Real Salt Lake loves idea of an MLS upset

SANDY — The sentiment around Real Salt Lake this week seems to be, "Why not us?"

Sure, the team caught some breaks to secure the eighth and final playoff spot, but this is Major League Soccer, where parity is supreme. The slate has been wiped clean, and just like the other seven teams that reached the postseason, RSL is confident and definitely capable of winning the MLS Cup.

"At the end of the day, there are two hurdles. Whether you crawl or you leap clear over the first hurdle by 20 feet, it all starts over again at the second hurdle," said RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey.

That next step begins today at 4 p.m. at Rio Tinto Stadium when Real Salt Lake hosts Columbus in the first leg of their home-and-home playoff series, with the winner decided by total goals.

Facing the defending league champs in the opening round might seem daunting, but the home team isn't concerned. RSL, which enjoyed the best home record in MLS and a scintillating plus-23 goal differential at Rio Tinto Stadium, loves opening the series at home.

This series is essentially a 180-minute game, with the first 90 minutes taking place in Utah and the second 90 minutes in Columbus next Thursday.

"Playing Columbus in the first round is the best time to play them, because we have a chance to play them at home," said Lagerwey.

"If you had to play a one-off at Columbus, who had the second-best record in the league, and you just had the one opportunity in Columbus, that's tough."

Instead, RSL can seize momentum in the series at home. Back in April, it beat Columbus 4-1 at Rio Tinto, a result the club would love to duplicate, even though it seems unlikely.

Scoring opportunities tend to decrease in the playoffs, which is why Real Salt Lake won't get caught up in the need to win today's match by multiple goals.

"Our main focus is just to play hard and do our best against Columbus and see where the result takes us," said defender Chris Wingert. "You can't try and predict the score or try and go out and score three goals against them."

Any victory would be satisfying for RSL, which has been in this spot before. In the franchise's first playoff appearance last year, it was the underdog heading into its first-round series against Chivas USA.

It won the first game at home 1-0 and won the series on aggregate 3-2 by earning a tie on the road the following weekend.

Even though anything can happen, most agree Real Salt Lake has to win at home to have any hope of advancing. Columbus had the second-best home record in MLS at 9-2-4, whereas RSL's 2-11-2 road record is the worst among playoff teams.