Real Salt Lake notebook: Checketts ends busy week endorsing Kreis

SANDY — Dave Checketts wrapped up an eventful week at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday.

The happenings began early in the week as word began circulating that the Real Salt Lake and St. Louis Blues owner was heading up a group to purchase the St. Louis Rams.

Checketts was on vacation throughout the week and unavailable for comment, even though he issued a statement to the media via e-mail explaining his intention. He reiterated that statement on Saturday.

"I just wanted the city of St. Louis to know we were here and we raised the capital to make an effort to keep them in St. Louis. I actually don't believe there are any bad cities, there are just bad organizations," said Checketts. "I'd like to think that maybe we'll be able to get that shot."

As for one of the teams he already owns, Checketts believes Real Salt Lake will turn around its troublesome season soon. If it does, Checketts wants to make sure coach Jason Kreis does it his way.

As pleased as Checketts was to see RSL walk away with its first road point of the season a few weeks back in a tie at D.C. United, he wasn't entirely thrilled with the way it unfolded.

"I felt he went into Washington with a lot of pressure to get a result, and maybe (Kreis) played more defensively than he'd like," said Checketts. "I want a team that attacks all the time, a team that tries to score every time they get the ball. There are a lot of ties in the league, which I don't think are good for the game. If we're going to build the game and sell this game in this country you've got to have attacking, exciting soccer."

It was a glowing endorsement for Kreis, who admitted earlier this week that he was beginning to doubt himself a bit.

Checketts hasn't lost faith in Kreis, though, even though he would like to see more wins.

"We keep thinking we've arrived and we never have, there's always the next hurdle," said Checketts. "We're learning a lot about ourselves … We're a long way from where we'd like to be. There's still enough runway in the season we ought to be able to turn it around."

Checketts travels back home to New York today, but will be back in Utah next Friday for a corporate announcement.

STREAK ENDER: Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman's streak of 55 straight starts came to an end Saturday night because of a yellow card accumulation suspension. The 55 straight starts is a club record.

Saturday night was just the second match Beckerman hasn't started since joining Real Salt Lake in the middle of the 2007 season.

Fellow RSL midfielder Javier Morales also was suspended for the match, his second suspension of the year. Morales only missed one match during his breakout 2008 season.

E-mail: jedward@desnews.com