Real Salt Lake out to prove that title was no fluke

Despite winning last year's MLS championship, Real Salt Lake still had something to prove this year.

Most believed the title was a fluke, and the only way to dispel that notion was to back it up with more success.

Heading into the MLS playoffs, RSL captain Kyle Beckerman believes there's nothing left to prove. The regular season took care of that.

"We're done with that. Some guys might not be on the team but I am. I look at our team, we're a good team and that's it. We're a good team and we should win games like we did this year, and we should be one of the favorites in the playoffs," said Beckerman.

Nat Borchers, however, isn't quite as convinced that there aren't still Real Salt Lake naysayers out there.

"I'm on the Internet on the blogs all day long, and I still read a lot of pundits counting us out for the playoffs. That's good for us. I don't think we're expected to win, but we in this group believe we can get back to MLS Cup," he said.

RSL finished with a franchise-record 56 points in the regular season, just three behind Los Angeles in the race for the Supporter's Shield. Finishing with the second-best record in MLS and advancing out of CONCACAF Champions League group play at the same time would seem to validate Beckerman's thoughts.

Nothing would validate it further than another MLS title. That quest begins this Saturday at FC Dallas in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

"We've had some really good success this year; we're proud of what we've done, but now it's a new season. The ultimate goal is still attainable, and that's what we're reaching for," said Chris Wingert.

JOHNSON HOBBLED: Midway through Tuesday's training session, RSL midfielder Will Johnson hobbled off the field and began clutching his left hamstring.

He talked with the team trainer and sat out the rest of practice.

"He tweaked his hamstring and he'll be day-to-day for whether he'll be available for this weekend," said RSL coach Jason Kreis.

If he can't go, both Andy Williams and Ned Grabavoy figure to start in the midfield, but Johnson's relentless work rate would be greatly missed.

WEATHER MOVES INSIDE: The threat of snow Tuesday forced Real Salt Lake to practice on the turf in the Spence Eccles Fieldhouse at the University of Utah. As a result, Jamison Olave, Alvaro Saborio and Paulo Jr. didn't train for precautionary reasons because of the turf.

Overall, it was a productive practice nonetheless.