Even with tie, RSL in pretty nice spot

SANDY – Losing out on a chance to officially reserve a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs on Saturday night did not stir up any lingering feelings of disappointment within the Real Salt Lake locker room.

While a 1-1 draw with Colorado means that RSL will have to wait for at least another game before guaranteeing a third straight postseason trip, the latest result at Rio Tinto Stadium also represented several good things for the team.

For starters, it gave Salt Lake a valuable point that helped it close to within two of league leader Los Angeles Galaxy in the chase for the MLS Supporters' Shield.

"We gained a point on them this weekend, so now we're one result away from being ahead of them," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "Not on the tiebreaker, not level on the points, but actually being ahead of them. So we put ourselves in a good position."

RSL needed any point it could get since the Galaxy have a natural advantage in terms of how the remaining league schedule shapes up for both squads.

L.A. will play three of its final four games at home. Salt Lake, on the other hand, must leave Utah for three of its final four contests. While RSL is improved in how it plays on the road compared to seasons past, that still represents an uphill climb for the defending MLS Cup champions.

Still, gaining even a point at this juncture – on a night where everyone could not help feeling fatigue from a midweek trip to Panama to play Arabe Unido – offers a boost of confidence going forward.

"With the way we play hard and the way we work hard, we deserve to win," forward Pablo Campos said. "We didn't lose and that's good. It's a result that's good for us and good for the mentality of the team."

Another development that is good for the mentality of the team is how well some of the younger players stepped up and performed in extended minutes.

Kreis made a major gamble by sitting several usual starters like Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson, Alvaro Sabrio, Robbie Findley and Nick Rimando to start the match. It paid off in the form of solid contributions from seldom-used players Jean Alexandre and Collen Warner.

Alexandre had the best first-half scoring chance for Salt Lake against Colorado when he unleashed a rocket from 30 yards out in the 30th minute that sliced straight up the middle of the penalty area and forced Rapids keeper Matt Pickens to redirect the ball over the crossbar to prevent a goal.

Both players offered stability to the midfield and Kreis felt like they made the most out of their chance to take on a major role.

"Everybody that was involved in the match for me was superb," Kreis said.

A draw against Colorado offers another indication of how deep the talent pool at RSL has grown over the past couple of seasons. There are few teams who can sit a host of all-stars and still come out of it ahead.

Giving the bench players game time experience can only mean good things down the road – starting with Tuesday's CONCACAF Champions League match at Toronto.

"We wanted to show the league we're a deep team," midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "If you're going to say that, then you got to do it."

e-mail: jcoon@desnews.com