SANDY, Utah – A year ago, Real Salt Lake played the LA Galaxy on the road in the first leg of their Western Conference Semifinal series and escaped with just a 1-0 deficit.
It was, all things considered, a result RSL could live with, especially as they went on to beat the Galaxy 2-0 in the second leg to advance. In the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, however, the stakes have changed.
Which team will win the series?
This time around, the first tiebreaker in the two-leg series is away goals, making it important for a team to shut out their opponents at home while placing an emphasis on scoring in your opponent’s place. And unlike last year, RSL will face LA at first at home in a Saturday night matchup at Rio Tinto Stadium (8 pm ET; NBCSN, get tickets here).
“We've got to keep it zero at home,” RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando told reporters. “It's going to be tough against those guys, but … we've stopped them before. And there's no reason why we can't stop them again.
“It's so important now because away goals mean something.”
Veteran RSL defender Chris Wingert said the emphasis on away goals “changes things just a little bit. Our mentality at home will probably remain the same. Theirs might change a little bit in terms of wanting to get a goal on the road. Obviously, that would be very impactful going into the second leg.
“We can't worry about that too much. We just have to play our game.”
RSL captain Kyle Beckerman said the weight given to away goals “should make the playoffs a little more interesting this year.”
And it should make it tougher for the Galaxy to come to Rio Tinto Stadium and bunker in.
“For us, it doesn't change much because we seem to try and play the same way, home or away,” Beckerman told the media. “But I think it does for some teams that would come and sit back and try to get a draw. Now it gives you incentive to try and get a goal.
“I think this new format with the away goals is going to kind of help with that. So we'll see. They've come in here and sat back before.”
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The Claret-and-Cobalt feel like they have some momentum heading into the playoffs. They've posted three consecutive shutouts, albeit against teams that didn't make the postseason – San Jose, Portland and Chivas USA.
“For me, as a defender, there's no bigger boost – there's no bigger incentive – than getting a shutout,” said Tony Beltran. “That's what [we] want every game.”
RSL head coach Jeff Cassar said his team’s confidence “is very high” on the defensive side of the ball, which could prove to be the key in the first leg.
“You definitely want to get a shutout, but it's also important in the playoffs to get a goal on the road because that can really put pressure on,” Cassar said. “I think it comes down to making sure we're playing both sides of the ball because any time we start to go too offensive and leave ourselves exposed, we're going to be in for it. So I really think the last three games we've done a great job on both sides.”
Veteran defender Nat Borchers disputed the notion that the new format changes much.
“I think that there's always pressure, especially against a good team like LA, not to concede goals,” he said. “If we give one up at home, we're just going to have to score more goals than them.”
