Bullet takeaways
- Goncalves strikes the winning goal in Rocky Mountain Cup derby
- RSL climb above West playoff line, now up to 9th-place ‘play-in spot’ in West standings
- Claret-and-Cobalt lose RMC title but win back-to-back games for first time since mid-July
Real Salt Lake remain in the hunt for a playoff spot - controlling their own destiny, even - and right now, nothing else matters.
Pablo Mastroeni’s men ensured they remained not just firmly in the conversation, but now favorably positioned for a Conference-best fifth-straight MLS Cup Playoff appearance with a hard-fought victory Saturday against a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful Colorado Rapids side in the Rocky Mountain Cup final, in a narrow, closely-contested encounter at America First Field.
Midfielder Diogo Gonçalves proved the central protagonist, netting the only goal of the encounter six minutes from halftime with a thunderous, first-time effort into the top left-hand corner to help the Claret-and-Cobalt extend its current run of victories to two successive matches - its first back-to-back wins since mid-July, peioe to Leagues Cup.
In an arduous contest, Gonçalves’ goal ensured the Portuguese emerged as the headline act, if only just, but there were encouraging displays in modest supply across the breadth of the squad on a night when the team’s resilience and grit ultimately shone through.
Here, our author discusses some of the most compelling performance and pivotal implications from a night of crucial conquest on the Wasatch Front.
What does this result mean for RSL?
Everything — and more.
RSL’s 2025 campaign has been one of great trials and long suffering; the English dictionary defines ‘long suffering’ as “having or showing patience in spite of troubles,” and, admittedly, there perhaps isn’t a better description of RSL’s 2025 season than that.
Deep and protracted early-term struggles meant the Club were effectively resigned to a recalibration of season priorities, in what has been a mostly transitional year, with the goal of playoff qualification seen as the best, clearest route to any semblance of footballing salvation.
In service of that, the summer brought about a general upturn in form and performances, but every game for the past few weeks for RSL has felt like a Final, and none more so than Saturday night in Sandy.
Mastroeni’s side arrived at the contest in 11th place in the West and three points behind Colorado, with both sides desperately in pursuit of a postseason berth. RSL’s boss has never failed to qualify his sides for the MLS playoffs in all his years at the helm of the Claret-and-Cobalt, but this season was beginning to look precariously in danger of unraveling in anticlimax. It all stood on the line on Saturday, and compellingly, too, against a famous old rival, so much so, in fact, that defeat would’ve all but surely ended any lingering postseason hopes — and it is in that context that Saturday’s triumph becomes so crucial.
Victory means that Mastroeni's men now climb up to 9th place — the customary second ‘play-in eligibility spot’ — in the West standings, now favorably placed with only two games remaining - both away - in this regular season, the Club’s 21st in MLS.
Amazingly, RSL now has the opportunity to not only leapfrog eighth-placed Dallas and potentially snare home-field advantage in the West play-in game, but successive wins away at Seattle Saturday and at St. Louis on Decision Day could potentially launch the Utah side all the way to sixth in the Western Conference, should Austin and Portland stumble in the coming weeks. Dallas and Austin each join RSL in having two games remaining, while Portland, San Jose and Colorado only have the Oct. 18 "Decision Day” points available.
A 1-0 margin of victory, however, does mean the Claret-and-Cobalt relinquish the Rocky Mountain Cup trophy for a second successive year, but Mastroeni and Co. will arguably care little, not if it means retaining a playoff spot for a fifth consecutive year, and the head coach will surely back his men to see it all the way through in these final few weeks of the regular campaign.
Gonçalves the difference maker
There was enough to like in RSL’s offensive labors in the first half.
A 1-0 result at full-time painted the picture of a narrow, evenly-fought contest — which was generally merited — but there was enough from Mastroeni’s side’s attacking exertions during the first half, in particular, to have emerged with a higher margin of victory.
The ultimate beneficiary in the end? Step forward, Diogo Gonçalves
The 28-year-old was handed a chance right from the start in Mastroeni’s starting XI, with the opportunity to give a positive account of himself, and repaid his manager’s faith with the winning goal.
The former F.C. Copenhagen man has appeared across all positions in attacking midfield for RSL since his summer 2024 arrival, and on Saturday, was handed a start out on the right flank — albeit in a narrow 4-2-2-2 system — for the second weekend in a row, ultimately sufficiently impressing both with his goal as well as overall level of performance.
Gonçalves' creativity and combination abilities were evident — crucial given his narrow positioning — in finding synergy and combining well with his fellow attackers in central areas. His synergy, particularly with striker Rwan Cruz, was conspicuous, and the midfielder nearly put RSL in front early in the game on 24 minutes when a delicious attacking sequence involving all of Diego Luna, Victor Olatunji and the aforementioned Cruz found Gonçalves with ample time and space for a shot outside on the edge of the opposition box - but his rifled effort could only sting the palms of the opposition goalkeeper Zack Steffen before falling out for a corner.
It would only take another 15 minutes, however, and the budding Cruz-Gonçalves connection would come to the fore again, this time to crucial consequence.
A delicate dink into the penalty area from defender Alex Katranis found Cruz on the edge of the box, and his cutback found an onrushing Gonçalves, who bludgeoned home a first-time effort past Steffen and into the top corner, right into the little postage stamp of the net to draw first blood for the hosts on the night.
An eventual 70th-minute substitution saw the midfielder withdrawn, but Saturday night’s strike will have provided him with a lot of confidence, and the team with much belief heading into the final two games of the regular season.
What next for RSL?
The next assignment for RSL lies in an away trip to playoff-bound Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field on Saturday, October 11, with kickoff slated for 7:30 pm MT.
