This weekend will mark the end of an era in Real Salt Lake's short history. The MLS club is set to play its final home game within the confines of Rice-Eccles Stadium when Chivas USA come to town on Saturday.
While the players and coaches are eager to break in the grass field at the team's new stadium in Sandy -- which will play host to the team's final two regular season matches in October -- they are leaving the facility infused with a lot more fond memories than you might think.
For RSL coach Jason Kreis, Rice-Eccles Stadium will always be remembered as the site of his greatest triumph as an MLS player. It was the venue where he scored his 100th career goal.
"Just the way the crowd reacted to that was special, for sure," Kreis said. "It wasn't like they didn't know what was going on. I think everybody had a pretty good clue that was the 100th and that was something special. They gave me an awesome response."
For the current crop of players on the RSL roster, the stadium on the University of Utah campus will be forever linked to their turnaround season. Real finally rose up as a contender this year, in large part, because they finally found a way to create a true home-field advantage at Rice-Eccles.
Much has been made of the hard playing surface over the past few seasons. But Kreis felt like the stadium offered plenty of advantages in putting the fans closer to the field to create an atmosphere more favorable to RSL.
The success at home this season has also certainly played a role in creating more fond memories.
"If we were sitting in the same place as we have the prior three years, right now, every word out of our mouths would be bad about that place," Kreis said. "But I do think this year, for whatever reason, it became a bit of a fortress for us. Let's hope we can finish it off right."
RSL isn't looking for three points against Chivas USA just for sentimental reasons. Every home victory the club can muster is becoming increasingly vital while its road struggles continue to fester and linger.
The RSL side claimed only one point in its most recent pair of road matches at Los Angeles and New York after blowing leads down the stretch.
A 2-2 tie against the Galaxy came about after RSL took the lead in the second half following a ninth-minute opener -- only to allow the tying goal in the 69th minute.
Against New York, RSL seized a quick 1-0 lead on Yura Movsisyan's soft flick past goalkeeper Jon Conway. But the Red Bulls made up ground with a pair of second-half goals -- getting the game winner in the 64th minute when Dave van den Bergh coolly collected the ball outside the six-yard box and curled it inside the far post.
The key against Chivas USA comes down to getting back to some basics on defense, goalkeeper Nick Rimando said. For all of its lack of road success, RSL is still in second in the Western Conference. With a better mental approach, Rimando thinks the club can avoid slipping back into the pack.
"Teams are still looking up to us, so it's in our own hands," Rimando said. "Do we go out there and play each game like it's home field for us? We need to, because we need points on the road."
For RSL, getting back on track might also come down to breathing some of that winning spirit found in abundance at their home stadium into their road matches.
"We have the confidence at home to play well and play with confidence," reserve midfielder Kenny Cutler said. "We proved that since we have a great record at home. We need to carry that into away games -- the home game mentality."
John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
