HERRIMAN, Utah (Friday, August 23, 2024) – Real Salt Lake (12-5-8, 44 points, 3rd in MLS West) returns to its 2024 Major League Soccer schedule on Saturday night at home against the San Jose Earthquakes (4-19-2, 14 points, 14th in West), the first of two consecutive home games at America First Field in Sandy, UT, to close out the month of August. RSL remains in the hunt for the MLS Supporters’ Shield and first place in the Western Conference, with the Claret-and-Cobalt playing four of its next five games and six of its final nine overall on Utah soil, where Coach-in-Chief’s team Pablo Mastroeni has stood out this season.
Kickoff for Saturday’s match is at 7:30 p.m. MT at America First Field in Sandy, and the match will be available via Apple TV+ / MLS Season Pass, with narration by Blake Price y Paul Dolan (in English), as well as Raul Guzman y Carlos Ruiz (in Spanish).
In their last home game on August 1, RSL began their 2024 Leagues Cup experience with a 2-1 home win over Atlas FC (Liga MX), rallying from an early deficit to win on goals from forward Anderson Julio (45+2′) and the midfielder Nelson Palacio (79′). Palacio’s goal off the bench, just a minute after coming on, turned out to be the winner, a nearly 40-yard shot that traveled at 80 miles per hour into the back of the net. The RSL striker Andres Gomez He picked up the assist on Julio’s tying goal in the dying moments of the first half, rewarding another sellout crowd, including 20,956 at the Leagues Cup opener at America First Field, which has seen RSL record six consecutive sellouts and eight in 12 home games this season.
With that win, Team Utah improved its record on Utah soil this year to 9-2-1 / 28 points, in addition to improving its all-time record against Mexican visitors in friendly competitions, the CONCACAF Champions League and the Leagues Cup in the 20-year history of the Claret-and-Cobalt to 5-6-3 / 18 points.
Since the Club’s elimination from the Leagues Cup on August 5 in Houston, RSL completed the most active summer transfer window in the team’s 20-year history, with the arrival of five new players to the Wasatch Front: forward Benji Michelthe defender Javain Brownthe midfielder/forward Lachlan Brookthe midfielder Diogo Goncalves and the forward Dominik Marczuk. While Michel was able to play 16 minutes in an MLS match on July 20 in Colorado, becoming the 212th player in RSL’s 20 MLS seasons and the eighth player to debut for the Club this season, in addition to making his home debut on Aug. 1 against Atlas, Saturday provides the opportunity for three of the remaining four – Portuguese Designated Player Gonçalves, former Vancouver center back Brown and Australian youth international Brook – to make their RSL and/or MLS debuts. Due to the P-1 visa acquisition process, Polish youth international Marczuk is hoping to first don the Claret-and-Cobalt colors next Saturday, Aug. 31, at home against the New England Revolution.
RSL’s departing players during the recent MLS transfer window include midfielder Fidel Barajas (sold to Chivas Guadalajara in the LIGA MX), to the forward Andres Gomez (sold to the Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 of France) and the defender Bryan Oviedo (released).
Real Salt Lake vs. San Jose Earthquakes – MLS Matchday 29
America First Field – Sandy, UT
Saturday, August 24, 2024 – 7:30 pm MT
Apple TV+ / MLS Season Pass
RECOVERY RESPONSE IS AGAIN REQUIRED DURING THE MASTROENI ERA ::
RSL returns to MLS action on Saturday looking to finally put the bad taste left in its mouth after a shock 0-3 loss in Houston 19 days ago behind it, as a win or draw at home would once again provide the “bounce back” response we have come to expect. The resilience, response and determination of RSL’s collective DNA during the era of Pablo Mastroenialso known as the “xDAWG” mentality, was on full display in that Aug. 1 2-1 home win against Atlas, after a 12-day break following the disappointing Rocky Mountain Cup loss on July 20 in Colorado. During the 128 games now coached by Mastroeni since taking the reins of the Claret-and-Cobalt in late August 2021, RSL has lost consecutive games just nine times total, with four of the nine occurring last August, following the non-contact-related knee injury suffered by the metronomic playmaker. Pablo Ruiz in mid-August at LAFC in the Leagues Cup Round of 32 match.
