As Real Salt Lake coach John Ellinger lightheartedly put it, the pressure of obtaining results as an expansion side that everyone looks to beat up on is mounting. Unfortunately, the pressure doesn't mount when RSL look to go to goal.
Real took their fourth consecutive shutout defeat and saw their goalless streak extend to 411 minutes (and 421 minutes on the road) with a 1-0 defeat to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center.
Away from home, Real has just a single draw to show from six matches and just one goal scored - by Jason Kreis, at The Home Depot Center against the Galaxy.
"You've got a dam with seven or eight holes in it. Do you want to stick your pinky finger in there and try to patch them all up?" Kreis said in describing the sources of his team's current rut. "We've got to address one major thing at a time, and tonight that was work ethic. Our goal was to put a solid effort forth. I felt we did. I think the coach has got our attention."
Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was named the Galaxy's Man of the Match over the public address system after the final whistle for earning his 100th MLS win, to which an unidentified RSL player could later be heard shouting through the hallway outside the locker room, "We put one shot on goal! We didn't even test Hartman!"
However, this was not the match for Real to look to break its scoring slump. Not when the priority was to neutralize one of the league's best attacks, bolstered by the return of 52nd-minute goal scorer Landon Donovan, by keeping space tight in the back on the spacious Home Depot Center pitch.
Particularly with Brian Kamler coming back from midfield to play the left back role for Rusty Pierce (tight left hamstring) and Matt Behncke filling in for centerback Eddie Pope, who did not make the trip after playing in the USA's 3-0 World Cup qualifying win in Panama Wednesday.
Pope picked up a bone bruise to his right kneecap in last weekend's qualifier against Costa Rica in Salt Lake City and was rested in the hope he'll be ready next Saturday at San Jose.
Sitting eight and nine men behind the ball consistently against the patient, possession-oriented attack of the Galaxy, RSL had no shots or corners in the opening half.
"We were playing for a result," Ellinger said. "At halftime, we thought we were in it and maybe we could sneak it out. We've got to be able to be in a situation where we could play a 0-0 game. We have to be able to get results in those types of games."
RSL didn't record its first shot until the 51st minute as target forward Dante Washington, getting his first start this season, sent a roller wide. The ensuing goal kick saw Cobi Jones receive the ball and drop a chip over the Real back line where Donovan had freed himself, making no mistake with a clinical finish inside D.J. Countess's right-hand post.
Still, RSL was reluctant to open up much, hoping to get lucky with one chance. "You don't have Rusty. You don't have Eddie. I'm not going to go with three in the back and commit suicide," Ellinger said.
That one legitimate chance, of five second-half shots, came in the 65th minute as Galaxy defender Tyrone Marshall slipped in marking Washington, whose seven-yard header from a bouncing cross from the left got past the charging Hartman and landed on the crossbar.
The rebound caromed right back into the goalmouth to Washington, who won a header over Hartman's challenge only for left back Todd Dunivant to boot the ball off the line. Ellinger mentioned that it looked like the ball might have gone over the goalline after seeing the videotape afterward.
Dunivant insisted he was telling the truth when he said: "No, it wasn't over. It was close. It was right on it, but it defintely didn't go over."
Hoping to find a working combination up the pitch and a semblance of an attack, Ellinger dropped Kreis into a central midfield, creator's role.
"It's movement, and we've said for the past couple weeks our final pass is not good enough, and it's luck," Kreis said. "Positionally, I talked to John and I told him I thought I could help the team by moving back into midfield. I felt we did have two or three good chances. For us right now, that's enough. If Dante's header goes in, we've got a different outlook on things."
Washington partnered Clint Mathis, who often dropped back to get touches and was mostly invisible in the game. Kreis shared central midfield with MLS debutant Kenny Cutler, the holding midfielder. Ellinger also brought in rookie forward Jamie Watson in the 61st minute for Mathis. Watson had all of one minute of MLS experience prior.
Said Ellinger: "It's a good start for Dante. It's good to see his strength and power was there for 90 minutes. He'll start next week. I thought Kenny did well for a debut. I thought part of the difference in the game was he and Jason handled Peter Vagenas and (Paulo) Nagamura in the middle quite well.
"Jamie gave us a good, solid 20 minutes. He has to learn you can't just go into a corner and lose the ball. I talked to him about it."
Whether the lineup changes again for next week remains to be seen. But Real knows its goal output and away record must change immediately to challenge for the playoffs over the rest of the season.
Damian Secore is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
