SANDY, Ut. – Real Salt Lake are getting back to basics, hoping a simple approach will lead them to the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs.
It wasn’t much more than a week ago when it seemed like RSL were dead in the water. In a physical and sloppy match, the Utah club gave up a late goal on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes as a fluky, deflected shot from Matias Perez-Garcia bounced into the net in the 86th minute and appeared to sink RSL’s postseason hopes.
“What a difference a week makes,” RSL midfielder Luke Mulholland said after practice on Wednesday. “When we lost late on against San Jose, we felt like the end of the season came early. Then a couple of results go our way the following weekend and we win and we’re right back in touching distance.”
The fierce competition in MLS, especially in the Western Conference, gives RSL hope they can reach the postseason yet again. A meager seven points separate the first-place Galaxy from the seventh-place Portland Timbers. Despite the disappointing loss in northern California, results around the league, coupled with RSL’s bounce-back victory in Colorado over the weekend, has the team within reach of the red line yet again, with a meeting against Portland next Wednesday being the latest test for both teams' postseason hopes.
“We keep putting ourselves in a position and now we have a great opportunity with Portland just being ahead of us,” RSL head coach Jeff Cassar said. “I know the guys know what’s at stake. [We’re] just trying to keep the spirit good, keep the tempo high.”
Cassar has often recited the need to keep the ball on the ground in recent sessions with the media. He’s stressed to the team that winning 50/50 challenges and making the simple pass is what will lead to success.
“We want to have rhythm,” Cassar said. “We want to control the game, control the tempo of the game and you can only do that with the ball. The last two teams, both San Jose and Colorado, played very direct. So it takes winning the challenge of the first ball, picking up the second ball and then completing that first pass, because if you don’t, you’re constantly chasing the game. We don't want to be chasing the game, we want to make them chase us.”
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The team appears to be loose and confident heading into their pivotal matchup against the Timbers. RSL will have a total of 10 days to prepare for an opponent they know all too well.
The last time the two teams met, beloved former defender Nat Borchers, scored the game’s lone goal in stoppage time to give the Timbers the full three points. Cassar was asked if that result would have anything to do with the upcoming matchup.
“That game is done and dusted,” Cassar said. “What we will focus on is how good we were in that game, but we lost. More than anything it’s about harping on the guys to be smart, focusing on the small details because they become huge now during this time of year.”