In those 128 matches managed by Pablo since late August 2021, the matches following a loss have seen RSL successfully bounce back and respond with 19 wins and 13 draws to just nine losses, avoiding long droughts and not allowing losing streaks to drag on. Mastroeni’s all-time record with RSL in all competitions now stands at 53 wins, 44 losses and 31 draws across the MLS regular season, MLS Cup playoffs, Leagues Cup, Open Cup and international friendlies, guiding the Club to the MLS Western Conference Final in 2021 and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Semi-Final in 2023.
MLS GOLDEN BOOT LEADER CHICHO ARANGO READY TO RETURN TO MLS ACTION ::
That home game against Atlas FC on August 1 represented the fourth and final game of the suspension imposed by MLS on RSL captain, Colombian forward and MLS Golden Boot leader, Chicho Arangowho also missed RSL’s 1-1 draw on July 17 at LAFC, the 2-3 loss at Colorado on July 20 and the MLS All-Star Game on July 24 against the Liga MX All-Stars.
Chicho, who remains the league’s Golden Boot leader by one goal over D.C. United’s Christian Benteke and LAFC’s Denis Bouanga despite the Colombian’s scoring drought from July 13-20, played the final 45 minutes of the 3-0 loss at Houston in RSL’s second Leagues Cup group stage match.
PALACIO’S GOAL IS THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF RSL LONG-DISTANCE FEATS ::
RSL midfielder Nelson Palacio scored the latest in a series of long-range heroics for RSL with his dazzling, decisive shot from distance on Thursday – 38 yards out, 78.1 mph (according to Sportrac). This goal follows other long-range heroics, such as the captain’s goal from midfield Chicho Arango on June 1 in a 5-1 home win against Austin, as part of his hat-trick that day, while midfielder Pablo Ruiz He was a finalist for the 2023 MLS Goal of the Year with his 68-yard strike at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. last summer. RSL’s stadium in Sandy, Utah, may not be a desired future venue for Mexico powerhouse Atlas FC, as the Rojinegros also played at this venue, now known as America First Field, in October 2022, as part of that year’s “Leagues Cup Showcase.” Although RSL fell 1-2 at home that midweek October night, the match will be remembered for former RSL youth player Aaron Herrera’s 78-yard long-range goal that gave the home team the lead.
STARS GLAD AND LUNA RETURN TO UTAH ::
Real Salt Lake saw the return of both of its MLS All-Star representatives – defender Justen Glad and the midfielder Diego Luna – a week before the match against Atlas after spending four days in Columbus, Ohio, as part of Major League Soccer’s annual All-Star festivities. Glad was voted into Wilfried Nancy’s starting XI against the Liga MX stars by a combination of fan, player and media votes, playing the full first 45 minutes and facing off against standout attackers such as André-Pierre Gignac (Tigres), Germán Berterame (Monterrey) and Pedro Rondon (Pachuca). Luna, named as a replacement on the roster by teammate Chicho Arangowho was voted into the XI but later suspended by MLS, entered the match as a first-half substitute for Portland star Evander. The 20-year-old RSL forward played the final 20 minutes of the first half. Luna, also the youngest player in the 2024 MLS All-Star squad, participated in several events Tuesday night as part of the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge, grinning from ear to ear all week and introducing his 18-month-old son to iconic CONCACAF players.
MLS HOME SCHEDULE STARTING AUGUST 24 AGAINST SAN JOSE ::
As the final sun sets on the 2024 Leagues Cup tournament, RSL will play six of its final nine MLS games at home, where the Claret-and-Cobalt boast 8 wins and 1 draw against just 2 losses in league play this season, in addition to a ninth home win over Atlas FC. Saturday’s home game against the San Jose Earthquakes (4-19-2, 14 points, 14th in the West) is the first of two remaining RSL games against the West’s bottom-place team, as RSL also hosts the East’s last-place team, New England Revolution (7-14-2, 23 points, 15th in the East) to close out August.
Following the international break on the weekend of Sept. 7, RSL’s September schedule begins and ends with a pair of Texas trips – to Austin (Sept. 14) and Houston (Sept. 28) – with home games against Dallas and Portland on Sept. 18/21. RSL hosts Minnesota on Oct. 2 and Vancouver on Oct. 19 for Decision Day, with a trip to the Bay Area on Oct. 5 before another FIFA international window on the weekend of Oct. 12.
