Sandy, UT (Sports Network) - Real Salt Lake needs a win against the visiting New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer action on Wednesday night to have any realistic shot at making the 2009 playoffs.

The Salt Lake City club is currently seventh in the Western table, and needs to leap-frog at least two teams to make the second season, a scenario that will be all but impossible without the full points on Wednesday.

RSL is coming off a 3-0 loss to one of the teams it is chasing - FC Dallas - in its last league fixture on Sept. 26, and has three games left to get back into contention, including two this week.

"I thought there would be something break our way that would lead to some confidence, some momentum and some emotion from our players," RSL coach Jason Kreis said after the loss to Dallas. "We had some chances there after that second goal where we were in their box with some chances to score but we don't take them. Maybe if one of those things happen, maybe the emotions and the momentum shift our way and maybe we have a good reaction. We need to show a little more fight to get to that point."

RSL (9-11-7), which has had almost three weeks to prepare for the last three games, currently sits four points out of the final wild card spot.

"We've treated this break as a mini-preseason and I would love to not be in that position," Kreis said. "I would love to have come off a win and said, 'OK, everything is good. Have an enjoyable time.' But desperate times call for desperate measures."

The Red Bulls (4-18-6) are just trying to play spoiler after being eliminated from playoff contention long ago in one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. The last time the Red Bulls played RSL in Utah, they actually earned a victory for the right to face the Columbus Crew in MLS Cup 2008, which the Crew won. Now, the Red Bulls will just be trying to avoid becoming the third team in MLS history to go winless on the road for the entire season. New York is 0-12-2 away from Giants Stadium this season, with its last road victory being that Western Conference Championship game at RSL last season.

"We're professional soccer players, this is what we do for a living," New York interim coach Richie Williams said. "So whether it's a little pick up game here or a training session there, you always need to show up. You have got to have pride in yourself and in what you do, and come every day and be competitive and want to do well. We've had such a disappointing season that we want to show everybody that we're still a good team and that we still can get results. Over the last six games, it's been a little bit better, we've got some points, got some wins. With two games left we're going to try and get six more points out of them."

In its last league fixture, New York, the Eastern Conference's last-place team, fell to the West's last-place team, San Jose, 1-0.

"We've only got four wins, so we're trying our hardest to get as many wins as we can," Williams said. "We've got one more road game, and it would be nice to be able to get three points on the road [against Real Salt Lake] to end that streak and we're going to keep working at it."

The Red Bulls will be without goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul because of international duty, and defender Kevin Goldthwaite and forward John Wolyniec because of injury. Midfielder Jorge Rojas and forward Juan Pablo Angel are also listed as questionable on the team's injury report.

RSL midfielder Ned Grabavoy is questionable, and forward Fabian Espindola, midfielder Javier Morales, goalkeeper Nick Rimando and defender Robbie Russell are all probable with injuries.