In the heat of the moment, it's Nick Rimando's job to point fingers and berate teammates whenever things go wrong in front of him. It's one of the basic responsibilities of a goalkeeper in relation to his defenders.

The Real Salt Lake keeper did a lot of barking at teammates last Saturday in Houston as the team gave up four goals and lost 4-3.

Rimando, however, refused to criticize teammates publicly after the match.

"I can't stress enough how we're a team," Rimando said. "That's why we play this game. It's a team sport. We win as a team, we lose as a team. It's a lot of breakdowns that happen before any of the goals. It's the whole team."

After the Houston loss, Rimando reiterated the importance of not creating a negative vibe with two more critical away matches remaining.

"We have to come together and keep a positive attitude," said Rimando.

RSL takes on D.C. United tonight at 5:30 (MDT) in the second game in its make-or-break road trip. The team concludes the road swing Saturday at Toronto.

When the club embarked on the nine-day trip, everyone knew that in order to keep its slim postseason hopes alive, RSL needed to win at least two of the three matches. After dropping the first, there's a lot of pressure on the team tonight to do well.

It won't be an easy task, either. Not only does D.C. United own the best record in MLS, it's also the league's hottest team, having posted a 7-0-1 mark since a July 22 loss to New York.

For both Rimando and Alecko Eskandarian, this will be their first visit to RFK Stadium in a visitors uniform, having spent a combined nine years with D.C. prior to this season.

"It will definitely be emotional, after four years over there, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing some old friends and fans," said Eskandarian.

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On the air

Real Salt Lake (4-12-6) at D.C. United (14-6-4)

Tonight, 5:30, RFK Stadium

TV: Direct Kick, Radio: 700AM

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E-mail: jedward@desnews.com