The time is now for Real Salt Lake to make a run at the postseason.
That was the sentiment of RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando in an interview with The Bill & OC Show on ESPN 700 on Monday after the Claret-and-Cobalt raced to a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday. That puts RSL within three points of the sixth and final playoff position in the Western Conference with eight matches left to play.
“We want to win. It’s too late in the season to say we’re going to learn from our mistakes. There’s no excuses now. We’ve got to go out and get points,” Rimando said. “We’ve got to be smart on the road. We’ve got to be smart at home. Like I said, there’s not going to be any excuses. We’ve got to go out there and get points if we want to see that post-season.”
On Saturday, Rimando needed just one save to earn his seventh shutout of the season in his 18 starts. The defense in front of him did its part in slowing down a Seattle attack that scored four goals against Orlando City SC one week earlier. Using possession and a stout defensive stance, RSL got back to its roots in its methodically punishing style of play.
“I think the back four and everybody in front of me played a great game,” Rimando said, noting that even in defeat RSL had a strong performance a week earlier. “I think it was the same game that we played against Portland but this time we put away our chances and we kept the zero.”
Now with eight matches left on the MLS schedule and a six-point gap between fifth place FC Dallas and RSL in ninth place in the Western Conference. With those teams packed so closely together, there isn’t much room for error over the final stretch of the season and teams can make a big swing in the standings if a few results go the right way.
“It is close. It’s not a surprise to see how competitive this league is,” Rimando said. “It takes two or three games to get back up there and hopefully we can do it.”
To hear the full interview, click here.
