SANDY — With a regular-season schedule spanning eight months, the summer heat of the Major League Soccer season is affectionately referred to as the dog days of summer.

It's often a time when players hit the wall physically before getting their second wind in the fall. Teams who successfully forge ahead and maintain consistency through the summer months typically make up ground in the standings.

That's what Real Salt Lake — a team that's currently on the outside looking in at the MLS playoff picture — hopes to accomplish beginning Saturday night when Toronto FC makes a visit to Rio Tinto Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

With five of its next seven league matches at home, the dog days of summer represent the perfect opportunity for RSL to climb back into the Western Conference playoff pack. One game shy of the midway point of the season, Real Salt Lake sits in fifth place in the West with 16 points, trailing Colorado by five points.

The team is a confident bunch, however, fresh off a stretch in which it posted a respectable 1-1-3 road record.

"I think we're a stronger team than we were at the beginning of the season and a smarter team," said RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando. "If we can start it off with three points against Toronto, I think it will be huge for our confidence and huge for the next game."

Coach Jason Kreis considers the upcoming home stand more than just an opportunity, but rather a necessity.

"We need to pick up these three points right now at home and then move forward. We've let a few too many points slip at the beginning half of the season, and we need to make sure we take full advantage of every chance we have — especially at home," said Kreis.

Like RSL, Toronto FC has endured a turbulent, unpredictable season, which included coach John Carver's resignation last month. Back-to-back home victories over lowly New York, however, has boosted Toronto into second place in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind D.C. United.

"They're an extremely dangerous team," said Kreis. "You see a very aggressive team, a team that believes in each other and a team that has some real nice attacking options."

Offensively, Toronto is in the top third of MLS with 21 goals scored, highlighted by five goals each from Dwayne DeRosario and Amado Guevara. It's also, however, in the bottom third defensively with 22 goals allowed. That defense is even softer on the road with 12 goals surrendered in just five matches.

Toronto has only played five games away from BMO Field thus far this season, but that cozy schedule begins to change this weekend with nine of its next 12 games on the road.

Earlier this season, a loss would've seemed like an inevitability for the visitors, but not lately. Thanks to some late-game breakdowns, Real Salt Lake is winless in its past three games at Rio Tinto Stadium.

"When you have home games and as tight as league is right now on points, every point means something," said Rimando.

RSL will be without several key faces tonight. Midfielder Will Johnson, who has played every minute this year, is away with the Canadian National Team in preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He'll miss at least one more league game, and potentially two more depending on Canada's success. Defender Jamison Olave is also unavailable as he serves his one-game suspension for last week's red card in Houston.

Toronto's only international absence is Marvell Wynne, who is with the U.S. National Team in South Africa.

E-mail: jedward@desnews.com