time leading scorer Alvaro Saborio, who missed nearly four months due to a foot fracture, hasn't fully reintegrated as quickly as he thought in returning from an injury. Midseason acquisition Sebastian Jaime continues to adapt to his new club, and there's no telling what the loss of defender Chris Schuler could mean to this team. He suffered several facial fractures against Chivas USA and his timetable to return is unknown.
Tactically, Doyle said RSL still faces the same old problems, and they have popped up again in recent weeks. It has struggled to solve the puzzle of teams absorbing pressure and breaking on the counter. That has been the case against FC Dallas, Vancouver and Chivas during this stretch.
"RSL ties to compact the game, which is the way to protect them from their own lack of speed out wide," Doyle said. "If a game is compact, that can really benefit a team that is maybe unspectacular going forward, but pretty sound defensively. To me, those are the teams that RSL has struggled with."
Riding these waves are part of the nine-month MLS campaign. When RSL started the season unbeaten through the first 12 matches, the bandwagon was overloaded. Is it realistic to expect any team to stay ahead of the pack the entire season, and in a World Cup year, no less? The season is a grind. It's a fact. But can RSL work its way through this late-season stumble?
"It's not something you look at and say, 'Man, this team doesn't have what it takes,'" Doyle said. "They're not sitting there fretting this slump."
Added Lagerwey: "We have a team built to win in the playoffs. We have a battle-hardened group that can win anywhere in the playoffs." —
San Jose at RSL
O Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
TV » CW30.
Radio • 700 AM
Records • RSL 13-8-10; San Jose 6-14-11
Last meeting • RSL 1, San Jose 1 (Aug. 30 at Buck Shaw Stadium) —
Heating up
RSL's record upon Beckerman and Rimando's return from the World Cup (5-1-2):
July 4 • 2-1 win vs. N. England
July 12 • 1-0 loss at L.A. Galaxy
July 19 • 1-1 draw vs. Vancouver
July 24 • 3-1 win over Montreal
July 30 • 1-1 draw vs. Red Bulls
Aug. 2 • 1-0 win at Colorado
Aug. 9 • 3-0 win vs. D.C. United
Aug. 16 • 2-1 win vs. Seattle
—
Cooling off
RSL's record since overtaking top spot in MLS (2-4-1) •
Aug. 22 • 2-1 loss at FC Dallas
Aug. 30 • 1-1 draw at San Jose
Sept 6 • 2-1 win vs. FC Dallas
Sept. 12 • 3-2 loss at Seattle
Sept. 19 • 5-1 win vs. Colorado
Sept. 27 • 2-1 loss at Vancouver
Oct. 5 • 1-0 loss at Chivas USA