FRISCO, Texas — There was an underlying theme throughout the week for Real Salt Lake: things must get better.
Whether coaches were yelling it at players or teammates were reminding each other, there was no shortage of chatter during training sessions this week as RSL looks to correct the many problems exposed in last weekend's season-opening loss at Chivas USA.
"It seems like there's a little more urgency, whether it's as clean or as exact as it needs to be, I still think it needs to be better," said Salt Lake defender Carey Talley. "We've just got to be better, and each and every guy knows it. And if they don't know it, they're probably the (problem)."
Whether or not the urgency displayed in practice leads to a result tonight at FC Dallas remains to be seen. Kick-off for RSL's second game of the 2006 season is set for 6:30 p.m. (MDT); it will be broadcast live on Ch. 5.
If Salt Lake has any hope of bettering last week's 3-0 loss, its work rate and passing must get better. Whether it was miscommunication or simply an off night, RSL's passing was abysmal, and then so too was its fight to win the ball back.
Coach John Ellinger is addressing a portion of the flaws with a slight line-up adjustment. After rookie Atiba Harris' disappointing showing at striker last week as well as Andy Williams' struggles in the middle, Ellinger is hoping for a quick fix by plugging Kenny Cutler into the starting 11 in midfield and moving Williams up top.
"(Kenny) keeps the game moving, and he's not afraid to do the dirty work," said Ellinger. "He's just a reliable person to count on to stop things from going through the middle of the field."
That will be especially critical against a Dallas team coming off a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Chicago last Saturday. While most people know about Carlos Ruiz and Ronnie O'Brien, it's the supporting cast of attacking players like Roberto Mina, Arturo Alvarez and Ramon Nunez that makes Dallas so difficult to defend.
"I just think you have to mark them tightly for 90 minutes," said defender Eddie Pope.
Another key according to Pope is simply keeping the ball away from those weapons. Even though RSL's back four didn't get much defensive help from its midfielders, in reality many of Chivas' counterattack opportunities last week were the direct result from a poor pass out of the back.
"We've got to do a better job of keeping the ball," said Pope. "If we can't have some significant possession, we're playing defense all game, and the dam is bound to break."
Today's game will be Salt Lake's second visit to Pizza Hut Park, Dallas' soccer-specific stadium. RSL's first game at Dallas last year was at the Cotton Bowl while the stadium was still being completed. It lost that game 3-0, and then lost 2-1 at the Hut in September, thanks to a pair of goals from Mina.
Dallas won three of four meetings last year, outscoring RSL 7-4.
For Talley and goalkeeper Scott Garlick, today's game is the first opportunity to face their ex-teammates after an offseason trade.
"I'm playing in front of quite a few peers, and I want to make sure I do everything I can to help keep the embarrassment that happened last Sunday from happening again," said Talley.
If all of his teammates feel the same way, Salt Lake should be competitive.
On the air
Real Salt Lake at FC Dallas
Today, 6:30 p.m. at Pizza Hut Park
TV: Ch. 5
Radio: 700AM (English), 1600AM (Spanish)
E-mail: jedward@desnews.com