SALT LAKE CITY - Sure, Rice-Eccles Stadium has never had Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson and David Beckham on the field before.
But just because Real Madrid brought the big-name players to Real Salt Lake's home field for practice on Tuesday, it did not change what Salt Lake's players still had to focus on. When RSL's training session was done, and while Madrid's players warmed up on the newly-installed grass at the stadium, the Major League Soccer club talked about their Wednesday game in Colorado against the Rapids.
"Our focus is 100 percent on Colorado, and when we come back, it will be an exhibition," Salt Lake midfielder Chris Klein said. "It will be an exhibition that's fun, and we'll put a whole lot into it, but our main focus right now is solely on Colorado."
As well it should be, if Salt Lake still intends to make the MLS Cup Playoffs.
"Pretty much every game is going to be a huge game for us," defender Eddie Pope said. "Obviously they are in the division, and you want that swing."
To be sure, having a team in town with a payroll 100 times as large as Real Salt Lake's can be a distraction. And to be sure, some part of RSL's roster is feeling a little star-struck. But first things first.
"You take it one game at a time," Pope said. "We're going to have to play this game first, we're going to try to focus and go in there and get a win."
Pope will be back on the field against the Rapids, having taken the last three games off to rehabilitate his ailing right foot. The last time he played was in a 1-0 loss to Dallas on July 22; since then, he has missed a pair of league games as well as last Wednesday's 1-0 U.S. Open Cup loss to the Rapids.
Pope said his foot is feeling better.
"It's still swollen, but I can at least fit it in my shoe, so I'm good to go," Pope said.
Real Salt Lake coach John Ellinger certainly will be glad to have Pope on the back line. Pope has been absent in all three of Salt Lake's games against the Rapids this season. RSL has gone 0-2-1 against Colorado this season in all competitions, with both losses the result of poor decision-making on the back line.
Pope's experience, Ellinger said, should help Salt Lake's difficulties on defense against the Rapids. Colorado has outscored RSL 4-2 this season.
"We've been unlucky," Ellinger said. "Both goals Colorado has scored to win games have been from mistakes in the back. We have to do a better job of keeping aware of where everybody is."
Real Salt Lake's last game was a 1-0 loss to the Rapids in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup, just one week ago.
"It's fresh in their minds," Ellinger said. "We got bumped from the Cup, but we all feel the same way. If we're going to win a game against Colorado, of the two games last Wednesday and this Wednesday, the one tomorrow is the one we want to win."
While Salt Lake will end the week with a match against Real Madrid, the short term plan is for the players to put the European team out of their minds.
"We were doing pretty good as far as focusing on Colorado, until you cross them on the field a little bit," Ellinger said. "You can't get away from the fact that they are here, and it becomes a reality. Hopefully, we go into Colorado and get our points, and then truly enjoy the game on Saturday."
Peter Richins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
