Coming off a disastrous home loss on an embarrassing mistake - the kind it had grown so accustomed to making in its first three painful seasons - it was sitting outside Major League Soccer playoff position with a losing record and staring at a difficult finishing stretch that included three tough road games.

Yet tonight, it plays for a spot in the MLS Cup final, in a gleaming new stadium expected to be full of roaring fans dressed all in red.

How did this happen?

"All the guys coming together and just believing in ourselves that - you know what? - we're not just a good team, we're a very good team," striker Yura Movsisyan said. "It's just belief, and doing all the right things and getting the job done."

Certainly, the team has done that.

Going into tonight's MLS Western Conference final against the New York Red Bulls, RSL is riding its longest unbeaten streak in team history - seven games, which has included no shortage of dramatic moments that already have become cemented into franchise lore.

Needing a draw in the regular season-finale to reach the playoffs, for example, Movsisyan knocked home a stunning 90th-minute miracle to get it done. He did it again in the first playoff game in team history, shocking Chivas USA to effectively provide the winning margin in the two-game, first-round series - though RSL did need midfielder Javier Morales to drive home a dazzling equalizer late in the second game to assure its advancement.

But more than a series of magical moments, coach Jason Kreis believes the unexpected run to the verge of the title game was a long time in the making. Throughout the season, he said, the team gradually improved until it was ready to catch fire at the perfect time.

"It's been every aspect of the game that we've improved," Kreis said. "We've improved our mental focus, we've improved our fitness, we've improved how well we control the ball, we've improved how we finish games. So that was the focus from Day One.

"That was the plan - to have a team that could improve every week," he added. "That was the challenge that was put before the players every week. Not, 'Let's go out and win this game.' No, it was not about that. It was, 'Let's try to improve.' So now I think we're finally seeing that our team has done that. It really has gotten better and better and better and better every week, till now, we're a championship-caliber team."

It didn't hurt, either, that RSL made the right personnel moves down the stretch.

Though it had already turned over almost the entire roster since Kreis became coach last year, he and general manager Garth Lagerwey imported three more key players during the summer transfer window - midfielder Will Johnson, striker Clint Mathis and utility man Robbie Russell.

The relentless Johnson has played every minute of the last 11 games since joining the club, while Mathis has added a veteran savvy even though he has yet to score. Russell has provided valuable diversity, filling in at several positions in the midfield and defense, and playing a defining role in both of Movsisyan's season-saving strikes.

"Everybody says, 'What's the key to your late push?' " Lagerwey said. "And I'm going to give those guys a lot of credit. . . . It's made a huge impact on the team."

It all has proved a huge validation of Kreis and Lagerwey, former college teammates at Duke who both had no experience at their jobs when they assumed them last year. But they had vast experience in professional soccer, and a good sense of what makes a good team.

And now, their team sits just 90 minutes away from meeting Columbus at the MLS Cup next weekend.

It has never beaten the Red Bulls in eight tries, and it's up against both one of the league's premier strikers in Juan Pablo Angel and goalkeeper Danny Cepero, a 23-year-old phenom who has been standing on his head in the playoffs after assuming the job following the drug suspension of starter Jon Conway.

Midfielder Dane Richards has been on fire lately, too, thanks to coach Juan Carlos Osorio's tactical adjustments that put young players in pivotal roles and allowed Richards to take advantage of his speed on the wing.

But RSL is armed with an unprecedented confidence, with players constantly assuring themselves and their fans that "we're not done yet."

"I can tell you this," Kreis said. "This is one of the most special groups of players that I've ever been around, and I consider myself part of them. So for me, that's what is making all of this incredibly special, because I'm just so proud to be part of the group."

mcl@sltrib.com

Where: Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

TV: Fox Soccer Channel / HD Net

Radio: 1600 AM, 103.1 FM

Records: RSL 11-10-11, New York 11-11-10

Series: New York leads 2-0-6

Last meeting: RSL 1, New York 1 (Oct. 9)

"All the guys coming together and just believing in ourselves that - you know what? - we're not just a good team, we're a very good team."

YURA MOVSISYAN

RSL forward

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

Today, 7:30 p.m., Rio Tinto Stadium

TV: Fox Soccer Channel/ HD Net

Tickets: Call 801-924-8585 or visit www.RioTintoStadium.com

General manager Garth Lagerwey is urging fans to dress all in red for tonight's MLS Western Conference final against the New York Red Bulls, in order to create a dramatic and imposing atmosphere at Rio Tinto Stadium.