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Sandy • Tony Beltran held a discussion with some of the younger members of Real Salt Lake on Friday, advising them not to forget the feelings following Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Portland. It's one the eight-year veteran is getting used to himself, not being part of the MLS postseason for the first time in his professional career.
Now RSL will attempt to play spoiler against two of the best teams in the league, starting Saturday night against West-leading FC Dallas, currently tied with the New York Red Bulls for the best record in the league.
The frustration of 2015 is already being put toward 2016 at RSL.
"You think about all the hard work we've done up to this point and then we're not going to be in the dance at the end?" Beltran said. "We've gotta remember that next year throughout the season. Maybe you're hitting a little lull or you're tired — there's no time for that."
Against FC Dallas, ninth-place RSL expects to have its hands full on Saturday night in the final regular-season home match of the season. A win Saturday clinches the West's No. 1 seed for FC Dallas.
Star Fabian Castillo, who returns from international duty with Colombia, demands attention from the backline, as do Mauro Diaz, Michael Barrios, David Texeira and Blas Perez.
"They're going to have offensive thoughts coming here," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said.
Beltran called FC Dallas the best team in the league at the moment. Midfielder Luke Mulholland said FC Dallas is "the team to beat" in the Western Conference.
"We know we've got a tough task ahead," Mulholland added. "Hopefully we can let our frustration out on them for not making the playoffs and just finish the home regular season strong."
With the final CONCACAF Champions League group stage match looming Tuesday, RSL may rest some starters for the match against Guatemalan side Municipal. A win or a draw gets RSL through to the knockout round in February.
Saturday's home farewell against FC Dallas and the Oct. 25 regular-season finale provide RSL with a shot at playing for pride, Mulholland said.
Beltran agreed.
"What kind of men would we be if we just gave up, put our heads down and called it a season?" he said. "There's no way."
Still, reconciling the transition from annual contender to being near the bottom of the table aiming to knock off the best team in the conference will take some time to get used to. RSL isn't used to being 13 points behind the top team in the West in the third week of October.
Beltran wants his team to remember this.
"You lose focus and these disappointing moments add up," he said. "And here we are."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake
P At Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy
Kickoff • Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
TV • KMYU
Radio • 700 AM
Records • RSL 11-13-8, FC Dallas 16-10-6
Last meeting • FC Dallas 2, RSL 0 (Aug. 29 at FC Dallas)
About RSL • Forward Joao Plata (left adductor strain) is out for Saturday. … Plata suffered the strain in the first half of the 1-0 loss to Portland Wednesday at home. … Jamison Olave will not be available for the match after being sent off against the Timbers. … Luis Gil, Boyd Okwuonu, Elias Vasquez and Abdoulie Mansally all returned to training after missing time on respective national team duty. … RSL hasn't mathematically been eliminated from the postseason yet; according to ESPN's Soccer Power Index, it has a one percent shot. … RSL has the second-worst goal differential in the Western Conference at minus-7.
About FC Dallas • This is the final road match of the season for FC Dallas. … Dallas has four road wins in MLS, tied for sixth. … A win against RSL Saturday clinches the No. 1 playoff seed in the West for Dallas. … Colombian winger Michael Barrios has scored seven goals since July 4. … Star Fabian Castillo recently returned from national team duty with Colombia. … Midfielder Mauro Diaz has seven goals and a team-high nine assists in 2015. … FC Dallas beat RSL 2-0 on Aug. 29 thanks to a Tesho Akindele penalty kick and a late goal from Castillo to seal the victory.