Real Salt Lake must put aside their bad recent form and bounce back at home against the New York Red Bulls. Tonight’s match at Rio Tinto Stadium will offer RSL a great opportunity to get back to winning form after suffering back-to-back league losses. New York comes back to league play following their action overseas in the Emirates Cup.
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This is RSL’s last home match of the month as the club will play three straight matches on the road. It is imperative that RSL place forth a strong effort in front of the home supporters because the road has not been an easy ride.
“We need a performance where we stick together and stick to the game plan, and understand that there’s a way that Real Salt Lake plays,” Real Salt Lake Head Coach Jason Kreis said. “We’ve played it for a very long time now, and it’s worked for a very long time now, so there’s no reason to be running away from it now.”
Sticking to the game plan has been hard of late for RSL and the results haven’t been pleasing to the eye. A loss Saturday would be RSL’s third at home this season after finishing undefeated in 15 games at Rio Tinto last season. RSL have not lost three consecutive games since they lost four straight in July 2007. Now is not the time to panic but instead it’s time to deliver a positive performance.
“It wasn’t that I was saying this is a doomsday situation. What I was saying is that we need a solid performance to move our confidence forward,” Kreis said. “I don’t think if we lose this game it’s the end of the season, but I do think that we need an all-out, together effort from our group to move forward.”
A few questions remain and must be addressed. Which RSL side will show up? Who will step up and lead the way? Where will the goals come from?
“We’ve simply got to stay together,” RSL Captain Kyle Beckerman said. “And all of us – we’ve got to find a way to get out of this form that we’re in right now. And we’ve got to try to do it as quickly as possible, because there are a lot of games coming up, and a lot of good teams, and a lot of road games.”
RSL will face a huge test versus New York and the team must find a way to get a result. Now is not the time to wonder. Now is the time stand and deliver.
(image courtesy of realsaltlake.com)
