MLS: Despite CONCACAF Loss, Real Salt Lake Has Plenty Left to Play For

In most major sports, if you lose a championship game, you have plenty of time to think about it.

After losing the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have to wait nearly nine months to play again.

When the Texas Rangers lost the World Series they had to wait about six months, and the second place team in the NBA this season will have all the way into the fall to think about losing the big one.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for Real Salt Lake, who suffered the worst loss in team history last night to Monterrey in the final leg of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Following a heartbreaking 1-0 loss on a goal by Chilean forward Humberto Suazo, Real Salt Lake has only a few days until they are expected to be back on the pitch as they resume Major League Soccer play on the road against the expansion Portland Timbers.

Real Salt Lake has looked like the team to beat early in this Major League Soccer season. They are currently undefeated with four wins, as well as hold an 18 game regular season unbeaten streak.

They currently trail the Los Angeles Galaxy by just three points, but have played four fewer matches. Real Salt Lake also has a league road win against the New England Revolution that was played primarily by reserve players.

This is pretty impressive considering they do not have the same level of perceived star power as teams such as the Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls.

As Real Salt Lake picks up the pieces from a devastating loss, and moves forward in league play, there is still plenty to play for. Success in any one of three of the four areas would lead them back into CONCACAF Champions League play, and they still have the opportunity to meet pre-season goals such as: 

Western Conference Championship

While this is the only one of the four that does not lead back into the CONCACAF tournament, it is one of the goals that every team sets at the beginning of the season.

At this point, Real Salt Lake sits in second place in the conference with wins over the other two of the top three teams. They beat the defending champion Colorado Rapids by one goal in stoppage time, and dominated the Galaxy 4-1.

They will play some big games on the road against tough Western Conference teams, but having played less games than any other team in he league, Real Salt Lake is in good shape to win the conference.

Major League Soccer Supporters Shield

Similar to winning the Western Conference, but one step further, Real Salt Lake would love to win the Supporters Shield.

This award, given annually to the team with the highest point total at the end of the season, is considered by many to be the mark of the true Major League Soccer champion.

The winner not only qualifies for CONCACAF Champions League play, they enter the tournament directly in the group stage.

Last season, Real Salt Lake fell just short of the honor, being outscored by the L.A. Galaxy by three points.

In 2009, the year they won the MLS Cup, Real Salt Lake finished eighth in total points.

With 12 points through their first four matches, they are currently in a good position to end the season  with the most points.

As good as the start of the season has been, they must stay consistent as there are a lot of matches yet to be played.

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

By virtue of their regular season record last season, Real Salt Lake is one of six Major League Soccer teams that automatically qualified for this tournament.

A total of eight MLS teams, and 21 amateur teams will compete in this competition, with the winner earning a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League.

While play in games for other MLS teams has begun, competition will be in addition to regular season matches and will start for Real Salt Lake in late June, with play running through October. Unless there are schedule changes, all U.S. Open Cup matches will be played on Tuesdays.

Due to their success in this year's CONCACAF league, many will view Real Salt Lake as one of the favorites to return to that tournament through this competition.

Major League Soccer Cup Championship

Fans would like nothing more than to see Real Salt Lake win their second MLS Cup at the end of this season, and add another star to the top of their logo.

With a strong team that features depth at every position, Real Salt Lake is already one of a few favorites to win a second Cup in three seasons.

The winner of the 10 team MLS Cup tournament will automatically receive a berth in the group stage of the CONCACAF tournament. The runner up will also get into the tournament, but will enter in the preliminary stage.

Hopefully for Real Salt Lake fans there will come the day when the team returns to the CONCACAF Champions League finals so that they can take care of the business left unfinished this year.

As disappointing as the recent loss was, the future is very bright for Real Salt Lake and they have a great chance to continue to make history on the field.

It will not be easy for them, but they are set up well to continue it's success and make a run through Major League Soccer this season.

They definitely have a lot to play for.