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Real Salt Lake-Crew Preview

Nov 5, 2009 - 3:36 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Real Salt Lake (11-12-7) at Columbus (13-7-10), 8:00 p.m. EDT

Guillermo Barros Schelotto never left the bench in the Columbus Crew's playoff opener. Having him on the field for the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals could provide the offensive boost they need, but Real Salt Lake may have the momentum.

The reigning MLS MVP will try to help the Crew muster some offense and engineer a comeback against Salt Lake when the teams meet Thursday night in Columbus.

The Crew are the reigning MLS Cup champion, and followed up their first league title by going 13-7-10 to win a second consecutive Supporters' Shield.

Much of that success has been attributed to Schelotto, who was named league and Cup MVP last year after he had seven goals and 19 assists in the regular season before adding six more assists in the playoffs.

The midfielder-forward, who assisted on all three Columbus goals in the title game against New York last November, finished this season with a team-high 12 goals and three assists, but was rendered a spectator during Saturday's 1-0 loss at Salt Lake in the first leg of this playoff series.

"Did you check his stats? How many goals does he have the last four or five games since coming back from his injury? I put out the players in my mind that can do the job and help the team," coach Robert Warzycha said. "Sometimes in the games you're not scoring. Me as the coach, I have to find the solution. I'm not saying I'm right all the time.

Warzycha hinted at putting Schelotto back in the lineup Thursday.

"It's going to be a different game," Warzycha said. "Usually at home we play much better. I need to see how he can best help the team. If the team needs him he is going to play."

Columbus went 9-2-4 at home, but might need its playmaker after losing four of its last five by 1-0 scores.

"It's always been a team that scores in bunches," midfielder Danny O'Rourke said. "When we're hot, we're hot and when we're not we're not."

The Crew managed just two shots on goal Saturday, as forward Robbie Findley found the back of the net with two minutes to play, giving RSL an advantage as it tries to return to a conference final for a second consecutive year.

The Crew, though, beat Salt Lake 3-1 in the last meeting at Columbus on July 18, improving to 4-1-0 all-time there.

Real's struggles on the road are well-documented. The team went 2-11-2 as visitors this season and owns a 10-51-16 all-time road record.

"Right now, it's a different game because we won at home," midfielder Javier Morales said. "We need a tie there, but we have to know that it will be a hard game. I think we have to look for (at least) one more goal."

Findley could be key again for RSL after leading the team with a career-high 12 goals in the regular season before getting his first in the playoffs against the Crew. That came a week after he scored twice in a 3-0 win over Colorado to help Salt Lake clinch a playoff berth.

Findley's goal in the first leg was set up by fellow forward Yura Movsisyan, who will leave the team in January to join Randers FC of Denmark after scoring a career-high eight goals this season.

"Anytime you come in, you want to make a difference," Movsisyan told RSL's official Web site. "It doesn't matter whether you get an assist, you get a goal or you shut a play down."