Real Salt Lake hopes to turn it around

The road always seems to be a reality check for Real Salt Lake.

Time after time, the team has spoken of confidence in its travels away from Rio Tinto Stadium. Yet, game after game, it is greeted by disappointment.

RSL has amassed a brutal 0-5-1 record in six away games this season, with one goal scored and nine goals against. The lone positive was a scoreless draw at D.C. United a few weeks back.

In preparation for Saturday night's match at 8:30 against the Los Angeles Galaxy, midfielder Kyle Beckerman admits the team's overall confidence is a bit shaken after past failures.

"It's kind of iffy. We keep good spirits and try and believe this is going to be the win that's gonna get us started on the road, but it just hasn't happened for us," he said. "We're all just hoping things are going to start bouncing our way at any time."

There are reasons to believe tonight could be the game, but there are twice as many reasons to think otherwise.

On the one hand, RSL should be able to take advantage of Landon Donovan's absence, but that's probably what Toronto was thinking last weekend before the visiting Galaxy came in and pulled off the 2-1 upset.

Honestly, though, how dangerous can a team that ties 75 percent of its matches really be? Well, the bottom line is the Galaxy (2-1-9) are the only MLS team with only one loss this season.

"They're staying organized, and as long as you're not losing games, you're always keeping yourself in it," said RSL midfielder Clint Mathis. "They haven't been getting as much attacking going on, but they base it off of playing defense first, and that's why they've gotten the results they have."

One of those results was a 2-2 tie at Rio Tinto Stadium back on May 6 in which the Galaxy scored twice in stoppage time.

The draw seemed to shatter Real Salt Lake's confidence. Its record is 0-3-2 since and part of a more disturbing seven-game winless streak dating back to its 6-0 win over New England. Its the fourth-longest winless streak in franchise history and the first since RSL went winless in its first 11 games in 2007.

Mathis said revenge is the last thing on his mind tonight.

"It's about going out and getting a win no matter who it's against," he said.

For a team that's slipped into sixth place in the Western Conference standings in the past month, a victory would boost RSL back into a fifth-place tie with the Galaxy, with three of its next five matches at home.

Real Salt Lake expects to get a boost with the return of Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales to the lineup tonight, even though it will now be without suspended Robbie Russell and injured Robbie Findley.

"We're very hopeful it's going to be a huge impact. Those guys both had four, five days off last week and look to have a little bit of energy and a little bit extra swagger back, and we're going to need them," Kreis said.

Indications from the players are that RSL will utilize the same 4-3-3 formation as it did in last weekend's 1-1 home draw with Colorado.

"Even though we gave up a late goal like that, we controlled the entire game. I thought we played well, especially not having Kyle and Javy, the (other) guys came in and did well," Mathis said.

Watching from the stands, Beckerman said he noticed his teammates playing with more confidence in the 4-3-3 formation and hinted it was a good foundation to build on.

E-mail: jedward@desnews.com