Forget the 2005 season.
Real Salt Lake's second-year campaign made all the pain, anguish and frustration of the team's inaugural season seem like a distant memory. Real finished with a 5-22-5 record that year; after going 10-13-9 in 2006, things already are looking up for next year.
RSL coach John Ellinger certainly likes the position he is in, even though Real missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year and again took fifth place in the Western Conference, this time in a tie with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
"Last year, it was an overhaul," Ellinger said. "This year, it's just try and make it better. I think we've got a pretty good core now."
It seemed memories of the 2005 season faded slowly for some of the players, at least the few that were left after RSL's offseason roster remake. Real earned only one point from its first six games, and played catch-up in the standings the rest of the way.
But things began to turn around for RSL when the team visited the L.A. Galaxy in mid-May. The Galaxy played without Landon Donovan, and Real earned its first victory of the season as well as its first road win in club history, 3-0 at The Home Depot Center.
That victory was the first in a four-game point streak for Real. But by the time July came around, Real was back into another winless streak; it was the wrong time for a slump, considering how the workload increased. Between the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, various exhibition games and the regular Major League Soccer schedule, Real played twice per week for six weeks.
But on the other hand, the extra experience might have been a blessing.
Between July 29 and Aug. 30, Real went 5-1. For the first time in team history, they scored four goals in a game against the Colorado Rapids. Then, on Aug. 12, investor/operator Dave Checketts broke ground for a new stadium with international superstar David Beckham by his side. Later that night, Real lost 2-0 to Real Madrid in an exhibition match at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
It was a day to remember in RSL history, but at the conclusion of the 2006 MLS regular season, the players are thinking about the team's impressive turnaround in the second half of the season. Real earned the most points of any team in the league since the midpoint, going 7-4-5 and earning 26 points. Real also led the league in points on the road, earning 22 total.
The 2006 RSL team hardly compared to the 2005 team.
"It's night and day really," team captain Jason Kreis said. "I feel that all of the players that we had this year, from the young players to the experienced players, helped us by playing significant roles. The older players came in to help lead this team, do all the right things on and off the field. The younger players came in with good attitudes. We have some terrific young talent. I think it's going to continue to improve. You'll see the team take another step forward because of that."
One of the best moves RSL made prior to the 2006 campaign was a trade, Clint Mathis to Colorado in exchange for Jeff Cunningham. In an RSL jersey, Cunningham led the league with 16 goals, enough to earn him the Budweiser Golden Boot. He was also tied for second in the league in assists with 11, one behind the league leader (Terry Cooke of Colorado).
But this offseason, RSL need not make any such moves. Most of Real's core players should be back, and after seeing significant improvements in players such as Kevin Novak, Willis Forko, Atiba Harris and Mehdi Ballouchy, Real can look forward to the 2007 season.
Peter Richins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
