SANDY — Things just got a whole lot more interesting for Real Salt Lake in its quest to make the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time in its four-year history.

With a pair of wins in its opening two matches at Rio Tinto Stadium, RSL could have all but assured itself a playoff spot and rendered its regular-season finale at arch-rival Colorado on Oct. 25 meaningless.

Following a 1-1 draw Thursday with New York on the opening night of Rio Tinto Stadium, however, RSL now faces the prospect of almost having to beat Dallas at home next Saturday before probably needing a result against Colorado in that season finale.

Afterward, Jason Kreis labeled next Saturday's tilt with FC Dallas as a game in which RSL "will have to get the three points" — pending the results of other MLS games this weekend.

He also pointed out, however, that his team must focus on that game — and that game only.

"I think it's gonna be extremely important for us to not talk about two matches but to talk about the one next week against Dallas," Kreis said. "... I do think that we just have to bear down and focus on the fact that we have to play better soccer next week."

Real Salt Lake had its fate in its own hands before Thursday's contest and it still has its fate in its own hands now. However, the pressure Salt Lake faced going into the New York game will only continue and perhaps intensify.

As things currently stand, RSL holds a two-point lead over both Colorado and FC Dallas for the third and final automatic playoff spot in the Western Conference, though both of those teams have a game-in-hand over RSL.

While Real is by no means out of the playoff picture, it knows it missed a big chance on Thursday to move closer to securing one.

"We kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit with only gettin' one point just because it's a home game," fullback Chris Wingert said. "We're still in the mix; it's just that we've just put more pressure on these last two games now. ... (Getting a win) would've just taken a little of the pressure off."

Instead, RSL realizes that all of that pressure — and possibly even more — will accompany them throughout the next two weeks. In Salt Lake's favor next week, however, is the fact that all the nervousness and pressure the team felt with regard to the stadium opener won't be there.

Kreis and Co. certainly hope they'll be able to simply settle down.

"Hopefully all the nerves will be out of us by (next Saturday) and we can just focus on playing good soccer," Kreis said.

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E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com