Mathematically, Real Salt Lake still can make it into the MLS Cup Playoffs this season. With 20 points on the season, Salt Lake sits 11 points shy of a playoff spot with five games and 15 points left to earn. But realistically, RSL has never won more than two consecutive games, so a five-game winning streak to end the season likely won't happen.
Even if RSL did end the regular season with a bang, chances are slim that the handful of teams also struggling to make the playoffs will lose enough games to let Salt Lake in. So now, with Rocky Mountain Cup rival Colorado coming into town on Saturday, Real seem to have faced reality and given up on the postseason.
But, RSL has not given up on everything.
"It's nice to have something left out there to play for," coach Jason Kreis said of the fan-sponsored Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry series with the Rapids. "Just the prospect of winning that championship that we have not won, yet, in our franchise history is important."
The Rocky Mountain Cup, awarded to the winner of the regular season series between Real and the Rapids, began when RSL was established for the 2005 season. Colorado has won the trophy in each of the past two years, something the RSL players have some bitter feelings about.
"We realize that Colorado has done a good job of rubbing our faces in it when they win it, and we will try to keep our hopes alive by getting a result [Saturday] night against them," Kreis said.
The most recent dose of reality spooned out to the RSL faithful came from Kyle Beckerman after Colorado beat Real 2-0 on April 30. Beckerman, then with the Rapids, said that if RSL and their fans don't like Colorado's celebrations at Rice-Eccles Stadium, then Salt Lake should win the game.
Now an integral piece of RSL's roster, Beckerman is on the other side of things -- to be sure, he would like nothing more than to keep his former Colorado teammates from celebrating at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
"I want to be the first three-time winner [of the Rocky Mountain Cup], and for that to happen, we've got to win," Beckerman said. "It's definitely something we can do; we can win here, and Salt Lake has shown in the past, when I was with Colorado, that Salt Lake can beat Colorado in Colorado."
Thus far this season, Real have lost one game to Colorado and tied another. After Saturday, Real have one more match against Colorado before season's end.
Beckerman once was a player RSL fans loved to jeer at, although not as much as Pablo Mastroeni. Still, Beckerman did feel he had to win the Salt Lake fans over when RSL acquired him in midseason via a trade for Mehdi Ballouchy.
"It's been great. I knew it was going to be a little difficult at first, but I wanted to try and get on the fans' good side right away, and I feel like they have welcomed me since I've been here, after a couple of games," Beckerman said.
RSL has a decent chance against the Rapids, considering they will be playing without Mastroeni.
"We're definitely happy Pablo's not going to be there, because when he's there they are a much better team, so that's a good thing," Beckerman said. "But it's really just a game that we have to win just to get on track to win the Rocky Mountain Cup."
Real also have a big hole to fill in their roster for Saturday. Alecko Eskandarian will miss the game due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
"We have players that have been in and out of our lineup that have done well with the time they have been in there, so it's ultimately bad because we do feel that Alecko is an important part of what we are doing here, but it's good because it will give somebody else an opportunity," Kreis said.
Peter Richins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
