Good to be home: Real Salt Lake hosts stretch starting with road-weary Portland Timbers

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SANDY — The past two weeks, Real Salt Lake has traveled east one week (for a 3-0 win at newcomers FC Cincinnati) only to immediately head west (before a 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy).

Results aside, playing on the road constantly takes a toll on professional athletes, especially in the physical, overly-athletic Major League Soccer season.

It’s good to be home, then, as RSL (3-5-1, 10 points) hosts the Portland Timbers at 7 p.m. MDT Saturday (KMYU, KSL.com) for the first of a home set that includes three of the next four matches at Rio Tinto Stadium — and the other only a short flight to Denver to face the league-worst Colorado Rapids.

It’s a good place to be — at home, that is, and in a position to rack up points for the just-above-the-playoff line Salt Lake side.

"There’s more comfort. It's more comfortable to play at home, to sleep in your own bed, to prepare in the stadium the day before the game. This is where we like to be," RSL coach Mike Petke said. "I think three out of four at home is good for us. But we have to take advantage of it; plain and simple. The players know that."

Just think, then, how RSL's next opponent feels.

Because of a $70 million expansion and renovation of Portland’s Providence Park, the Timbers are playing their first 12 matches on the road.

That’s three months without a home game, and while Portland hasn't performed great so far, the club’s 2-5-1 record (7 points) is painted in a slightly different light under such circumstances.

"It's not easy," Portland's Sebastian Blanco told Portland media earlier this week. "It's difficult to be focused, but we need to be. Twelve games is a lot without family sometimes … We need to be professional every time. For now, we feel more calm after two wins and we have a great opportunity to accomplish better results to play more comfortably."

Petke knows how dangerous the Timbers can be at their best, too. The reigning MLS Cup runners-up have had their way as often as not with Real Salt Lake, owning a 4-5-2 record against the 2005 expansion side.

Led by leading scorer Jeremy Ebobisse (4 goals), this year’s Portland squad is expected to be no different.

"Playing on the road for that many games is not easy," Petke said. "Put in preseason, and they’ve been away for 6-7 weeks. Not being home isn’t easy in a league like this. But that’s a team that I have a ton of respect for, and the players do as well. We know how good they are."

After next week’s trip to Colorado, Real Salt Lake returns home to face Toronto FC and Atlanta United.

Injury update

RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando was elevated to questionable on this week’s injury report, but the veteran netminder was barely a participant in practice Friday. Backup Andrew Putna has started the last two games in goal for Salt Lake.

Moreover, team captain Kyle Beckerman missed training Friday — but Petke alluded to the excused absence as no cause for concern.

"I gave him a pro day," Petke said of Beckerman. "He's getting a little flush, stepped into the ice bath, and there was no need for him to come out here today."

More concern was warranted for defender Tony Beltran, whose recovery from a knee injury that cost him all of the 2018 season faced another setback this week.

"Tony had a setback because he’s a true, honest pro and he pushed it a little too hard," Petke said. "He wanted to fight through things, and he wanted to be with the team, being out so long.

"As of now, he’s not training with the team. They’re still doing some tests and going over what the next steps are."