Real Salt Lake enters the final month of the 2023 MLS season as part of a 10-team glut from 2nd to 11th place in the Western Conference separated by just eight points in the race for the 2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs (top nine teams). RSL is seeking its first home postseason match since 2019.
RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni’s team begins the last four games tied with Houston on 43 points, two points behind Seattle and LAFC (45 points) as Conference runners-up behind St. Louis. Utah leads Portland, Vancouver, San Jose, Dallas, Kansas City, and Minnesota by one, two, or four points.
RSL lost 0-4 against LAFC in the Leagues Cup on August 8, with metronomic midfielder Pablo Ruiz injured in the 9th minute. LAFC defeated RSL 3-0 in Utah in early May, bringing RSL’s all-time record to two victories and 12 defeats in six years. RSL’s 2018 postseason triumph in LA, clinched by Captain Damir Kreilach’s “Karate Kick” goal, and 2020 reg. season win are the series highlights.
Last time out, Brayan Vera and Justen Glad scored second-half goals to beat Vancouver 2-1 at home after RSL had lost two straight. Vera’s equalizer was his second direct free kick goal in his debut season with RSL, both at home in September. Glad headed home Andrés Gómez’s cross for his fifth goal of the season. Five of Gómez’s six assists this season have been game-winners.
DECISION DAY DRAMA: Real Salt Lake has advanced to the MLS Cup Playoffs in 12 of the last 15 seasons, winning 1-0 at Kansas City in 2021 and 3-1 at Portland in 2022.
RSL homegrown Justen Glad extended Thursday
RSL announced earlier this week that 26-year-old Homegrown DF Justen Glad has signed a contract extension through 2027. Glad, the longest-serving Real Salt Lake player, joined the club on April 7, 2014, aged 17 years old as its sixth-ever Homegrown Player. Glad achieved many Club records, including becoming the first Homegrown captain and the first to reach 100 games and 200 games played. Glad was the first Homegrown to be selected Real Salt Lake’s MVP by his locker-room teammates last season.
Glad is the third-most capped current Homegrown Player remaining with their initial club, behind Jonathan Osorio (276, Toronto FC) and Russell Teibert (253, Vancouver Whitecaps FC), having played 212 MLS reg. season matches for Real Salt Lake. Glad has 212 MLS regular-season appearances, sixth all-time behind Club icons Nick Rimando (369), Kyle Beckerman (350), Chris Wingert (247), Tony Beltran (245), and Javier Morales (240).
STOP SLIDE
With only two victories in its past eight games and three in its last 10 in all competitions, RSL travels at LAFC days after the SoCal side’s Campeones Cup penalty-kick loss to Mexican power Tigres. Only the Sept. 2 Rocky Mountain Cup triumph against Colorado at home—2-0—and Saturday’s Vancouver win stopped the bleeding. On August 20, RSL lost their first game of the year against Dallas at home after scoring the opening goal. The Claret-and-Cobalt currently have 11 victories and one tie in 13 games after taking a 1-0 lead.
Vancouver against. Comeback Kids On Display
RSL reversed the curse against Vancouver three days after the shocking home defeat to Dallas, allowing an early set-piece goal before scoring two second-half goals. RSL has won four games this season (Vancouver twice, Charlotte, and León) and drawn three (KC/MIN and at home against Minnesota) despite conceding first. RSL DF Justen Glad scored two of his five goals this season against the Whitecaps, including a 2-1 road opening at BC Place in February. He scored the game-winner Saturday after scoring the equalizer on Matchday One.