Real Salt Lake: A road win in Dallas next on checklist

LEHI — For all of Real Salt Lake's well-documented road struggles through the years, no place has been more difficult to get a result than Dallas. In fact, it's never happened.

In seven visits to face FC Dallas, RSL has come away empty each time with a staggering 0-7-0 record. That includes a pair of 3-0 blowouts and five 2-1 setbacks.

In the midst of its most impressive 10-game stretch in franchise history, Real Salt Lake hopes to solve its Big D hex this Saturday when it travels to FC Dallas. The club is unbeaten in its last 10 (8-0-2) and hasn't surrendered a goal in 498 consecutive minutes — the fourth longest streak in league history.

A win at Pizza Hut Park would trump it all.

Coach Jason Kreis, who spent the first nine years of his playing career in Dallas, is doing everything imaginable to prepare his guys for the forecasted 99 degree temperature. He shortened practices this week to roughly an hour and also gave players Thursday off.

"The work that we're trying to put in is less this week than a typical week to try and conserve energy to be fully fit and ready for Saturday night," said Kreis.

Andy Williams, who posted on his Twitter account that he enjoyed his day off by doing spring cleaning, has been around for all seven losses and believes the heat is to blame for everything.

"We can't blame the fans, because nobody's there. The humidity there is unlike any other, and it's pretty difficult, especially the last 20 minutes is when you're all gasped for air," said Williams.

As gassed as the players typically are late, RSL hasn't exactly started games well, either surrendering a goal in the opening 20 minutes on four occasions. It coughed up two goals in the opening 10 minutes last September, a match that in all reality should've been the danger for Real Salt Lake's playoff hopes.

Facing what everyone thought a must-win situation, and with Jamison Olave watching from home because of another red card in Houston, RSL conceded goals in the fifth and 10th minutes en route to a disastrous 3-0 loss.

With so much at stake, it was arguably the most disappointing moment in franchise history.

"It's a huge challenge for us, an exciting challenge; one that we're really, really looking forward to," said Will Johnson. "Last year was a really, really low point."

Pulling off the impossible and winning in Dallas would do wonders for RSL's pursuit of the L.A. Galaxy atop the Western Conference. The Galaxy lost at New England last week, and with a game in hand, RSL now only trails its rivals 36 points to 30 points in the standings.

The second half of the season has the potential to be a thrilling chase, as the West leaders are the only two teams since 2004 to have amassed 30 points through 15 games.

FC Dallas, tied for third with Colorado and San Jose at 22 points, can inch toward the West leaders by doing what it always does — beating RSL at home.

Dallas doesn't concede a lot of goals, but it doesn't score a lot either, so expect RSL to come out very patient to make sure it isn't running on empty with the game likely up for grabs in the final 15 minutes.

e-mail: jedward@desnews.com