Midway through the 2006 Major League Soccer season, Real Salt Lake sit on the bottom of the standings and have the same record they did last year after 16 games.
But despite Real's 3-9-4 record, team captain Jason Kreis is far from giving up. The team's leader and workhorse struggles to comprehend reports saying RSL is out of contention.
"I've been hearing a lot and reading a lot that we have a slim chance of making the playoffs; I don't understand that, I really don't," Kreis said.
"There's 48 points left available, there's 16 games, we're only halfway through the season. We don't trail teams by that many points; maybe I'm just wrong. Maybe I'm just flat out wrong, but I believe this team has a lot of fight left in them."
After last Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy, Real has a minus-six goal differential; not stellar, but much improved from last year's mark.
"We're playing good soccer," Kreis said. "Again I feel we've been unfortunate and haven't finished our chances well, we've had some strange plays happen to us again, but I feel this team is still in contention, and I would argue with anyone that says we're not. I don't understand why they would say we weren't."
Real begins the second half of the season on Friday in New England against the Revolution, but before they can get started they will face the Virginia Beach Mariners on Tuesday in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Mariners are in the first division of the United Soccer Leagues.
The game could prove a difficult challenge, considering Real played the Galaxy only three days earlier.
"It certainly makes it physically difficult to deal with, but we have a good roster now," Kreis said. "We have 28 players, some that have experience and other players that through the reserve games have shown they deserve opportunities as well."
And the Mariners, despite playing in a lower-level league, will not necessarily be an easy team to beat.
"Some of the players on Virginia Beach have been in MLS, and talent-wise there are some players on that team that I wouldn't mind having on my team," Real coach John Ellinger said. Still, Ellinger might use some players that have seen limited time against MLS teams this season.
Ellinger also would not be surprised to see the Mariners come out with passion and energy; USL teams like Virginia Beach rarely get to face MLS teams. That certainly was the case last year in Open Cup play, when Real lost in the third round to a Minnesota Thunder team that went on to defeat the Colorado Rapids and the Kansas City Wizards.
Whatever the result, Kreis is convinced Real will turn things around and orchestrate another streak like it put together in May. A win against the Mariners might just provide the necessary spark.
"This team will go in the right direction," Kreis said. "I wish that I could get everybody to believe that as much as I do."
Peter Richins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
