Short-handed and clinging to playoff bid, Real Salt Lake preps for home finale vs. New England

SANDY — Damir Kreilach has been arguably the best option for Real Salt Lake's role of multi-tasking utility player since arriving during the MLS preseason.

The Croatian international arrived as a holding midfielder, but saw himself pushed further up the field: first to attacking midfielder, then to winger, and even at center forward.

If a midfielder can step in at center back, he's probably apt to do it.

And with suspensions and international duty complicating Real Salt Lake's lineup for its home finale Thursday against New England at 7 p.m. MT (KSL.com, KSL TV app), the former Union Berlin midfielder may be put to the test in the final week of the regular season.

Faced with the thought of his final home game at Rio Tinto Stadium, he paused as he realized the fate of the team's postseason is in his hands.

"We have everything in our hands," Kreilach told the media after Tuesday's training session. "But we need three points to earn a spot in the playoffs, and this is the goal of our club. It must be a target for us as players. We have to win this game.

"Anything can happen, but we have to control the game because we have everything in our hands."

That doesn't mean the players are feeling the weight of the season. Kreilach exited the training pitch with a smile on his face, admitting that spirits on the team were up — even after a disastrous 4-1 home loss to Portland before the 10-day international break.

"The mood between players and coaches is excellent," Kreilach said. "We had a few very good sessions in the last 10 days, and what we need to do is keep going and be prepared for the game Thursday."

Complicating preparations for the home finale is that recently completed international break. Real Salt Lake sent Jefferson Savarino (Venezuela), Albert Rusnak (Slovakia) and Joao Plata (Ecuador) out on international duty, and the high-scoring trio was not scheduled to return to Utah until late Wednesday, according to a report first issued by MLSsoccer.com.

None of the three have been ruled out to play Thursday — but the nature of cross-continental flights makes such a concern a reality, head coach Mike Petke admitted earlier in the week.

"We have two scenarios: they are going to play or they are not," he said. "We'll see how they do when they come back, and we have a couple of scenarios that we will go with."

Kreilach's presence in the midfield — or up top, or even on defense — helps the player availability crunch, at least a bit.

"He's a very experienced player, and he’s played at a high level. He’s a team-first player, and he sees the field well," Petke said of Kreilach. "No matter where you put him, he’s going to give you everything he has — and he has the quality on the ball to play a number of positions."

Whatever the situation, Real Salt Lake won't feel bad for itself. There's no time for that; with 10 days since the club's home rout by the Timbers, the players know how tenuous their playoff positioning remains.

Real Salt Lake clings to a one-point lead over the LA Galaxy for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with Vancouver two points further down and with a game in hand; the Whitecaps host second-place Sporting Kansas City at 8 p.m. MT Tuesday night.

"This is the most important game of the season for us," Kreilach said. "In the end, it’s the last game of the regular season in our stadium and in front of our fans. Because of that, we want to use this against New England, and we want to show a good performance, to make our fans happy, take three points, and keep pushing for a nice game against Portland."

After Thursday's match, Real Salt Lake closes the 2018 regular season Sunday, Oct. 21 at Portland. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. MT.

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