This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Although Real Salt Lake played what several players have called their worst game of the year in their regular-season finale at Colorado last weekend, coach Jason Kreis believes that's actually a good thing."It was a real nice thing that happened to us in Colorado, that we were thoroughly outplayed," Kreis said. "I think it sent a pretty strong message to our players, and I think that's all it will take to wake them up" for the Major League Soccer playoffs.The defending MLS Cup champions open their two-game first-round playoff series Saturday at FC Dallas, where it has never so much as tied, let alone won a game.Far from worrying about their form in their last game heading into the series, though, the players insist confidence is not a problem, despite the sluggish performance in Colorado. Defender Robbie Russell said the dramatic 2-2 draw with the Rapids after 90 minutes of mostly uninspired soccer was "a kick in the butt" that will only help."It was the worst we played in awhile," he said. "One, we got the kind of loss mentality from it, but then we also got a result and ended up winning the Rocky Mountain Cup. So I think it was very good for us, in that we played terribly, realized we played terribly, and still got a result."Meanwhile, midfielder Will Johnson did not train on the soggy ground at Xango Field in Lehi today, after straining his left hamstring on Tuesday. Forwards Alvaro Saborio and Paulo Junior and midfielder Nelson Gonzalez also sat out, though they watched from the sideline while also doing some individual rehab drills.