SANDY — There should be plenty of people filling the seats tonight at Rio Tinto Stadium when Real Salt Lake hosts one of the world's most popular teams, Chivas de Guadalajara of the Mexican Premier Division. The numbers will without a doubt be high, but the true question will be which color jersey and which side will the fans be cheering?

"Honestly, we were kind of hoping that we would be in a different spot in the league and that this was going to be a reward for our fans, and possibly a chance to win over a new group of fans that are obviously soccer fans, but maybe not Real Salt Lake fans — yet," said RSL coach Jason Kreis of his team being a realistic long-shot for the MLS playoffs, but knowing Chivas has plenty of loyal supporters here in Utah. "We were hoping to put on a good display of soccer that may sway some fans our way, let them know that we play a good brand of soccer here that they could get behind. That could still happen, but we are obviously not where we wanted to be."

Of the anticipated 17,000 or so fans, one can bet that a good portion will be in the red and white stripes of the Mexican giant. Chivas is a club so big that the MLS decided to capitalize on its popularity when it awarded an American version expansion club — Real has been linked to Chivas ever since because it joined the league in the same season.

Besides guaranteeing people would fill the seats, the Chivas game was perfect for RSL because it comes during a nearly three-week layoff from MLS action.

"They're a good team, and we know that, but really, we would rather have an MLS game," said midfielder and captain Kyle Beckerman. "It is almost like preseason where you have all these scrimmage games you have to get through so you can get to the league games, but it will be good practice for us.

"There should be a good crowd, and it is good to play against someone else," added Beckerman. "During this long stretch without playing somebody else, you kick each other so much that you kind of start to hate each other. It will be good to see someone else on the other side of the field, and especially a good team like Chivas."

Besides a break in the training, Chivas also offers Real a good gauge in where it stands with North American soccer.

"I think it is just a good way to see where you are at when you play a good team like Chivas," said Nat Borchers "They offer a different challenge for our team because they are a very, very good team in Mexico and may play a little different style than we are used to. You have to raise your game to compete and it shows you what kind of depth you have against a top-level club."

FROM THE BOX: Robbie Russell missed training Tuesday due to illness and is questionable for tonight's exhibition match… RLS's first-round draft pick, Jean Alexandre, will also miss the Chivas game as he has gone back on loan with the Austin Aztex. The rookie rejoined the club for some exhibition games, beginning today against Monterrey of the Mexican Premier Division, and he will travel with the Aztex to London next week for three games against professional teams in England.

e-mail: mblack@desnews.com