Real Salt Lake Hosts Must-Win Decision Day Game v LA Galaxy Saturday

RSL Needs Three Points Plus Other Results to Continue Western Conference Postseason Streak;  

Claret-and-Cobalt Looking to Improve Upon 12W-4L-4T Record in Sandy on Nov. 7 “Decision Day”; 

Tickets for All Home Events Remain Available via www.RSL.com/Tickets  

HERRIMAN, Utah (Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026) – Saturday, Real Salt Lake (12W-15L-6T, 42 points, 11^th West / 20^th Shield MLS) returns home to host long-time rival LA Galaxy (11W-11L-11T, 44 points, 7^th West / 15^th Shield) for Major League Soccer’s 2026 “Decision Day,” as multiple games with postseason implications kick off simultaneously. RSL returns home for the MUST-WIN affair looking to improve upon the Claret-and-Cobalt’s 12-4-4 (W-L-T) record this year on Utah soil, looking to vanquish the Galaxy for the fifth time at home in seven meetings during the Pablo Mastroeni era.

RSL looks to rebound from its 2-1 loss in San Jose Saturday, a match which snapped a four-game unbeaten run and a 4-1-1 mark that saw it secure 13 points from those last six games to vault itself back into the Western Conference postseason race. RSL now sits just one point shy of Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders and Colorado Rapids for the final playoff spots in the West, needing a win Saturday and for at least one of the three to drop points.  

RSL can still finish as high as seventh in the West, with a win against the Galaxy and dropped points from all of Portland, Seattle and Colorado. If even one of them drop points, RSL will extend the Club’s postseason qualification streak to a West-best six seasons, eight of the last nine year overall, and 16 of 19 campaigns dating back to its inaugural playoff foray in 2008.  

Saturday’s RSL v LA Galaxy contest on Apple TV features Christian Miles and Kacey White on the primary English-language call, while Jorge Perez-Navarro and Marcelo Balboa will provide the Spanish-language analysis. Simultaneously, the KSL Radio team of David James and Jay Nolly return to the mic, with Manuel Hernández conducting the Spanish call with Willy Barrueta and Isidro López on KBMG Latino 106.3 FM.

GAME NOTES for Saturday’s RSL v LA Galaxy Match Available Online  

The Adobe PDF version of the 2026 RSL Game Guide in advance of Saturday’s contest between Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy 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.

Saturday, RSL welcomes the return of Designated Player Morgan Guilavogui, who missed the San Jose match due to his yellow-card accumulation suspension, with the Guinean international providing three goals and adding three assists during the recent six-game RSL surge. Now with 18 goals across all competitions and 14 in his debut MLS campaign, RSL rookie and 2026 Golden Boot leader Sergi Solans needs just one goal Saturday to match the 2012 record for total goals, 19, set by Club legend Alvaro Saborio. Should Solan burst out with a hat trick Saturday, his three goals would match the all-time Club-best scoring campaigns (17 goals by Arango, 2024; Saborio, 2012), as well as the MLS all-time rookie record of 17 goals (Cyle Larin, Orlando, 2015).

Saturday could also mark the first home start since May 16 for homegrown DF Justen Glad, who has appeared in each of the three games in his return from an adductor injury suffered on May 23 at Minnesota, coming off the bench in the recent wins against St. Louis and Austin, before starting and playing 60 minutes in San Jose. Fellow DF Lukas Engel also returned from his hamstring injury on Saturday, playing the final 30 minutes at Earthquakes, while winger Zach Booth suffered a dislocated shoulder, with his status questionable for Decision Day.

Real Salt Lake Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni has now managed the Club in 220 matches across all competitions, registering 89 wins, 81 losses and 51 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 221 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 25 occasions in those 221 games. The October 17 road win at Kansas City marked the latest opportunity for the Claret-and-Cobalt to display its “xDAWG” mentality to earn the result, now winning 37 and drawing 19 times in “bounce-back” games following a loss in Mastroeni’s five-plus seasons in Utah. Drawing first blood has also proven to be critical for RSL during the five-plus seasons under Mastroeni, with RSL now 59-12-23 (W-L-T) when scoring first.