Team is hoping 'loaner' is for real

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The new guy is getting his shot.

Just two days after being loaned to Real Salt Lake by USL First Division club the Minnesota Thunder, forward Melvin Tarley will be in the starting line-up tonight when RSL takes on D.C. United at 5:30 p.m. MDT, a game broadcast on FSN.

RSL arrived in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, and had two very productive training sessions on Monday and Tuesday. In those practices, Tarley looked particularly sharp, reason enough for Salt Lake coach John Ellinger to give him the starting nod.

Usually coaches are hesitant to start new players right away, but with only nine games remaining, and RSL in dire need of wins, Ellinger is disregarding that unwritten rule.

Even though Tarley has been playing in the USL, he's no stranger to MLS competition. In three U.S. Open Cup games against MLS squads this year, the 22-year-old Liberian-born striker has an amazing six goals, including two against Real Salt Lake in a 6-4 win for the Thunder on July 13.

"One of the best ways to evaluate players is to view them playing against your own team, and Melvin Tarley displayed his abilities against us in the third round of the 2005 U.S. Open Cup," said Ellinger. "He is somebody we felt that we should immediately add to our roster."

The forward has great size and good pace, and could be the missing piece RSL has been looking for to run alongside Jason Kreis up top.

For RSL's playoffs hopes, he better be, otherwise it won't be long before the team is looking ahead to 2006.

Since the first month of the season, expansion RSL has progressively fallen further and further behind the Western Conference pack, but it must end tonight if the club has any hope of making the playoffs.

Real desperately needs a result at D.C. United, and in reality a tie just isn't good enough. With nine games remaining, Salt Lake trails Colorado by nine points — a seemingly insurmountable disadvantage even if it gets hot.

For RSL, losers of three straight, the timing couldn't be better to face D.C. United. Not only are the defending MLS Cup champions marred in a three-game losing streak themselves, but United is playing without Santino Quaranta (U.S. National Team), Jaime Moreno (injury) and Freddy Adu (injury).

While it may look good on paper, Ellinger isn't taking anything for granted.