Greetings from “It-so-hot-you-can-feel-your-shirt-melt-onto-yourself,” Texas – aka Pizza Hut Park in Frisco – which will host a meeting of Major League Soccer’s hottest two teams (pun incredibly intended) when Real Salt Lake (9-3-3, 30 pts) and FC Dallas (5-2-7, 22 pts) do battle in an important Western Conference clash.

Real Salt Lake enters North Texas with MLS’ longest active undefeated streak at 10 games (8-0-2), while the “Hoops” have dropped just one of their last 11 (5-1-5) and have gone undefeated in their last five. For RSL, tonight affords another opportunity to continue its club-record undefeated streak and shutout streak – now the 4th longest in League annals at 498 minutes and counting – in addition to the chance to make up three points on the first-place Galaxy (36 pts). On the flip side, Dallas is part of a trio of third-place teams currently sitting on 22 points that are trying to ensure RSL & LA don’t run away from the pack and make the West a two-horse race during the second half of the MLS campaign.

By the way, it’s 100 degrees right now … but it only feels like 103! Think that’ll be a storyline tonight? Just for fun, click here to visit our friends from the Weather Channel for the up-to-the-second temperature readings. Damn you Cantore … we don’t know you are to blame, but we’re pinning this on you!

We’ve got the RSL first XI for tonight, and there’s been a bit of tweaking from head coach Jason Kreis, as he’ll deploy a 4-5-1 formation in lieu of the usual 4-diamond 4-2. Here’s how it’ll look:

GK- Rimando

DEF: Russell (r) – Olave – Borchers (Capt.) – Wingert (L)

MF: Alexandre (deep) – Johnson (deep) – Grabavoy (R) – Morales (C) – Espindola (L)

FW: Findley

Bench: Reynish, Beltran, McKenzie, Williams, Warner, Campos, Saborio

And now the FC Dallas starters (4-4-2 … or so they claim) …

GK: Hartman

DEF: Pearce (R) – John – Ihemelu – Benitez

MID: Harris (R) – Hernandez (Capt.) (deep) – McCarty (att.) – Shea (L)

FWD: Ferreira – Rodriguez

Bench: Sala, Chavez, Cunningham, Guarda, Davies, Loyd, Alexander

As you can see, the Hoops will have an old friend in the first XI (Atiba) and three on the bench (Cunningham, Davies & Ellinger).