Jason Kreis and RSL need a win tonight to stay in playoff contention. (Getty Images)

While there is an important US game tonight in Washington DC, there happens to also be a MLS game tonight. Yay for MLS scheduling a game right during World Cup qualifying season, in the middle of the week no less.

Still tonight after the US beats Costa Rica (oh yeah, calling a 2-1 win tonight), turn your television sets to ESPN2 to watch even more soccer (at least that part is good!). Real Salt Lake hosts New York Red Bulls tonight in a must-win game for the home-side. Oddly enough the last time these two squared off at Rio Tinto Stadium it was for the right to go to MLS Cup 2008.

Its win or be pretty much be eliminated for the Lakers tonight. RSL sits 34 points with three games left. The mission is to keep winning and survive another game of being in contention. Anything less just won’t cut it for Jason Kreis’ bunch. Interesting thing is out of all the clubs that have struggled at Rio Tinto or in Salt Lake for that matter, New York has never lost to RSL in Salt Lake.

RSL has to get their key offensive guys involved early and break the rust off from their long 18-day layover (thank God we will have balanced schedules next season and no more weird layoffs for clubs). Robbie Findley is one guy that has to be involved early. He tends to be hot and cold too often and this is a game that he has to heat up for here. New York’s defense is the worst in the league and when on the road they are just flat out pathetic. They have to pressure the backline with Findley and Yura Movsisyan.

The thing is I believe RSL will come out a bit flat in this one due to the layoff between games. New York oddly enough probably stands a good shot at getting at least a point out of this game as these two always seem to play to a draw (six draws in nine meetings all-time). I see Juan Pablo Angel and company putting enough pressure on RSL in this one to get a draw. I just don’t see them doing enough to get their first road win of the year here though.

Something about this game screams a draw and that’s what I am going with tonight. I haven’t been high on RSL all season for a reason but I wouldn’t mind seeing them actually show up for once tonight and remind me how good they can be. Angel gets one for New York early and Movsisyan ties things up in the second half for RSL.

WVH Prediction: RSL 1, New York 1