Real Salt Lake Fights To Stay Afloat In West Against Houston Dynamo
Sep 13, 2024, 3:39 PM
(Photo courtesy of Real Salt Lake)
(Photo courtesy of Real Salt Lake)
SALT LAKE CITY – Real Salt Lake will travel to Houston this weekend to face off against the rival Dynamo FC as the final stretch of the season continues.
RSL Battles Roster Controversy as Season Reaches Crucial Point
RSL is in a very unique situation right now compared to other clubs in the MLS.
Real has sat atop the Western Conference for the vast majority of the season. Despite this, the club has undergone significant roster turnaround in recent weeks.
The dominos started falling when star forward Chicho Arango was suspended in mid-July. To temporarily fill the gap that he left, the club signed forwards Benji Michel and Lachlan Brook.
Gearing up for Saturday pic.twitter.com/jYsBJRxQ8s
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 12, 2024
In August, RSL signed two more new faces with midfielder Diogo Gonçalves and forward Dominik Marczuk. These originally appeared to be roster-strengthening moves.
However, just a couple of weeks later, the hammer fell on RSL. The club waived defender Bryan Oviedo and rising star Andres Gomez transferred to the French Ligue 1.
Even though there were more players coming in the door than going out, it completely changed Real’s identity. Head coach Pablo Mastroeni shared this sentiment.
“There’s a lot of problems to solve,” Mastroeni said. “I think it forces us to really collaborate as a staff, as a team, and figure out the ways that these new players can bring their skillsets to make our team better. It completely changes the dynamic of everything we were up to this point.”
Eyes On Houston And Finishing Strong
If Real Salt Lake hopes to not just hold onto a top seed but also find success in the postseason, they can’t dwell on what was.
There are seven games left on the schedule and the next matchup is potentially the most difficult. RSL will travel to Shell Energy Stadium to take on the Dynamo. Houston sits in seventh in the West but their rank doesn’t tell the full story.
“(The Houston Dynamo) are a fantastic team,” Mastroeni said. “When I look at a team that plays with the same type of mentality and conviction to win games, Houston is a prototype.”
The last time RSL and Houston matched up, the Dynamo knocked Real out of Leagues Cup with a 3-0 win.
these guys again#HOUvRSL | @EnglandLogistic pic.twitter.com/8gD5st6GF4
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 13, 2024
Even though Houston has more or less had Real’s number over the last two years, the upcoming game is far from decided. Both sides have two wins in their last five games.
Mastroeni believes that if RSL can lead the charge and play their own game, three points on the road is very possible.
“If we can dictate the game on our terms, I feel like we’ll have a better chance of getting a good result in Houston,” Mastroeni said.
Any points that Real Salt Lake can get could prove to be crucial. They sit one point behind second-ranked LAFC. Looking the other way, RSL sits just three points ahead of Colorado in fourth and six points from Houston in seventh.
How To Watch Real Salt Lake
All Major League Soccer games are broadcasted on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass.
All Real Salt Lake English-language radio coverage for the 2024 season and beyond will be carried on various KSL radio signals. KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) are both stations under the Bonneville International umbrella.
