Leagues Cup Quarterfinalist Welcomes Major League Soccer Rival Wednesday;
Fifth of Five-Game Homestand Ahead of Late-August Road Travels;
Tickets for All Home Events Remain Available via www.RSL.com/Tickets
SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, August 18, 2026) – This week, Real Salt Lake (8W-6L-4T, 28 points, 7th West MLS / 12th Shield) concludes its five-game America First Field homestand, hosting MLS Western Conference rival FC Dallas on Wednesday with a 7:30p MT kickoff.
RSL welcomes Dallas – one of eight teams separated by just six points in the middle of the West table with the second half of the 2026 regular-season remaining – with the Claret-and-Cobalt owning a five-game unbeaten run across multiple competitions this month. RSL now owns an overall 10-1-2 (W-L-T) mark on Utah soil in 2026, outscoring visitors 31-11, with the lone setback coming on April 22 in an 0-2 loss to Inter Miami CF, while dropping points in 1-1 home draws against Minnesota and Tigres. Since June 1, 2025, RSL is now 18-4-4 (W-L-T) at home, while last Tuesday’s Leagues Cup victory improved RSL to 8-6-6 all-time (29-25 aggregate goals) against Mexican visitors in the last 22 seasons, with a 20-10-10 mark on the Wasatch Front against all international opponents.
Wednesday’s RSL vs. Dallas contest on Apple TV features Mark Rogondino and Heath Pearce on the primary English-language call, with Oscar Salazar providing the Spanish-language analysis. Simultaneously, the KSL Radio team of David James and Jay Nolly return to the mic. Manuel Hernandez, Willy Barrueta and Isidro López make up the team responsible for the Spanish broadcast on KBMG Latino 106.3 FM.
GAME NOTES for Wednesday’s RSL v Dallas Match Available Online
The Adobe PDF version of the 2026 RSL Game Guide in advance of Wednesday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas 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.
RSL’s return to Major League Soccer action the last two matches arrives on the heels of three consecutive Leagues Cup contests against Liga MX visitors, with the Claret-and-Cobalt advancing to the Quarterfinals on August 25 against Club León in Denver by outscoring the trio of Mexican sides 8-1, with six different goalscorers and 19 different starters. Since returning home on August 4, RSL has conceded just two goals in four games, coming 353 minutes apart – early against Tigres (sixth minute) and late against Minnesota (89th minute), with back-to-back clean sheets in its 4-0 win Aug. 8 against Atlante and the 3-0 victory Aug. 11 against Juarez. RSL’s back-to-back clean sheets against Atlante (4-0 on Sat., Aug. 8) and Juarez (3-0 on Tues., Aug. 11) are just the second set of shutouts in the Rafael Cabral era (2025/26), with the combined 7-0 aggregate over 180 minutes the most dominant consecutive games in RSL’s 22-year, 850-game history across all competitions.
RSL welcomes Dallas on Wednesday looking to snap a five-game winless run in Major League Soccer action, with a 3-1 loss on May 9 in Frisco coming in the teams’ previous match this season.
In four of RSL’s five August matches, RSL rookie Sergi Solans has found the back of the net, scoring a Club-high 12 goals this season (eight in MLS, two in Leagues Cup, two in the Burnley friendly). The RSL Golden Boot leader gave RSL the 1-0 lead last Saturday in the 1-1 draw with Minnesota. When scoring first during the Mastroeni era, RSL is now 56-11-22 (W-L-T) since August, 2021, while taking a 1-0 lead.
Wednesday’s match against Dallas is the eighth amidst a critical stretch of 12 games in 44 days for RSL across both MLS and Leagues Cup contests, a run that began with late July road losses at LAFC and Portland. While the St. Louis draw on Aug. 1 snapped a two-game losing streak in RSL’s post-World Cup slate following losses at LAFC on July 22 and at Portland on July 25, the Club is forced to carry an active seven-game winless streak away from home into its next road match, on Sat., August 22 at Orlando. RSL then plays a neutral-site match in the Leagues Cup Quarterfinal next Tuesday, August 25, against Club León, the No. 1 Liga MX seed in this year’s tourney, with the Semifinals slated for Sept. 1-2, and the Final / Third-Place match – critical for CONCACAF Champions Cup trio of spots – to be played on Sunday, Sept. 6.
