In the weeks leading up to Real Salt Lake's first season in 2005, coaches and players refused to label themselves an expansion team.
Now, at the conclusion of the 2006 season, it appears RSL's second-year campaign in Major League Soccer could be called the expansion season. This year, Real actually played like an MLS club, as opposed to the 2005 season when the club looked at times more like a USL Second Division team.
It was a big step up for Real Salt Lake this season. At the beginning of the year, RSL was lying flat beneath a crushing winless skid after going 5-22-5 in its first season. The losing trend continued through the first six games of the season, and things were looking bleak.
Perhaps the lowest point of the season was on May 6, a home game against the Columbus Crew. Real entered that game with hopes of earning its first victory of the season, but instead gave up a goal in the 70th minute and lost 1-0.
It was right around that time when Salt Lake County mayor Peter Corroon shot down a plan put in place by the state legislature to fund a soccer-specific stadium in the nearby suburb of Sandy. Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts responded with grace and a disarming smile, calling it just a bump in the road.
On May 13, Real Salt Lake's woes on the field transformed into wildly enthusiastic hopes. Playing against the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center, RSL earned a 3-0 victory. It was the team's first win of the season, and the first victory away from Rice-Eccles Stadium in club history.
From that point on, Real began to put things together. Coach John Ellinger said the team's biggest improvement over the 2005 season was its cohesiveness.
"That is what we lacked in our approach last year," Ellinger said. "And, guys were stepping up. When Jeff [Cunningham] wasn't scoring, [Chris] Klein went up, and Carey [Talley] gets some and Jason [Kreis] comes back strong. It was overall, an ability for guys to step up."
Real earned points in a four-game stretch from May 13 to June 3, but then stumbled through another six-game stretch that saw RSL earn only two points.
At that point in the season, the workload more than doubled: Real began playing twice per week in July, and the schedule did not let up until the end of August. The MLS season was tough enough, but the addition of U.S. Open Cup games and various exhibition matches forced Ellinger to go deep into his bench.
It was during this time that the Salt Lake County Council voted down a revised funding plan put forth by Real Salt Lake and Sandy city mayor Tom Dolan. This time, Checketts' reaction was less than cordial; he called the County leadership "bush league." He accused Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller of torpedoing hotel-tax funding proposals at the state legislature. He hinted at the possibility of selling the team.
Then, befitting a team that earned more points on the road than any other during the MLS regular season, RSL turned things around on their travels. A 3-1 victory against the New England Revolution on July 14 started the ball rolling. Real had a three-game home stretch at the end of July, and although the team only came away with a 1-1-1 record, it did earn a 2-1 victory against D.C. United when Cunningham converted a pair of penalty kicks during stoppage time. Cunningham called that game a turning point for the team.
"In that game, I saw the character of the team come out," Cunningham said. "That started the second half momentum."
Real's cohesiveness led to a stellar second half of the season. In its final 16 games, Real went 7-4-5 and earned 26 points, more than any other team in the league. August was the month of choice. Real went 4-1-0 during it, beating Colorado, Houston, Columbus and the Galaxy.
Real also played Real Madrid in an exhibition game that felt more like a celebration than a soccer game. The festivities started early in the day on Aug. 12, when Checketts stood shoulder-to-shoulder with David Beckham and broke ground on a new stadium. A funding proposal, thrown together the previous day by various political wills, gave the stadium its green light.
"We can't discount how important [the Real Madrid game] was for the franchise and how fun that was to be a part of," Kreis said. "That was very special for all of us that were involved. And that went along with the stadium announcement -- I think that can't come quick enough."
Real experienced another low point on Sept. 2 when the Colorado Rapids came to town and beat RSL 1-0. The game gave Colorado an important tiebreaker in the race for the playoffs, and gave the Rapids the Rocky Mountain Cup for the second consecutive year. The award is given to the winner of the regular season series between Real and the Rapids.
But adding insult to injury, Colorado captain Pablo Mastroeni taunted the RSL fans and made obscene gestures after the game. His actions drew the ire of Checketts, who scolded Mastroeni as he exited the field. Mastroeni was physically restrained by several of his teammates during the confrontation.
The loss was a blow to RSL's playoff hopes, but Salt Lake recovered in a big way. The team's biggest victory of the season came on Sept. 16 when, playing a man down against FC Dallas, Real came from behind to earn a 3-2 victory.
"Playing a man down for so long showed really what this team is all about and showed what kind of heart this team has," Kreis said.
As the end of the season drew near, RSL still held hope for a playoff berth. A few victories would have made the difference, but instead Real played Kansas City, Houston and Chivas to a tie in each of their last three games. RSL was eliminated when Houston and Colorado tied 3-3 on the last Saturday of the regular season.
Despite missing the playoffs, Kreis called the 2006 season a success, particularly compared to the 2005 season. Real finished with a 10-13-9 record -- five more wins and nine fewer losses than its inaugural season.
"I can tell you that this is a success," Kreis said. "Things aren't just going to go from the worst to the best. You have to make those improvements and take those steps, and I think we had a large step this year."
Real intend to start the 2007 season with the same caliber of play they had in the second half of the 2006 season.
"Next year, at least we will keep that in mind and we won't give away 17 points in the first six games," Ellinger said.
It should not take much to pull that off, Kreis said.
"I don't think we have to do a whole lot, to be honest," Kreis said. "If we add a high caliber player or two, and we continue to do what we did through the second half of the season, I don't think we've got too many worries. That team that came together through the second half of the season is the team that will be there next year and the team that will, again, make marked improvements."
Peter Richins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
