Real Salt Lake Back Home Saturday in Must-Win Match against Austin FC
MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Back Home Saturday in Must-Win Match against Austin FC

Published on September 26, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah - Real Salt Lake (10-16-4, 34 points, 12th West / 22nd Shield) returns home Saturday to host visiting Austin FC (12-10-8, 44 points, 6th West / 15th Shield) in a critical, must-win match as the Claret-and-Cobalt look to snap a two-game losing streak and stay alive in the Western Conference's 2025 MLS Cup Playoff race. Saturday's match could potentially see both Wolff brothers on the field simultaneously, as RSL's Tyler Wolff welcomes younger sibling Owen and his Austin FC side to Utah.

Saturday's contest is available via Apple TV+ / MLS Season Pass, with Max Bretos and Brian Dunseth (ENG) on the call, as are Pablo Ramirez and Jesus Bracamontes (SPN). Iconic RSL voice David James and former MLS goalkeeper Jay Nolly will call the game for KSL Sports Radio (1160 AM / 97.5 FM), with Nelson Moran in his 21st season as RSL's Spanish radio home on both 102.3 KDUT FM / 106.3 FM KBMG.

RSL striker Victor Olatunji returns to availability for the Utah side after serving a one-game suspension in Sunday's loss at LAFC following a late red card in the previous home loss to LAFC. Along with Olatunji, RSL also welcomes Diogo Gonçalves (hamstring) and Pablo Ruiz (quadriceps) back to availability. However, RSL will be without the services of homegrown 18-year-old winger Zavier Gozo, whose 2025 FIFA Youth World Cup competition begins Monday with the United States U-20 side in Chile. Gozo, the West Valley-born and Eagle Mountain-raised Utah native provided both assists in a 2-1 home win over Kansas City, along with a highlight-reel golazo in the Sept. 17 loss. Gozo's athletic, acrobatic, twisting aerial overhead volley cut LAFC's two-goal lead in half in the 76th minute, earning SportsCenter Top 10 recognition as the #1 overall highlight the following day.

RSL now puts its 8-9-3 (W-L-T) home mark on the Wasatch Front thus far this year in MLS, Champions Cup and Leagues Cup matches on the line against Open Cup finalist Austin FC on Sept. 27, while also looking to recapture the Rocky Mountain Cup on Oct. 4 against Colorado, needing a multi-goal victory against the Rapids. A year ago, RSL amassed a 12-3-4 (W-L-T) record at home, where the Club has traditionally enjoyed a fortress-like record of success, winning nearly 70% of games and averaging just under two points per game in parts of 17 seasons across all competitions at what is now America First Field.

RSL took an early lead last Sunday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on a sizzling Brayan Vera opener from distance - his second consecutive year with a critical goal away at LAFC - to give RSL the distinction of now scoring first in 20 of 35 matches played in MLS reg. season, Leagues Cup and Champions Cup this year, recording nine wins and four draws against seven losses when drawing first blood. The July 26 comeback home win against San Jose marks the lone victory recorded thus far in 2025 when conceding first.

The 2-1 win at home back on Sept. 13 against Kansas City snapped a three-game losing streak for RSL, its longest since August, 2023; since former USMNT star and MLS veteran Pablo Mastroeni seized the Claret-and-Cobalt head coaching reins in August, 2021, RSL has dropped consecutive games just 17 times in 177 matches during the Mastroeni era, winning 30 and drawing 15 in games following a loss, a mark that will be tested again Saturday.

The Diego Luna goal that 2-1 win over Kansas City two weeks ago gave the 22-year-old MLS All-Star a Club-best ninth goal on the current MLS season, to go with five assists. Luna also provided one goal in RSL's Leagues Cup trio of matches, his 10 goals across all competitions this season eclipsing his previous career-high of eight goals, set last season.

RSL now plays two of its remaining four contests away from home, with home matches each of the next two Saturdays, on Sept. 27 v Austin and Oct. 4 v Colorado; RSL's two road games occur on the penultimate reg. season weekend on Oct. 11 at Seattle in a match rescheduled due to the Sounders' recent Leagues Cup advancement, and at St. Louis for MLS "Decision Day" on October 18. Saturday, RSL will look to seize home momentum - where it boasts six wins and two draws against just three losses since June 1 - looking to pursue a Western Conference playoff spot for the fifth consecutive season. Tickets are available at www.RSL.com/tickets.

The 3-1 victory at San Diego on April 26 marked Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni's 100th career coaching win across all competitions for the two Rocky Mountain Cup competitors, RSL (2021-present) and Colorado (2014-17). The former U.S. World Cup stalwart has now amassed 106 wins, 120 losses and 80 draws across all competitions for the Utah/Denver-based sides. Last June in Kansas City, Mastroeni earned his 50th win across all competitions with RSL in a wild 4-3 road decision, with the 2-0 reg. season win over LA Galaxy on April 5 marking his 50th MLS victory with RSL. Since August, 2021, his arrival in Utah, Mastroeni's all-time RSL coaching record is now 69-64-44 (W-L-T).

During each of Pablo's previous three full seasons at the RSL helm, the Club has increased its annual point total (47 in 2022, 50 in 2023 and 59 last year), while increasing its Western Conference table position as well (7th in 2022, 5th in 2023 and 3rd last year). The 2025 campaign features RSL's pursuit of a Conference-best fifth consecutive postseason berth, a seventh in the last eight seasons and its 15th in the last 18 years.

Last year saw RSL advance to the MLS Cup Playoffs for a fourth consecutive occasion, the sixth time in seven seasons (2020 the lone exception), and for the 14th time in the last 17 seasons since first qualifying in 2008 (2015, 2017 the other outliers). The 2024 MLS regular season reached an all-time high of 59 points for RSL, which finished third in the Western Conference and sixth overall in the then-29-team MLS Shield race, while also establishing a new all-time scoring high of 65 goals.

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