Real Salt Lake ready to end road woes

Claret-and-Cobalt traveled to Columbus early, altered routine to get over hump

By John Coon / MLSnet.com Staff

Kyle Beckerman said RSL needs to stay focused and organized and capitalize on chances. (Getty)

SANDY, Utah -- In notching a 1-0 victory during the first leg of their two-game series with Columbus, Real Salt Lake did what they needed to do. RSL seized a lead -- however slim -- going back to Ohio to face the Crew on Thursday in the conclusion of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series.

"It gets our foot out there and it gives us a little bit of a cushion -- although I'm not so sure I'm going to approach that match thinking about that cushion, to be honest," RSL coach Jason Kreis said.

What will be dominating the minds of players and coaches for RSL when it squares off against Columbus on Thursday night is finding a way to overcome a season's worth of struggles in road games to keep its march through the MLS Cup Playoffs going for at least another week.

It does not help that Salt Lake will be facing a side that is formidable at home while sporting a road record that is among the league's worst. RSL managed a 2-11-2 mark in 15 regular season road matches -- not exactly a welcome sign for a team that needs a road result this week.

Real is doing their part to break the road hex. The Claret-and-Cobalt left Utah on Monday to train in Columbus for two straight days before the match. They are staying in a different hotel, eating different meals and generally looking to alter pregame routines in a fashion they hope will lend toward creating a different outcome away from Rio Tinto Stadium.

Within the training sessions, the focus has been on regeneration, staying consistent and keeping energy levels high in light of such a quick turnaround.

"You're not going to be trying to overwork the guys," Kreis said. "You're not going to be giving too much to worry about between now and then."

Real know the odds are against them, giving the team's penchant for poor road performances in the past. But one thing Salt Lake also understands is that because it holds a one-goal lead on aggregate, even a draw at this point will be enough to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship.

By Salt Lake taking a first-leg lead, it changes how both teams will approach things.

"Now they're going to have to come out and tie it up," midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "We just need to stay focused, stay organized and capitalize on any scoring chance we get and we should be all right."

Capitalizing on scoring chances is something Columbus has not done much recently. In their last five matches, the Crew have scored just one goal. Against RSL, they managed a paltry seven shots and put just two of those on frame.

Columbus coach Robert Warzycha raised eyebrows around the league with his surprising decision to sit reigning MLS MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno on the bench last Saturday. Warzycha defended the move as a tactical measure designed to shake the Crew offense out of its doldrums.

"We didn't score any goals the last five games they were on the field, so I felt like maybe we should go with a different combination," Warzycha said.

Scoring should be much less of an issue back at home for Columbus. En route to racking up a 9-2-5 record in their own stadium during the regular season, the Crew scored 25 goals compared to the 15 tallied by their opponents.

Such a stat might be disconcerting for RSL if its previous game had ended in a 0-0 draw. The pressure is less intense for Salt Lake, however, knowing that it won't take more than a solid defensive effort and a respectable effort on offense to keep its season alive.

"Right now, it's a different game because we won at home," Morales said. "We need a tie there, but we have to know that it will be a hard game. I think we have to look for (at least) one more goal."

John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com.