RSL Returns to Major League Soccer Action Saturday vs. Visiting Loons;
This Weekend’s Match Fourth of Five Home Games to Kick Off August for Leagues Cup Quarterfinalists;
Tickets for All Home Events Remain Available via www.RSL.com/Tickets
SANDY, Utah (Friday, August 14, 2026) – This weekend, Real Salt Lake (8W-6L-3T, 27 points, 5th West MLS / 9th Shield) remains home for the fourth of five consecutive America First Field appearances, hosting MLS Western Conference rival Minnesota United FC on Saturday with a 7:30p MT kickoff.
RSL returns to Major League Soccer action on the heels of three consecutive Leagues Cup contests against Liga MX visitors, with the Claret-and-Cobalt advancing to the knockout stage August 25-27 by outscoring the trio of Mexican sides 8-1, with six different goalscorers and 19 different starters. Since returning home on August 4, RSL boasts an active 264-minute shutout streak, with back-to-back clean sheets in its 4-0 win Saturday against Atlante and the 3-0 victory Tuesday against Juarez. RSL GK and Captain Rafael Cabral – who has played every minute of every one of RSL’s 61 games across all competitions the last two years – has now registered consecutive shutouts for the first time since July, 2025, and just the second time this season.
Following RSL’s 2026 Leagues Cup Phase One trio of matches – one which snapped a five-game winless run across multiple competitions – RSL now owns a 10-1-1 (W-L-T) mark on Utah soil in 2026, outscoring visitors 30-10, with the lone setback coming on April 22 in an 0-2 loss to Inter Miami CF. Since June 1, 2025, RSL is now 18-4-3 (W-L-T) at home, while Tuesday’s Leagues Cup victory improved RSL to 8-6-6 all-time against Mexican visitors in the last 22 seasons, with a 20-10-10 mark on the Wasatch Front against all international opponents.
Saturday’s RSL vs. Minnesota 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. Nelson Moran – now in his 22nd RSL season as RSL’s Spanish radio voice – along with Isidro Lopez and Willy Barrueta will be conducting the Spanish call on KBMG Latino 106.3 FM.
GAME NOTES for Saturday’s RSL v Minnesota Match Available Online
The Adobe PDF version of the 2026 RSL Game Guide in advance of Saturday’s Leagues Cup contest between Real Salt Lake and Minnesota United FC 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 welcomes Minnesota Saturday looking to snap a four-game winless run in Major League Soccer action, with a 1-1 draw on May 23 in St. Paul kicking off the RSL drought. Utah native Zach Booth scored his first-ever MLS goal midway through the first half on that day – assisted by fellow RSL Academy homegrown Zavier Gozo, the in the Club’s first-ever “Utah only” scoring combination – to give RSL the lead, but a late set-piece concession by RSL after holding the advantage for 70 minutes forced the Utah side to settle for a road point. RSL has not defeated Minnesota outright since August, 2022, winless in its last nine contests against the Loons.
In three of RSL’s four August matches, RSL rookie Sergi Solans has found the back of the net, scoring a Club-high 11 goals this season (seven 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 4-0 win over Atlante CF, while adding his second Leagues Cup goal in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Juarez. When scoring first during the Mastroeni era, RSL is now 56-11-21 (W-L-T) since August, 2021, while taking a 1-0 lead.
Saturday’s match against Minnesota is the seventh amidst a critical stretch of 11 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 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. With RSL qualifying for the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, additional games will be added to the post-World Cup gauntlet.
Despite the four-game winless streak in MLS action dating back to May 16, RSL remains in fifth place in a tightly-packed MLS Western Conference with 17 games remaining in its 22nd all-time MLS season, with Saturday’s match a month removed from a 4-1 home exhibition win over English Championship side Burnley FC, the first of at least four international clubs to arrive on the Wasatch Front during a 30-day midsummer span.
Real Salt Lake Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni has now managed the Club in 205 matches across all competitions, registering 85 wins, 72 losses and 48 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 205 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
Competing on the Wasatch Front, the Juarez decimation Tuesday boosts RSL’s all-time record against Mexican visitors to 8W-6L-6T on the Wasatch Front, where RSL has now outscored the Liga MX sides 29-25 over the years on their collective visits. With RSL’s accrual of seven points from three Phase One matches and its MLS-best goal differential of +7, RSL has ensured passage into the 2026 Leagues Cup Quarterfinal stage, with final seeding and resultant matchups pending Thursday’s Chicago v Cruz Azul and Austin v Club América contests.
As one of four MLS sides with advancement, RSL next plays one of the Liga MX quarterfinalists during the Aug. 25-27 window, with opponent, site and time TBD. Real Salt Lake entered the tourney ranked as the 30th overall side out of 36 participants based on its 2025 performance and standings results, with RSL fifth of the six teams in the West 1 pod, which also included MLS sides Vancouver and Minnesota, in addition to RSL’s three Liga MX opponents. Further information on each match can be found at www.RSL.com or www.LeaguesCup.com.
Running from August 4 through September 6, Leagues Cup 2026 features 36 clubs – all 18 LIGA MX teams and 18 qualified MLS clubs. All 54 matches during Phase One along with the Quarterfinals will deliver LIGA MX vs. MLS matchups and featured defending Leagues Cup champion Seattle Sounders, top-rated LIGA MX Club Toluca, 2025 MLS Cup Champion Inter Miami, as well as 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup winner Cruz Azul and runner-up Vancouver Whitecaps.
RSL Next Match: 8/15 @ America First Field
Wear black! RSL takes on Minnesota United FC at home in the first dark mode match of the season! Secure your seats for an unforgettable match at America First Field.
