Real Salt Lake entered Saturday night with the objective of adding three crucial points to its Leagues Cup 2025 campaign, bringing it one step closer to quarterfinal qualification. The Utah side put up a strong performance in the first fixture against the vaunted Liga MX side Club América. After its opponents drew the game 2-2 in the final minutes of the affair, RSL retook momentum and claimed victory in the penalty shootout, winning 3-1 and taking home an important two points thanks to a heroic showing from team captain and goalkeeper Rafael Cabral.
For the second Phase One fixture against Atlético San Luis, Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni made five changes in the starting XI, including the addition of Paraguayan midfielder Braian Ojeda, replacing Emeka Eneli, opting for a dynamic midfield to combat the Mexican side’s style of play.
The opening minutes of the game showed a motivated RSL side, keen on getting an early lead to set the tone for the rest of the night. It took only nine minutes for the Claret-and-Cobalt to get on the scoresheet. For the first time this season, RSL scored directly off a corner kick. Ojeda delivered the breakthrough, losing his man and getting on the other end of an inviting far post cross by Pablo Ruiz. The 25-year-old positioned himself at the top-left of the six-yard box and, completely unmarked, struck the ball the first-time, opening up his body to make contact with the inside of his right foot.
Throughout the majority of the first half, Ojeda played a significant role in the team’s promising attacks, filtering the ball upfield and setting the tempo in the midfield along with Ruiz. Despite the equalizer from San Luis in the 24th minute, the team refused to waver in its attempts to reclaim the lead, creating multiple opportunities before the end of the first 45’ but unable to capitalize.
The second half opened up for both teams as they pushed further upfield, leaving spaces in defense for the opposition to exploit. For Ojeda, this meant constantly tracking back and forth between his defensive and attacking duties to maintain organization in the middle of the pitch.
In the late stages of the night, San Luis took the lead after Rafael Cabral came close to denying a one-on-one with the opposing attacker. Trailing 2-1 with only ten minutes remaining, RSL was forced to press forward in search of an equalizer, finding it just minutes after conceding.
Ojeda once again proved to be the solution for Mastroeni, just as he did when he scored the game-winner against the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2-1 home win last Saturday in MLS action. With just two minutes remaining before second-half stoppage, the Paraguayan international collected the ball on the left flank near the touchline and delivered a dangerous offering that caught the San Luis goalkeeper off guard, curling directly into the back of the net.
Moments after the celebration, uncertainty arose as the San Luis players surrounded the referee to argue that an RSL player was offside. However, the referee confirmed the goal, leveling the game at 2-2. RSL secured a crucial point with the draw, but came up short in the penalty shootout, falling 4-1.
Ojeda - who now has three of his four career RSL goals over three seasons coming in the last eight days - finished the game with strong numbers for a holding midfielder, surpassing his expected goals mark of .28 as he scored his first brace in an RSL uniform. Additionally, he completed 48 passes with an accuracy of 84%.
RSL will look to regain its footing in the final Phase One match against Querétaro this Wednesday, August 6th at America First Field. Kickoff is set for 7:30 MT. Tickets are available here.
