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Sandy • No goalkeeper in Major League Soccer history has made more saves than Nick Rimando. And on Sunday afternoon, the Real Salt Lake goalie did everything he could to save his team's playoff dream.

Rimando made five saves in all, including a spectacular play to deny Kansas City striker Dom Dwyer a late game-winner in a scoreless draw that inched RSL one point closer to the postseason.

"It's always good knowing we have Nick Rimando back there to give us a few lives," midfielder Luke Mulholland said.

Rimando gobbled up a one-timer from Graham Zusi in the 18th minute and a shot from Kansas City's Saad Abdul-Salam in the 66th minute. The RSL goalkeeper also denied Dwyer on three occasions.

"He came up very big for us when we needed him," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said.

Coming into the game, Dwyer had scored in four straight contests and his 16 goals were tied for the third most by any player in the league. But the Kansas City forward couldn't beat Rimando on Sunday.

The goalie denied Dwyer on a counterattack in the 64th minute and again on a left-footed blast from the top of the box in the 69th minute.

RSL needed Rimando to step up, especially with his counterpart having a magnificent game on the other end of the field. Kansas City's Tim Melia, who played for RSL from 2010-11, recorded four saves on the day.

"Both keepers were busy today," Mulholland said. "I think they were both probably man of the match for both teams."

Rimando and company weren't scoreboard watching but many of the 19,705 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium on Sunday had to know that the Portland Timbers were on their way to a victory in Oregon — bringing them uncomfortably close to a struggling RSL side in the fight for a playoff spot-when Rimando came up with his biggest save of the game.

A breakdown in the RSL defense gave Kansas City an uncontested cross into the box and Dwyer a free header on goal in the 86th minute. Instead, Rimando answered with a leaping save, punching the ball away to keep the game scoreless.

"That's what we expect," RSL captain Kyle Beckerman said.

But after scoring just one goal in their last five games, Beckerman and company would like to say thank you with some help.

"We're lucky to have him," the midfielder said. "We'd just like to help him out on the other end and get a goal and take a little bit of the pressure off the defense."

afalk@sltrib.com Twitter: @aaronfalk