In a season that's gone south since opening day, Real Salt Lake has tried looking for the silver lining amongst the disappointment. Whether it's the acquisition of Kyle Beckerman, quality exhibition performances against Everton and Boca Juniors, or the emergence of Robbie Findley, the club has tried to stay positive.
There's nothing quite like a date with Chivas USA, tonight's 7 o'clock kickoff (MDT) at the Home Depot Center, to help remind everyone just how bad things are and what might've been.
"It's a hard-fought rivalry, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be that way this weekend," said RSL midfielder Andy Williams.
Chivas and RSL will forever be linked as the expansion teams who joined Major League Soccer simultaneously in 2005. It was a miserable inaugural campaign for both teams, with Real (5-22-5) narrowly finishing ahead of Chivas (4-22-6) at the bottom of the league standings.
The clubs have been heading down different paths ever since.
Chivas finished four points clear of Real Salt Lake last season, earning a playoff berth as the Western Conference's third seed, while RSL watched from home. That gap has swelled immensely in 2007. Heading into tonight's match, at 10-6-3, Chivas has equaled its win total from last year and is in the hunt for MLS's best record.
Real, meanwhile, is toiling at the bottom of the MLS table, with a 2-10-6 mark. With only 12 games remaining in the regular season, some are wondering if RSL will even surpass its 2005 record, let alone a miraculous climb back into the playoff race.
"Obviously, in the first year to two years there was a very strong competitive nature because we both came in the league at the same time and both wanted to be the better expansion team," said Real coach Jason Kreis. "I think some of that's gone away a little bit to be honest. I don't feel a lot of these players have much realization of that because there's been such turnover from the first year to this year."
Indeed there has, with only six players remaining from Real's original 28-man roster — Eddie Pope, Chris Brown, Nikolas Besagno, Jamie Watson, Kenny Cutler and Williams.
Chivas has also overhauled its roster, but the Goats have done so with better results. It all started at the end of the 2005 season, when Chivas unloaded the baggage that was midfielder Douglas Sequeira to RSL in a minor trade. The Goats have long since parted ways with Brian Dunseth, the player it acquired in the trade, but that wasn't the point. It freed up a roster spot and salary for Chivas to sign Jesse Marsch, previously of Chicago. Conversely, Sequeira was a bust for Real.
Marsch, along with draft-day steals like Sacha Kljestan and Jonathan Bornstein, and the acquisition Ante Razov helped give Chivas that necessary core.
The club's quality was on full display during Thursday's ESPN game of the week as it throttled the L.A. Galaxy 3-0.
"It's a very fluid, mobile team. When they attack, they attack with numbers. They get players forward," said Kreis. "They have a good understanding as they showed (Thursday) of where each other are."
RSL will be without two key starters tonight, striker Alecko Eskandarian (suspended) and midfielder Nate Sturgis (knee). Newcomer Fabian Espindola seems like the obvious replacement at forward, but Kreis wouldn't disclose what his midfield plans were when asked earlier this week.
It may not matter. Chivas USA is the only MLS team with an unblemished 6-0-1 record at home. In those seven matches, it has outscored opponents 15-2.
On the air
Real Salt Lake (2-10-6) at Chivas USA (10-6-3)
Tonight, 7 p.m. (MDT)
at Home Depot Center
TV: FSN Radio: AM700
E-mail: jedward@desnews.com