2025 MLS Cup Playoff Push Includes Four of Next Five to be Played on Utah Soil;
Luna, Ojeda, Gozo Back from International Duty;
RSL w/ Five Wins, Two Draws in Last Nine at Home Since June 1;
Tickets Available via www.RSL.com/tickets
HERRIMAN, Utah (Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025) – Real Salt Lake (9-14-4, 31 points, 11th West / 21st Shield) returns to America First Field in Sandy following a three-week hiatus with Saturday’s 7:30p MT Major League Soccer regular-season match against rival Sporting Kansas City (7-16-6, 27 points, 13th West / 24th Shield). This weekend’s highly-anticipated contest kicks off a critical three-game week as RSL welcomes the return of three perennial 2025 starters – Diego Luna (USA), Braian Ojeda (Paraguay) and Zavier Gozo (USA U-20) – from international duty.
Luna is expected to play for the first time with new RSL roster additions Victor Olatunji and Rwan Cruz, while the Club’s newest player, MLS veteran and former USMNT standout DeAndre Yedlin will have to serve a caution accumulation suspension after receiving a yellow in the Club’s last home match, a 1-3 loss to Minnesota. Yedlin should return to availability for this Wednesday’s LAFC visit to Sandy, as well as RSL’s return trip to face the Black-and-Gold in Southern California on Sunday, Sept. 21.
Saturday’s contest is available via Apple TV+ / MLS Season Pass, with Nate Bukaty and Devon Kerr (ENG) on the call, as are Raul Guzman and Ashley Gonzalez (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 returns home to play four of its next five contests on Utah soil from Saturday through early October, before ending the 2025 reg. season campaign with two games away: the penultimate 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. RSL now returns home – where it boasts five wins and two draws against just two losses since June 1 – looking to rebound from a pair of chaotic and controversial one-goal losses in each of two mid-August weekends away at Charlotte FC and New York Red Bulls. This weekend’s Sporting Kansas City visit sees another pair of 2025 RSL additions – winger Johnny Russell, as well as striker William Agada – face off against their former side, as the two teams compete for a Western Conference playoff spot. Tickets are available at www.RSL.com/tickets.
RSL now puts its 7-7-3 (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 Kansas City on Saturday. 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 in Sandy.
Game Notes for Saturday’s RSL v Sporting Kansas City Match Available Online
The Adobe PDF version of the 2025 RSL Game Guide in advance of Saturday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City can be found HERE. Media members looking to receive the document as an attachment or have further questions are asked to please contact RSL Communications via email at *RSLcommunications@RSL.com*.
That 3-1 victory at San Diego on April 26 also 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 105 wins, 118 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 68-62-44 (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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