Real Salt Lake finds playoff hope is renewed

SANDY — When Real Salt Lake dropped back-to-back road games in Texas in late September, all hope of a playoff berth seemed dashed. An already frustrating season seemed to have reached its tipping point with confidence all but gone.

Looking back on the troubled state of his team, coach Jason Kreis believes RSL's 18-day break from league play was exactly what the team needed.

The lengthy break has buoyed the team's spirits heading into what it hopes becomes a three-game push into the MLS playoffs.

"If we had been in a different position, if we'd been in a spot of basically trying to build momentum to get ourselves ready for the playoffs, I think I'd tell you (the break) would've been very frustrating, but I believe we're in a different position than that," said Kreis. "I believe we're in a position where we really needed to regroup, we needed some time with ourselves, and some time to talk and go over things, some time to work very, very hard."

RSL did all of that, and Kreis believes his players are prepared for the final two weeks of the season.

That stretch begins tonight at 8 at Rio Tinto Stadium against visiting New York, followed by a match at Toronto this Saturday and then the regular-season finale next weekend at home against Colorado.

Real Salt Lake likely needs to win all three matches to secure a playoff berth, though recent results around MLS have created a scenario in which seven points might be good enough to secure a second-consecutive playoff appearance.

Kreis is confident his players will take that first step tonight against a New York team that's threatening to equal the worst record in league history.

"I just feel like we're in a good spot, we feel like our guys have prepared really well over the past two and a half weeks and we're very, very ready for this match," he said.

It's hard to believe RSL's confidence is so rampant after a 3-0 drubbing at FC Dallas back on Sept. 26, but Will Johnson insists the belief is "100 percent there."

"Definitely. Some of the results this past weekend definitely went our way," Johnson said. "We have to take it one game at a time.

"Tomorrow night is a huge game, it's massive. It's the whole season, it's exciting. If we win that game, I'm sure we'll be well on our way to hopefully getting in these playoffs."