RSL try to stay alive against Rapids

INVESCO FIELD at MILE HIGH
DENVER, Colo.
7:30 pm MT (FSN-RM)

The Rocky Mountain Cup will be decided over the final month of the campaign as the Rapids and Real face each other three more times to close out the season. With the Rapids in fourth place and Real in fifth, the scenario is quite simple: RSL must all but win out if they are to claim a playoff spot in their inaugural season. A Colorado victory on Wednesday night will leave the teams 15 points apart with just 15 points available for Real over their final five games - they would have to win them all just to force a tie in the standings, though having the advantage of two more head-to-head meetings.

REFEREE: Abbey Okulaja. SAR (bench): Craig Lowry; JAR (opposite): Steven Taylor; 4th: Marcel Yonan
MLS Career: 38 games; FC/gm: 30.8; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 3; pens: 12
Games involving Rapids: P6 W2 L3 T1; FC/gm: 32.2; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 1; pens: 2
Games involving Real: P1 W0 L0 T1; FC/gm: 25.0; Y/gm: 1.0; R: 0; pens: 0

INJURY REPORT: COLORADO RAPIDS - OUT: MF Matt Crawford (R hip strain); GK Joe Cannon (L abdominal strain); QUESTIONABLE: MF Leo Cullen (L knee sprain); PROBABLE: DF Dan Gargan (R hamstring strain); DF Mike Petke (R ankle sprain) ... REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: FW Jason Kreis (L knee partial ACL tear); DF Rustin Pierce (R hamstring strain); PROBABLE: DF Nelson Akwari (L groin strain); MF Chris Brown (L hamstring strain);: DF Eddie Pope (L ankle sprain); FW Dante Washington (R ankle sprain)

SUSPENDED: COL: Alain Nkong (11 add'l CP; through Sept. 21) ... RSL: Kenny Cutler (21 CP; through Sept. 21); Brian Dunseth (through Sept. 25)
WARNINGS: COL: Hunter Freeman (19 CP); Eric Denton (16 CP); Mike Petke (18 CP) ... RSL: Paul Broome (17 CP); Clint Mathis (9 add'l CP); Andy Williams (18 CP)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: RSL: MF Nikolas Besagno (U.S. U-17 national team)

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (1 meetings): Rapids 0 wins, 0 goals ... Real 1 win (0 shootout), 1 goal ... 0 draws
IN DENVER: first meeting

This is the second meeting between the two clubs, this first in Denver. The teams are competing for the Rocky Mountain Cup and they have two more encounters over the final month of the campaign, twice in two weeks at the end of the season to end the first-year rivalry: Oct. 1 at Invesco Field, then Oct. 15 at Rice-Eccles.

Fans of the Rapids and Real joined together to work with the clubs to organize and promote the Rocky Mountain Cup. Known as the Committee of 10, the supporters group is spearheading an effort to celebrate the competitive soccer spirit of the Rocky Mountain region. The Rocky Mountain Cup is being developed by like-minded supporters and fan organizations such as the RSL Loyalists and RapidsFan.com. The team with the most points at the end of the four-game series will win the cup; in case they are tied, goal difference and away goals will be the first two tiebreakers, with the third being the most recent head-to-head victory.

Coaches record: Fernando Clavijo vs. RSL: P1 W0 L1 D0 ... John Ellinger v COL: P1 W1 L0 D0

LAST MEETING

Real Salt Lake made the first-ever home game in club history something to remember, as a late goal gave them a 1-0 victory - the expansion club's first in history - against the Rapids on April 16.

A crowd larger than the listed MLS capacity filed in to see the first home match for expansion Real, and they weren't disappointed. Nine minutes from the end, Clint Mathis whipped in a free kick from the right flank that bounded through the packed penalty area, where defender Brian Dunseth came crashing in at the back post to send a diving header past Rapids goalkeeper Joe Cannon and give the Utah club its first win.

Here's Ellinger's team (4-3-1-2): D.J. Countess - Rusty Pierce, Brian Dunseth, Eddie Pope, Marlon Rojas - Chris Brown (Evan Whitfield 70), Brian Kamler, Luke Kreamalmeyer (Leslie Fitzpatrick 76) - Clint Mathis - Dipsy Selolwane (Jordan Cila 83), Jason Kreis

Here's Clavijo's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Hunter Freeman (Guy Melamed 84), Nat Borchers, Ritchie Kotschau, Eric Denton - Chris Henderson, Kyle Beckerman (Terry Cooke 61), Pablo Mastroeni, Mark Chung - Luchi Gonzalez (Alain Nkong 67), Wolde Harris

COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids lost for the second consecutive match after putting together a five-game unbeaten run, falling 2-0 to D.C. United at RFK Stadium on Saturday night. The Rapids are still in fourth place in the Western Conference with 31 points from 26 matches, still 12 points ahead of Real Salt Lake in their hold on the fourth and final spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs in the division.

D.C. United maintained their hold on second place in the East with their third win in four games while sending the Rapids to back-to-back defeats for the first time in nearly three months.

United broke open a fractious affair with a pair of wonderful goals in the final half-hour. First in the 65th minute - just minutes after Byron Foss had come on as a substitute for his MLS debut in place of injured Joe Cannon - Christian Gomez surprised the young 'keeper when he whipped a free kick inside the near post from the left corner of the penalty area.

Then 10 minutes from the end, a terrific passing movement saw Dema Kovalenko take a nifty backheel and find Jaime Moreno in the area, whose cutback left a defender grabbing at air before he curled a pinpoint shot inside Foss's right-hand post.

Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo made five changes to the team that lost 4-1 to the Los Angeles Galaxy the weekend before at The Home Depot Center. Jovan Kirovski was given the start in his Rapids debut, while Ricky Lewis, Jean-Philippe Peguero, Jeff Cunningham and Pablo Mastroeni all came back into the team. Nat Borchers was suspended, and Dan Gargan, Luchi Gonzalez, Hunter Freeman and Dedi Ben-Dayan were all dropped.

Here's Clavijo's team (3-4-1-2): Joe Cannon (Byron Foss 59) - Ricky Lewis (Dan Gargan 57), Mike Petke, Ritchie Kotschau - Terry Cooke, Pablo Mastroeni, Kyle Beckerman, Eric Denton (Alain Nkong 77) - Jovan Kirovski - Jeff Cunningham, Jean-Philippe Peguero

"I think we played hard. We didn't come out with the points. When you play D.C. you know it is going to be hard," Clavijo said. "It was hard when we played them at home. We beat them. We knew it was going to be hard and took a really good free kick to open up the goals."

TEAM NEWS

One obvious missing link in the sometimes porous Rapids defense was Nat Borchers, who was serving a suspension following a red card last week. Borchers had previously played in all 25 of Colorado's matches this season, the only player on the team to do so.

"We adjusted well," said Clavijo of filling the void left by Borchers' absence. "You have a guy who has been in every single lineup for every single minute that we play, and it's obvious we (had to make) some changes. We put Pablo (Mastroeni) back, who is a very quality player, but it is not his normal position and it was hard."

The Colorado rearguard also suffered a major blow when starting goalkeeper Joe Cannon exited the game midway through the second half. Cannon came into the match with a groin injury and apparently reaggravated it.

"The other team played hard; they executed a great free kick," Clavijo said. "You have to give them credit. We suffered some injuries but you have to give the credit to the team that played well."

Despite the loss, the Rapids were not down about their chances to close out fourth place in the Western Conference.

"We play Salt Lake three more games and Chivas two more games, so we have pretty much been tested. We knew this game was going to be hard and we made it a little harder on ourselves today," Clavijo said. "Overall, all the guys came up, worked hard and can't complain for that."

REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake saw their postseason hopes almost put to an end, losing for the sixth consecutive match, 2-1 to FC Dallas on Sunday afternoon at Pizza Hut Park. Real have 19 points from 26 matches, still 12 points behind the Rapids with just 18 possible points (six matches) remaining - and those two teams still with two more head-to-head encounters after this week.

FC Dallas ended their postseason drought and stopped their long winless run in MLS play while winning a league game at their new home for the first time, and left Real Salt Lake in even more trouble for their playoff aspirations.

Roberto Mina scored twice. He put the Hoops ahead in the 17th minute when Arturo Alvarez drew three defenders to him before looping a pass to the Ecuadorian, who turned and hammered a low drive from a poor angle off the underside of the bar and into the goal.

Then in the 52nd minute Mina was gifted the easiest of finishes, Bobby Rhine fending off a challenge on the right before rolling a low cross to a completely free Mina, who tapped into an open goal.

Real pulled a goal back two minutes later through local Dallas product Jamie Watson, whose flick-on header off a Melvin Tarley header from a corner skipped past FCD 'keeper Scott Garlick, but the Hoops held on for their first league win since June 29.

Real head coach John Ellinger made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 to the New England Revolution the weekend before at home. Andy Williams was suspended, Jason Kreis suspended and injured and Clint Mathis didn't make the trip to Dallas. Gustavo Cabrera made his first MLS start, while Kenny Cutler and Seth Trembly came back into the team.

Here's Ellinger's team (4-5-1): D.J. Countess - Gustavo Cabrera, Brian Dunseth (Chris Brown 61), Eddie Pope, Paul Broome - Adolfo Gregorio (Jordan Cila 46), Kenny Cutler, Brian Kamler (Jamie Watson 46), Seth Trembly, Robert Scarlett - Melvin Tarley

"We need to go home. We need to get away from the road. I was hoping that this game would be the first time we would win on the road, but it's now 13 straight road games without a win," Ellinger said. "The answer has got to be out there somewhere, I just don't know what it is."

TEAM NEWS

Real's recent Liberian acquisition, Melvin Tarley, was effective at times in the first half as the lone striker in Ellinger's 4-5-1 scheme. His touch sometime let him down but his nose for goal is undeniable.

"He's been solid since we picked him up," said Ellinger. "I think someone stepped on his toe or something so that's why he came out of the game. We put a little pad under it, so I think that's why he wasn't able to turn and push but he was fine coming back for the ball. But after that he didn't have that burst that he had in the first half."

Still, Real went more than the opening half-hour without a single attempt at goal, and were out-shot 23-6 for the match.

"Brian Dunseth was supposed to play forward a little bit, like an attacking midfielder. But Robert Scarlett and Adolfo Gregorio were supposed to be more offensive in the first half," Ellinger said. "A lot of times, the ball would come to them and after a second touch, they would still have space after 30 yards with the ball. We stressed that at halftime."

The loss puts Real behind the 8-ball for the playoffs as they sit 12 points back of Colorado with just six games remaining.

"The key game for us is Wednesday (vs. Colorado in Denver)," said Ellinger. "We have to close the gap with Colorado, if we don't then they're 15 points clear with five games to go. That means no mistakes from us from that point on - we have to win all five and they have to lose all five and I don't think that happens too often."

Watson made good on his trip back to his Dallas hometown, scoring a neat flick-on header from a corner kick in the 54th minute to pull Real back within a goal.

"It's awesome. This is home for me - always has been," said Watson. "Getting on the field I was a little nervous, a little excited. I've been waiting for this and fortunately one of the guys on the corner headed it to me and I was standing in front of Scott [Garlick]. I think Scott was kind of waiting to see where I was going to go with it and I was able to flick it by him."

RSL will be without Dunseth for the next two matches, after he was suspended and fined in a review of an incident during the FC Dallas match.