Real Salt Lake Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni has now managed the Club in 206 matches across all competitions, registering 85 wins, 72 losses and 49 draws in MLS, Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, Leagues Cup, Open Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup and international friendly contests since late August, 2021. The former U.S. Men’s National Team World Cup standout (2002, 2006), MLS Cup Champion (2010) as a player, and former Colorado Rapids manager (2014-16) has averaged 1.60 points per game with RSL in his 202 matches at the helm. Only Cup-winning former manager Jason Kreis (2007-13) – now the Club’s President of Soccer – boasts more games, more wins and a higher PPG average than Mastroeni in RSL’s 22 seasons.
During the Mastroeni era, resilience, grit and determination have served as trademarks for RSL, with the Club suffering back-to-back losses on just 20 occasions in those 206 games. The August 1 match at St. Louis marked the latest opportunity for the Claret-and-Cobalt to display its “xDAWG” mentality as it earned the result at Energizer Park, previously winning 35 and drawing 17 times in “bounce-back” games following a loss in Mastroeni’s five-plus seasons in Utah.
FOURTH-EVER RSL LEAGUES CUP PARTICIPATION CONTINUES
Real Salt Lake (2-0-1, 7 points, 4th MLS Leagues Cup) learned late Friday the next step in its 2026 Leagues Cup pathway, its neutral-site Quarterfinal matchup against Liga MX top-seed Club León (3-0-0, 9 points) to be played on Tuesday, August 25, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in suburban Denver with an 8:30p MT kickoff on Apple TV.
RSL and León have met just once before, back in the 2023 Leagues Cup tourney. RSL defeated León, 3-1, in a weather-delayed match at America First Field that saw the Liga MX side take an early lead in the Round of 32 knockout match, before a Danny Musovski brace and Cristian Arango dagger in the final 20 minutes advanced the Utah squad.
2026 LEAGUES CUP QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25
6:30pm CT | 8:30 ET: CF Monterrey (Liga MX #4) vs. Chicago Fire FC (MLS #1)
SeatGeek Stadium – Bridgeview, IL
Apple TV
8:30 MT | 10:30 ET: Club León (Liga MX #1) vs. Real Salt Lake (MLS #4)
Dick's Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, Colorado
Apple TV
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26
6:30pm MT | 8:30 ET: Toluca FC (Liga MX #3) vs. Austin FC (MLS #2)
Sports Illustrated Stadium – Harrison, NJ
Apple TV | UniMas/TUDN, FS1, TSN 5, Imagen TV
8:45pm MT | 10:45 ET: Club América (Liga MX #2) vs. Columbus Crew (MLS #3)
Dignity Health Sports Park – Carson, CA
Apple TV | UniMas/TUDN, FS1, TSN 5, Televisa, Imagen TV
ROAD TO THE 2026 LEAGUES CUP FINAL
The four Quarterfinal winners will advance to the Leagues Cup Semifinals on September 1–2, with the Third-Place Match and Final scheduled for Sunday, September 6. The Leagues Cup Champion, Runner-up and Third-Place winner will each qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup. To view the complete Leagues Cup 2026 bracket, click here.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Leagues Cup 2026 Quarterfinal matches will be available in the coming days at LeaguesCup.com/tickets and through the applicable hosting club. MLS club season ticket holders should contact their club representative for additional information.
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can watch every Leagues Cup match on Apple TV, with select Quarterfinal matches available across Leagues Cup’s linear broadcast partners. Full broadcast information is available at LeaguesCup.com/schedule.
By virtue of the Utah side’s performance in Phase One of this tournament and a combination of results in matchday three, RSL’s accrual of seven points from three Phase One matches and its MLS-best goal differential of +7 – outscoring opponents 8-1, with goals from six different scorers and 19 different starters – ensured the top four finish on the Major League Soccer side of the 2026 bracket.
RSL Next Match: 8/19 @ America First Field
It's Back to School Night at America First Field. RSL takes on FC Dallas at America First Field.
