Finally, it needed one of the most unlikely playoff upsets in MLS history, in order to host this Saturday's Western Conference final. That, too, happened as the Red Bulls beat Houston.

"Luck has been going against us the last couple of years, since I've been here, and finally it's come back and is rewarding us," continued Rimando.

Luck, he added, and a whole lot of confidence and effort.

Thus, Real was in full marketing mode Tuesday. The players spoke of chance, karma, work and perseverance. But mostly they talked about something they claim to have known all along: Their belief that they're among the best teams in MLS.

The gee-whiz-we-made-the-playoffs motif has been replaced with honest to goodness self-assurance. Is this unusual? Not really. This sort of thing actually happens all the time. Give someone an inch and pretty soon he's your boss.

Teams go from hoping to believing, from believing to expecting, and from expecting to demanding.

Call it the Amazin' Mets factor. If you're not old enough to remember the '69 Mets, just think of the 2007-08 New York Giants.

"Obviously," said RSL coach Jason Kreis, "we have a real, real chance to win it all."

So the momentum has shifted. RSL isn't coming into Saturday's match hat-in-hand. In fact, it's feeling downright certain.

All it took was changing — of the roster and a few plays at the last possible moment.

You may not truly think such things can happen, but then they do, and suddenly you're in a different place.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com