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Lehi • Does Real Salt Lake feel the urgency?

Coach Jason Kreis sure hopes so, especially with two regular-season games remaining in the Major League Soccer schedule and RSL in the midst of a four-game losing streak.

"We need to get points," he said. "There are no more excuses."

Points are needed to lock up third place overall in the league. That's the first priority. Then comes the Rocky Mountain Cup, which goes to the winner of the annual rivalry between RSL and the Colorado Rapids. It will be decided Friday night at Colorado.

Salt Lake defeated Colorado 1-0 on May 13.

The Rapids are six points behind RSL and one point away from fourth-place Dallas.

"We have two games to get our crap together," RSL midfielder Andy Williams said. "Playoff time you can't make mistakes. [Opponents have] capitalized on set pieces and all the little things that matter. That's what is effecting us the last couple of games. Clean up those things and we'll be fine."

Feeling better • Kreis, who watched Saturday's 3-0 loss to Vancouver from a radio booth, has recovered from the food poisoning that kept him off the RSL bench, where he normally coaches. Tuesday, Kreis could at least laugh about it — slightly.

"I'm feeling much better," he said.

The RSL coach apparently ate some bad clams prior to the game. The restaurant was recommended by former RSL trainer Jake Joachim, who now works for Vancouver.

In the future, Kreis will take Joachim's eatery advice with the grain of salt.

Speaking of Kreis • In the Oct. 10 edition of The Sporting News, Brian Straus writes about the RSL coach, who could one day be a candidate lead the U.S. National Team. Straus looks at Kreis' successes with Real as well as Kreis' disappointment about not being more involved with the national team as a player.

"It still bothers me now," Kreis says.

Kreis' national team prospects are now better than ever, writes Straus, who adds the Kreis, at age 38, is in no rush to leave Real Salt Lake.

"This is our family," Kreis said. "And for the foreseeable future, I can't see leaving our family."Playoff future • Seattle looms in RSL's playoff future. Should Salt Lake hang on to third place in the Western Division, and it looks as if it will, RSL will host second-place Sounders in the first leg of the conference semifinals Oct. 29. Game two would be on Nov. 2

The two teams split the season series, with each winning on the other's home field.

Twitter:@rsltribune.com —

RSL at Colorado

P Friday, 8:30 p.m.

TV • ESPN