The old adage says:  To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.

That’s exactly what Real Salt Lake will be trying to do as it hosts the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew at Rio Tinto Stadium in the first leg of the MLS playoffs on Saturday night.  After pushing its way into the playoffs during the last weekend of the regular season, RSL is looking to play spoiler again when it faces the Crew, the 2009 Supporters Shield winners.

“It’s nice to have the comfort of our own home in the first game,” Real head coach Jason Kreis said. “Hopefully, we’ll get out there and put a marker out there to show Columbus what it’s going to take when we go back to their place.”

Certainly, Columbus won’t forget what happened earlier this season at Rio Tinto.  In RSL’s 2009 home opener on April 2, Real defeated the Crew 4-1 behind a Robbie Findley hat trick. Although they would later go on to beat Real 3-1 in Columbus on July 18, the Crew will be seeking revenge for that April loss.

And with 2008 league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and U.S. internationals Robbie Rogers, Frankie Hejduk, and Chad Marshall on the Crew roster, coach Robert Warzycha has plenty of depth upon which to call.  While Marshall has missed several matches with a knee sprain, he is listed as probable for Saturday’s match.

Meanwhile, RSL has a number of players considered probable:  Kyle Beckerman (knee), Robbie Findley (shoulder), Nelson González (ankle), and Ned Grabavoy (illness).  Fortunately, Kreis has had success changing his starting lineup in the last few matches, with Andy Williams and Findley playing well enough in recent matches to earn starting spots last week in Real’s 3-0 drubbing of Colorado.

That match, which vaulted RSL into the playoffs, exemplifies the kind of effort that Kreis will be expecting his players to replicate.  Real will be looking to win by several goals at home before traveling to Columbus for the second leg of the series.  Javier Morales’ success at playmaking from the midfield will be critical to that effort, while the defense will need to contain Schelotto and Rogers.

Kreis stated simply, “Our guys have to truly believe right now.”

The match will kick off at 4 pm MT and can be seen locally on KUTV 2.2/Comcast 111.