Washington, DC (My Sportsbook) - Prior to a its current nine-day layoff, D.C. United played six games in all competitions over a three week period. Perhaps as a result of a hectic early season schedule that combined Major League Soccer fixtures with CONCACAF Champions' Cup fixtures, the defending Supporters' Shield winners are tied for last place in the overall league table with back-to-back defending league champions the Houston Dynamo.

Coincidentally, the Dynamo have played the same type of early schedule with their participation the Champions' Cup.

"This has been a tough stretch with a lot of games and a lot of travel," D.C. defensive midfielder Clyde Simms said after the team's most recent league fixture, a 2-1 loss over the Columbus Crew on April 17 at RFK Stadium. "This has been tough. When you are winning you want to keep playing but this is two losses in a row for us so I think we need the break."

"We've been through a tough stretch, I feel like this is dj vu from last year (when United also started the season slow)," D.C. coach Tom Soehn said. "We've got a long week coming up and we're going to work real hard to make sure we are where we need to be, because we're not there yet."

United will have a chance to see if the layoff helped as the team is set to host Real Salt Lake on Saturday in a rematch of an April 12 league fixture that saw D.C. dominated by the Salt Lake City Club in Utah, 4-0.

"We just have to start clicking," Simms said. "Something is off right now. We just have to look at the tape and try to figure it out."

Real Salt Lake hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire either, however, with its only win of the season being against United. The team is coming off a 1-0 loss at Toronto FC last week in which coach Jason Kreis took the blame for the defeat.

"I think we came out tactically and played that game a little bit wrong, to be honest," he said. "The coaching staff takes full responsibility for that. (We were) sitting back when perhaps we should've pressed them from minute one, which is the tactic we took up in the second half."

After going down in the first half, RSL came out strong in the second half, but couldn't equalize.

"We responded well," RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman said of the team's second- half performance. "We didn't get the goal, but we responded well. We showed some good soccer which we can do. If we can just do that right from the start, we'll be all right."

"When we went at them in the second half, it seemed like we played better and defended better," RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando said. "We got some opportunities and going into D.C. that's what we're going to need. We're going to need more opportunities to win the game."

Opportunities that should be harder to come by then the first time around, with United rested and ready to turn around it's early season woes.

"There is no frustration here, we know the potential we have," United forward Luciano Emilio said. "We've lost two games in a row but we know we can go on. We don't have to get frustrated or cry over it. Next game we must look for the result we want.

"We need to get a couple of wins so we can gain confidence, not get desperate, try not to make mistakes because those always end up costing us the game," D.C. midfielder Marcelo Gallardo said. "This needs to be our mentality, not give up, have confidence because we have a competitive team and we're just starting, unfortunately not how we wanted to."