Saturday's contest, of course, marked the start of Year Four of Real Salt Lake's learn-to-love-us campaign. This is a team that hasn't had much success, so for those that have stayed loyal, the love has gone mostly unanswered. But sometime this summer, Real expects to be in a new stadium in Sandy, named after some company with loads of money and a love of all things international. World Market Stadium or Pier One Imports Field might be nice — but who's to say? It could be named after a foot fungus ointment, for all anyone knows.

Anyway, it wouldn't hurt matters if RSL were to win some games before then.

While Kreis — and most everyone at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday — would tell this year's team appears to have more savvy, the long-term effects remain to be seen.

You can't figure out the end to "Exodus" by reading the first page.

Some soccer experts say this year's team is better already. But that's faint praise, considering RSL has won just a handful of games in its existence. The first 90 minutes of any season tells you as much as the first five minutes tell you about a flight to Albuquerque.

It could get bumpy, or it could be as smooth as glass.

One thing is certain: RSL is in need of good things to happen — fast. Not that it has made a habit of answering questions by the critics early. In 2005, it fought to a scoreless tie in its opener in New York. Next year came a 3-0 loss to Chivas USA. Then there was last year, and the scene that was eerily replayed on Saturday.

Still, all that stored-up negativity simply has to be gone some time, doesn't it? It can't stay forever. Just ask the Red Sox.

But as the sun was sinking and the chants of "Blanco! Blanco!" by Chicago fans faded into the late afternoon, the sinking reality was this: While some things have changed, and others improved, the place where it matters most — on the scoreboard — it was business as usual.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com