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(Sports Network) - Real Salt Lake returns home to host the Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday night in Major League Soccer action.
Both Western Conference clubs are coming off tough losses in league play in their last outings, with the Sounders being dominated at San Jose, 4-0, this past Sunday, and RSL dropping a 1-0 decision at Chicago a day earlier.
Real Salt Lake (6-8-5) needs to pick up its play if it wants to qualify for the playoffs for the second time. The Utah club has just one win in its last four MLS fixtures, including losing it's only game at Rio Tinto Stadium this season during that span. While the club is coming off a loss at the Fire, head coach Jason Kreis chose to stay positive after the game.
"I think there are a lot of positives to this game," he said. "It's never going to be an easy task to come to Chicago and get a result. I think at this moment we have to take out the positives and move on."
So what were the positives?
"It was another night where I thought it wasn't our best night with our passing but it was a night where we created enough quality chances and limited the opponent's chances, and I think we deserved a draw," Kreis said. "At this time of the year, it comes down to individual plays and it can be frustrating when you emphasize to the players that we have to be alert defending set pieces and to get scored off a throw-in, is disappointing."
Seattle, on the other hand, can take no positive out of its humiliating loss at San Jose.
"We didn't play well," Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said. "We got down early and then we got the red card and it was too big a mountain to climb. I don't want to take anything away from San Jose. They finished their chances well, but we kind of gave some of the goals to them."
"I can't say it too often this season that we just got beat," Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller said. "The balls that we won in the air, we lost on the second challenge and got beat to the ball. The ones we didn't win in the air, we were just beaten to. We were just second best on the whole field."
The Sounders will have to play Saturday's game without defender James Riley because of a red card he received vs. San Jose. Also, Seattle will be without defender Taylor Graham and midfielder Michael Fucito because of injuries.
RSL will be without forward Yura Movsisyan, while defender Robbie Russell is doubtful, both with injuries.
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