RSL still bitter over Wizards draw

SALT LAKE CITY -- As far as Real Salt Lake is concerned, Saturday's rematch with the Kansas City Wizards is a golden opportunity to heal a still fresh wound.

Despite outplaying the Wizards when the two clubs met in Utah three weeks ago, RSL failed to produce anything beyond a scoreless draw. Real coach Jason Kreis said that he and his players feel like they let Kansas City steal two points from them.

RSL is determined to get those points back.

"I'm hoping that's fresh in our players' minds and that we go there, basically, with a mindset that we need to get those points back," Kreis said.

If Real hope to recoup a couple of lost points, they appear to be hitting their stride at just the right time. RSL claimed an important 2-1 victory against league-leader New England last weekend. It extended the club's unbeaten streak to five games. Included in that streak is a 1-0 triumph against Chivas USA, which gave RSL its first road win of the season.

Now RSL is all alone in second place in the Western Conference. And with only two points separating Real from the Los Angeles Galaxy, the club is in a position to finally seize first-place -- an accomplishment it has not yet achieved in its short history.

A second win away from the confines of Rice-Eccles Stadium would bring RSL a step closer to being a conference leader. And it would enhance the credibility the club is slowly building in its turnaround season.

"If we go out there and get three points, I think teams are going to start looking at us as a real threat," goalkeeper Nick Rimando said.

Rimando thought RSL took a major step forward when it took care of business against the Revolution. When New England came to Salt Lake, there was no guarantee that Real would come out on top. RSL had not scored in its last two home matches -- against the last-place teams in each conference -- and the Revolution sported a reputation as one of the league's best road teams.

But RSL prevailed by playing a smarter and cleaner brand of soccer than it has shown at other times earlier in the season.

"We didn't give up any goals at the end of the (second) half," Rimando said. "We didn't let them tie it. We kept the ball and made them run -- which is good because, at the beginning of the season, we weren't doing that."

If RSL can create the kind of chances it did against Kansas City the first time around, making it a six-game unbeaten streak could come down to something as simple as better finishing in the final third. Real dominated the Wizards in shots and shots on goal -- producing 19 overall and getting seven of those on frame.

But success on the road has been tough to come by in the past against the Wizards. RSL snuck away with a 3-3 draw in 2006, but suffered losses at Arrowhead Stadium in 2005 and 2007.

Still, with the club fresh off its recent breakthrough on the road against Chivas, RSL players are feeling like the best is yet to come.

"We're doing what we need to do," midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "We're playing some good soccer at home and we were able to pick up that win on the road. It just seems like everyone is playing with confidence and we're just getting better as a team."

One area of concern going into Kansas City has to be the health of the front line. Fabian Espindola is still out with a left knee contusion, while Yura Movsisyan is still trying to get back to 100 percent after knee surgery.

Robbie Findley should be back from a concussion that knocked him out versus the Revs. But if he can't go, rookie Tino Nunez, who scored the game-winning goal against New England, could get the call against the Wizards.