Fraser: Is it too little, too late for RSL?

After witnessing Saturday night's 3-3 draw at Kansas City, I couldn't help but think that the events of that 90-minute contest are a microcosm of the 2006 MLS season for Real Salt Lake. Think of the way the season started. Bad in the beginning, digging themselves an early hole by going winless in their first six games. Somewhere in the middle of the season, the team finds excellent form (remember the 4-1 August?) and claws its way back to within striking distance of the playoffs. Only then they suffer a few bizarre setbacks (a 6-0 loss to NY, the 1-0 Colorado debacle, etc.). Now, at the end, RSL is doing fairly well, but is it too little, too late?

That is the synopsis of the season. The tale of Saturday's game is no different. Early hole, bleak outlook. Late first-half heroics to go in at halftime looking quite good. Stumble out of halftime, only to allow the game to slip away. And in the most improbable fashion, score a great goal to earn a tie. End result, good - but will it be good enough?

The season has been a difficult one to be sure. The coaches and players worked extremely hard to get back into contention with a tremendous midseason push, and now seem to be having trouble getting over that final hurdle. Here's why:

RSL fought valiantly to recover from an 0-5-1 start, and that kind of effort takes its toll. I've been on teams that get off to bad starts, and playing catch-up the entire year is exhausting. First of all, losing takes its toll. The players that are dedicated take the losses extremely hard, and carry the burden home for many days. It is tough on the players, their wives and their families. There is a proud group of players on RSL, and I know that the veterans who've won in this league, and some of the young guys that have experienced only success, struggle mightily with the losses.

Once the team started to gel and see results, the emotion was invigorating with a rush of adrenaline, and then winning became all-consuming, no different than the losing. The level of effort exerted to get back into the playoff race was very high, and that also has had an affect on the team. It is very difficult to have your playoffs start in July, but in essence, that has been the case for RSL. Real Salt Lake has been in a must-win situation for the last three months. Imagine the stress of a three-and-a-half month playoff run.

Now I'm not saying that anyone is about to feel sorry for them, because they are the ones that dug themselves the early hole. But regardless of that, the reality is that it is extremely draining to occupy that playoff mindset for practically half the season. As a fan, there are probably questions as to why now the tapering of form at this critical point in the season. The effort is still there, but the strain of the season is taking a physical, as well as a mental, toll.

Knowing that, there still remains a job to be done. These guys are professionals, and in the end, they all do this for the chance to win a championship. The team won't quit, but they need to help themselves a bit more down the stretch. Saturday's home game against Houston is critical, obviously, and the approach needs to be correct.

RSL can't afford to give up an early goal to Houston and find themselves in that all-too familiar hole. Houston is too good and too organized to assume that a comeback is inevitable. RSL,above all, need to give themselves a chance to win. Recently, they've given themselves a chance to get a point. Well, a point is no longer good enough.

This much we know: RSL needs to win at least one more game to have a chance to get into the playoffs. All that has been done to this point means nothing. What they have to do against Chivas next week, at this point means nothing. To keep the dream alive, the only thing that matters in RSL's soccer lives, is to get three points against Houston, at home this weekend.

Robin Fraser, a five-time MLS Best XI selection and two-time MLS Defender of the Year, ended his 10-year MLS career and 16-year professional career last October, and now begins his first season with RSL as the team's color television analyst. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Fraser amassed 27 caps for the U.S. National Team and was drafted fourth overall by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the inaugural MLS draft.

Comments? E-mail Robin and the entire RSL broadcast crew at fun@realsaltlake.com, and your e-mail could be featured in the Computech "Fan Feedback" feature on all RSL on KSL and FSN Utah broadcasts, as well as on KALL 700 AM.