Real Salt Lake Travels to Face Los Angeles Football Club Wednesday

RSL Resumes 22^nd MLS Season Following World Cup Hiatus; Three Consecutive MLS Road Matches in Next 10 Days, Prior to America First Field Return for Leagues Cup; Five Home Games from August 4-19, Including Three Liga MX Contests; Tickets Remain Available via www.RSL.com/Tickets

HERRIMAN, Utah (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) – This week, Real Salt Lake (8W-4L-2T, 26 points, 4^th West MLS / t-6^th Shield) resumes its 2026 Major League Soccer campaign with an extended road trip to face Los Angeles Football Club on Wednesday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, remaining on the West Coast to face Portland Timbers FC on Saturday at Providence Park in Portland. Both RSL matches will kick off at 8:30p MT, kicking off a critical stretch of 11 games in 44 days for RSL across both MLS and Leagues Cup contests.

Wednesday’s RSL contest on Apple TV features Max Bretos and Brian Dunseth on the English-language call, with Bruno Vain and Andres Aguila providing the Spanish-language analysis. Additionally, the linear Fox Sports 1 production features Josh Eastern and Lloyd Sam. Meanwhile, the KSL Radio team of David James and Jay Nolly return to the mic, with Nelson Moran – now in his 22^nd RSL season as RSL’s Spanish radio voice – conducting the Spanish call on KBMG Latino 106.3 FM.

GAME NOTES for Wednesday’s RSL @ LAFC Match Available Online

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

Now with 20 games remaining in its 22^nd all-time MLS season, RSL resumes its 2026 campaign one week removed from last week’s 4-1 exhibition win over English Championship side Burnley FC. The first of at least four international clubs to arrive on the Wasatch Front during the next 30 days, Burnley was denied early by a sixth-minute penalty-kick save from Captain Rafael Cabral, later buoyed by a brace from rookie FW Sergi Solans, the Club’s co-Golden Boot leader with Utah native and teenager Zavier Gozo, who also added a goal and an assist on the night. RSL star Diego Luna converted a late penalty to determine the final margin, with Burnley becoming the 33^rd different international opponent to compete on Utah soil against Real Salt Lake, which now boasts an all-time 18W-10L-7T mark against international visitors.

The Burnley home match afforded RSL Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s side – currently fourth overall in the MLS Western Conference and tied for sixth overall in the MLS Supporters Shield with an 8-4-2 (W-L-T) record, good for 26 points, the second-best 14-game start in RSL history – the opportunity to improve on its dominant 8-1-0 (W-L-T) mark at home this season, before resuming its 2026 MLS reg. season campaign this week at LAFC Wednesday and at Portland on Saturday. Last week’s win on Utah soil improves RSL to a 15-4-2 (W-L-T) mark at home across all competitions since June 1, 2025.

LEAGUES CUP ON THE HORIZON

Following the trio of MLS road trips to LAFC (Wed., July 22), Portland Timbers FC (Sat., July 25) and St. Louis CITY SC (Sat., Aug. 1), RSL then welcomes three Liga MX opponents to visit Sandy, Utah, for Phase One of Leagues Cup 2026, with perennial title contender Tigres UANL arriving on Tuesday, August 4 (8:00p MT kickoff), later joined by both Atlante CF (Saturday, August 8) and FC Juarez (Tuesday, August 11) to compete on the Wasatch Front, where the Utah side boasts an all-time 6W-6L-5T record against Mexican visitors, who have outscored the Claret-and-Cobalt 24-21 over the years on their collective visits.

Real Salt Lake enters the tourney ranked as the 30^th 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 includes 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.

RSL’s history with TIGRES UANL is the most extensive of any Liga MX opponent, with RSL and Tigres squaring off for a fifth occasion later this year. Tigres ousted RSL from the Concacaf Champions League back in 2016, winning 2-0 at home before drawing 1-1 in Sandy.

In July, 2019, RSL fell 0-1 to Tigres at home in what was then called the Leagues Cup “Showcase,” a match that is known for a cat running on the field in what was former RSL Head Coach Mike Petke’s final match with the Club. Tigres first visited Utah back in 2008, arriving for a friendly as part of the Xango Cup, RSL winning the game at Rice-Eccles, 1-0. Former RSL centerback Carlos Salcedo arrived in Utah from the Tigres academy more than a decade ago, while RSL sold former goalkeeper Lalo Fernandez to Tigres at a similar juncture.

ATLANTE FC – In recent months, Atlante secured its return to Liga MX by acquiring Mazatlán’s franchise, taking its place in the league. The club now moves to Mexico City yet again, with the famed Estadio Azteca becoming its new home. Mazatlan was formerly known as Monarcas Morelia before relocation in 2020 – entering this summer’s tourney as the second of three visitors to the Beehive State, arriving for the second Phase One match on Saturday, August 8 (kickoff time TBD). Interestingly, back in July, 2006, Morelia did defeat RSL by a 3-1 scoreline at its former Rice-Eccles Stadium home.

FC JUAREZ also makes its maiden visit to Utah as part of the 2026 Leagues Cup, RSL hosting another first-time opponent. Juarez was founded as a second-division side in 2015, ascending to Liga MX in 2019 as a replacement for Lobos BUAP. Former RSL Academy, Real Monarchs and RSL forward and Park City, Utah native Sebastian “Bofo” Saucedo played 17 games for FC Juarez from 2023-25, scoring one goal.

Now in its fourth edition, Leagues Cup 2026 will once again award three spots in the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup, where the winner will represent the region at FIFA international club competitions, with the Leagues Cup 2026 champion earning a direct berth to the Round of 16.

A year ago, RSL drew with both Club América and Atlético San Luis at home before winning against Queretaro, splitting the shootout tiebreakers in the first two matches. RSL Captain and GK Rafa Cabral enjoyed perhaps his signature moment in the dramatic penalty-kick session against Las Aguilas, denying several attempts from the spot after América scored deep into second-half stoppage time to force the draw.

Three days later against Atlético San Luis, RSL saw late dramatics from former MF Braian Ojeda force the tiebreaker, the Claret-and-Cobalt conceding the extra point in the group standings against 2026 newcomer Juan Manuel Sanabria’s former side.

In the group stage finale, RSL defeated Queretaro by a narrow 1-0 scoreline in a match dominated by RSL, which conceded just a lone shot on goal over the 90 minutes, Ojeda again providing the match-winner.

Running from August 4 through September 6, Leagues Cup 2026 will feature 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 feature 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.