When Real Salt Lake walked off of Seattle's Qwest Field in November of 2009 having claimed the Major League Soccer Cup, there were elements inside the league that immediately dismissed RSL's accomplishment.
The team nosed its way into the postseason on the final day of the regular season despite a sub-.500 overall record, a fact that has been thrown in Real's face more than once by its opponents this season.
Heading back to the Emerald City for the first time since that rousing Cup victory, Real has an opportunity to move into first place in the overall MLS standings with six matches to play.
"It's already been mentioned to the players," Real Salt Lake boss Jason Kreis said.
"It would be huge. We feel a lot of pride in what we've done here over the last several years. To answer naysayers at the end of last season would be gigantic ... and show over 2010 what kind of team they are."
Real Salt Lake faces the Seattle Sounders tonight at 9 p.m. in the ESPN2 MLS Game of the Week matchup from Qwest Field.
After trailing Los Angeles by as many as 12 points earlier this season, Columbus pulled even with the Galaxy at 44 points over the weekend.
Real Salt Lake, via its 1-0 result against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, sits at 43 points and can leapfrog both teams with a victory tonight.
The Crew and Galaxy face each other at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on Sunday.
Kreis admits that RSL, given four away matches and still four more matches in the CONCACEF Champions League group stage, is still a longshot for the Supporter's Shield -- given to the side with best record at the end of the MLS campaign.
"(We are) very much a longshot," Kreis said. "Just the number of home vs. away games. That in and of itself puts us behind the 8-ball."
The status of striker Fabian Espindola is still day-to-day after the speedy Argentine international tweaked his hamstring early in the second half against New York.
"It was bad enough that he asked to come," Kreis said. "Anytime a player does that, you know it must be pretty bad."
The good news is that both midfielder Will Johnson and team-leading striker Alvaro Saborio should be back in the lineup for tonight's match.
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