Real Salt Lake are in the basement of the Western Conference with 23 points out of 26 games, have just one road win and are all but academically eliminated from playoff contention for a third season.
What does that mean for the New York Red Bulls? RSL will be a tough opponent Saturday night at Giants Stadium.
"I think it's one of the most dangerous teams you can play right now," Juan Pablo Angel said. "Everyone has a point to prove to the coach, they want to be on the team for next year, so they have nothing to lose. We're playing for a playoff spot, so we have to get ourselves right."
Despite having the second-worst record in Major League Soccer, Real Salt Lake's recent form indicates a late season surge. RSL has lost just twice in the last seven games, and those were one-goal losses at Houston and D.C. United. And they're coming off an emotional 1-0 win against rival Colorado last Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
"They've done a great job trying to rebuild their roster in preparation for next year," Red Bulls boss Bruce Arena said. "They're a team without any pressure on them. ... They play loose, so they're a team that's tough to play against."
History is also not on New York's side, having won just once in five all-time meetings. Five times the two sides have played to a draw, including a wild 3-3 draw at Salt Lake earlier this year in Jason Kreis' coaching debut.
The Red Bulls blew a 3-1 lead eight minutes from full time as Jeff Cunningham converted a penalty kick and magnificent strike by Chris Brown in the second minute of stoppage time.
"I thought we had won it," John Wolyniec said. "To their credit, they kept fighting and got back in it somehow. I remember being very disappointed after the game."
The Red Bulls could book their postseason ticket with Saturday night with a win and a combination of a Columbus loss and a Colorado loss.
"I'm convinced we're going to make the playoffs, let that be said," Dave van den Bergh said. "But we need to clinch it first to have a breather. I think home games are a must in this case."
New York is coming off a spirited 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution, an effort many on the Red Bulls consider the best of the season.
"New England is one of the top teams in the league and we played really well," Dane Richards said. "We're disappointed about the tie, but I think it was a great game for us."
With Jozy Altidore working to get his fitness back after a pair of leg injuries, it appears likely Arena will go with Francis Doe up front for a second consecutive game. Against the Revs, Doe scored his first MLS goal and then helped set up Angel's equalizer seven minutes from full time.
"I thought we played very well, but we didn't get the result," Arena said. "We played quite well, but certainly got punished for poor marking on a set piece and got punished on a fluky clearance."
In fact, it's likely that Arena goes with the same starting XI for the third game in a row. A week ago, the Red Bulls coach used the same lineup for the first time this season.
One constant in the starting lineup when healthy is Angel, who on Saturday has a chance to become the club's all-time leader in single season goals. He is currently tied with fellow Colombian Adolfo Valencia with 16 goals. Angel is a candidate for league MVP and Newcomer of the Year, while Richards is among the favorites for the league's Rookie of the Year.
This year, Claudio Reyna hasn't made as big an impact as Angel, the Red Bulls other designated player, but the former U.S. national team captain is playing some of his best soccer of the year with the regular season winding down.
"Now is the time to shine. We've got four games (left) in the regular season and after that it's the money games," van den Bergh said. "He has shown some good progress and hopefully we can get to a level where he can lift this team even further. I'm positive with a healthy team that we can go a pretty long way in the playoffs."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
