RSL's Title Ambition

(by Clemente Lisi ussoccerplayers.com 10-12-10)

If there was ever a team that was molded in the image of its coach, it’s Real Salt Lake. Calm, composed, and focused, RSL's squad is an extension of what Jason Kreis has preached in practice and from the sidelines over the past two seasons.

Unlike the type of soccer we've seen lately from around the World, Kreis emphasizes expression over suppression. Real wins games with a focus on teamwork, but this time around they're also making it look good.

“I want there to be some indication that we are trying to play the way that we play,” said Kreis, who has coached the team since retiring as a player in 2007.

Just 37, the boyish-looking Kreis still looks like an active player after emerging from the locker room at Red Bull Arena following a scoreless draw Saturday against New York. Although the draw probably ended Kreis’ dreams of winning the Supporters’ Shield, given to the MLS team with the best regular-season record, he said it was good result against the Eastern Conference leaders.

“I am pleased with that,” Kreis said when asked about his players’ commitment and energy level as the match wore on.

Last season, Kreis had relished the role of underdog. He milked it for all it was worth when he coached the #8 seed with a losing record on a Cinderella run that ended with his players lifting the trophy. For Kreis, it had been - as he put it at the time - all about “collective success” and creating “the most-dominant home-field advantage” in the League.

This season, Kreis’ recipe for success has a similar epilogue: repeat as champions. He may have a roster deep enough to capture a back-to-back next month in Toronto.

In reality, Real has no big superstars or flashy Designated Players on its roster. Instead, RSL is a blue-collar team that’s built on a strong work ethic. Kreis has done a fabulous job molding the squad into a cohesive unit ready to do battle against any team.

“The difference between the top-seed and the last playoff seed is very little in this League,” Kreis said about the MLS playoffs. “We never have to underestimate any opponent.”

A team that is focused on scoring goals, Kreis’ attacking options are many. Alvaro Saborio, Fabian Espindola, Javier Morales, Robbie Findley and Kyle Beckerman have all been used as part of Kreis’ offensive arsenal. The US-born Findlay and Beckerman, in particular, are having a great season and could re-enter the National Team picture once the playoffs come to an end.

RSL may have ended up surprise champions, but this year they have looked like contenders from the start. Despite having to do double-duty between MLS and the Champions League, resilient Real keeps getting wins after playing 14 games over a period of 56 days going into this past Saturday’s road match In New York.

During the team’s arduous schedule of MLS and Champions League games stretching from August 7 to October 2, RSL traveled nearly 22,000 miles – not to mention the occasional flight delay – in its jaunt across North America. To be able to play that many games in the final third of the MLS season is proof that Real Salt Lake is a team that withstand almost anything.

As Real Salt Lake aims to repeat, the team has had a record-breaking season. Real Salt Lake is in the midst of a 24-game unbeaten streak at Rio Tinto Stadium, where it has not lost since May 2009, while yielding a league-best 18 goals through 27 games. At the same time, the team reached the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals last month as it tries to add more silverware to its trophy case.

Real Salt Lake may have to do what it did last year: win the title by getting hot in the playoffs while playing on the road – something that doesn’t worry the players.

“We know that when we have to go on the road in the playoffs that we can win,” goalkeeper Nick Rimando, using last week’s 2-1 road win against the New England Revolution as an example. “It’s a confidence boost for us.”

Unlike, for instance, the Los Angeles Galaxy, RSL has momentum on its side heading into next month’s MLS playoffs. At the same time, Kreis has juggled his lineup between both MLS and Champions League games - taking a calculated risk by resting key players at times - in an effort to keep his roster healthy during this marathon season of games.

“We’ve done something that we wanted to accomplish from the start of the season,” Kreis said of the season so far. “We have to continue to look forward.”