Scoreless tie lands RSL in cellar

Guess who's in last place again?

Following its second consecutive 0-0 draw at home, this time against former expansion foe Chivas USA, Real Salt Lake is now the sole occupier of the Western Conference basement, two points behind the Los Angeles Galaxy which won Tuesday night.

More troublesome than falling behind L.A. in the standings is the reality that RSL hasn't won in over a month, and now trails fourth-place Colorado by eight points and third-place Chivas by 10 points.

"It's pretty simple game, you've got to finish your chances. There isn't any overtime or penalty kicks, you've got to finish your chances, and we had some good ones," said RSL coach John Ellinger.

The best chance was Jeff Cunningham's miss on an open net just 35 seconds into the match, but most of RSL's scoring opportunities never developed because of awful passing. RSL passed the ball around the field like it had never played or practiced on turf, with countless passes hit too hard to ever link up with their intended target.

That fact was exaggerated even more around the penalty area.

"I think a lot of times it's the final pass, the decision about where that last pass should go, whether we pass or shoot, or what's going to happen in that final third," said Real's Jason Kreis. "But the good news is we're playing good soccer, and again deserved more than we got."

Nonetheless, RSL is now 3-8-4 on the season, and stuck on 13 points in the standings. The Galaxy, by virtue of beating New York, are now 4-10-3 and sitting on 15 points.

For a team that still insists it can compete with the best in the West, RSL can't seem to back up that assertion with what it needs most — three points. Real hasn't won since June 3, a stretch of five games.

"We're trying to make the playoffs, and get points at home," said Ellinger. "We know we've played well enough to win the past two home games. If we don't get points at home, we have to get them on the road, which means we can't lose on the road."

For a team that's only won once away from Rice-Eccles Stadium in franchise history, putting a string of quality results on the road together seems highly unlikely. Coincidentally, RSL's next game is at the Home Depot Center this Saturday against Los Angeles, the only team it's ever beat on the road