RSL’s quest for footballing redemption arrives at a critical juncture in pursuit of playoff atonement and the preservation of legacy, a crucial week ahead for the Claret-and-Cobalt
Dearest gentle readers, welcome to the sixth installment of “The Playoff Countdown” subseries, exploring all the pertinent, pressing queries, implications, and the current outlook pertaining to Real Salt Lake and the Club’s critical, late 2025 playoff push.
This week, the subject of our narrative bears gladder tidings — much gladder indeed.
With the preceding weekend’s Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry triumph serving as an encouraging backdrop, the next assignment for RSL lies in the guise of a crucial away matchup against rivals and 2025 CONCACAF Leagues Cup Champion Seattle Sounders away at Lumen Field, in what will be the final reverse fixture between both sides this season.
RSL’s pursuit of postseason salvation potentially comes to a crescendo this weekend in this latest chapter of yet another tantalizing rivalry. Possibility and potential are all afoot, and RSL Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni and Co. find themselves right at the center of it all.
Storylines discusses some of the most compelling and crucial narratives, as well as key information, to settle the nerves and fuel anticipation ahead of Saturday’s latest rivalry renewal.
On the precipice
Real Salt Lake remain in the hunt for the postseason, now, suddenly, in full control of its destiny, no outside help necessary — and right now, nothing else matters.
Mastroeni’s men ensured they remained not just firmly in the conversation, but now favorably positioned for a Conference-best fifth-straight MLS Cup playoff appearance with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against a valiant but unsuccessful Colorado Rapids side in the Rocky Mountain Cup decider, in a closely-contested affair at America First Field last time out.
It felt like manna from heaven.
2025 has constituted a rollercoaster ride of a year of much long-suffering for the Claret-and-Cobalt. In a campaign of major transition, deep and protracted early-term struggles meant the Club were quickly resigned to a recalibration of season priorities, with the target of postseason qualification swiftly determined as the clearest route to footballing redemption — and it is on that backdrop that last Saturday’s triumph becomes so crucial.
This was an arduous, gruelling affair — feeling even ugly at times — and it was by far the furthest thing from simply routine, but Mastroeni’s men ensured they were equal parts efficient and resolute in a victory that extended their contemporary run of wins to two consecutive, on a night where the team’s determination and grit — the kind the manager so often craves from his side — ultimately shone through.
The result lifted RSL to 9th place — the customary second ‘play-in spot’ — in the West standings, with 40 points now accrued from 32 MLS matches played this season.
Mastroeni and Co. presently find themselves in agonizing pursuit of footballing salvation, the kind of which can only be achieved through postseason advancement, and this weekend, the team’s quest for such redemption reaches a critical juncture.
Via an elevation of the team’s point tally and position, victory in the Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry rendered the Claret-and-Cobalt now advantageously placed for a fifth consecutive postseason appearance, with just two matches — both away — of the regular season remaining. RSL now only need one more win from its final two regular-season matches to cement a playoff berth for a fifth straight year under Mastroeni, matching Orlando for the longest active streak in the league.
The play-in route still continues to resemble the most immediate path to the playoffs for RSL, but even more excitingly, the Claret-and-Cobalt possess the opportunity to leapfrog 8th-placed Dallas and potentially snatch the much-coveted home-field advantage in the West play-in game, with manager Eric Quill’s Dallas side set to take on LA Galaxy and Vancouver in its final two regular-season matches. Current results and standings, however, mean Mastroeni’s side could also possibly end up catapulting themselves all the way up to 6th place in the Conference table, provided the team can manage victories in its final two games of the season at Seattle and St. Louis, while current 6th and 7th incumbents, Austin and Portland, drop points of their own in these final weeks.
Mastroeni’s men continue to boast the advantage of an extra game in hand over many of their West table competitors, and are joined by Texan sides Dallas and Austin with that benefit, while Portland, San Jose (11th), and Colorado (10th) all only have potential “Decision Day” points from just the Oct. 18 finales available. As such, Mastroeni and Co. convene on a critical footballing fortnight with destiny in its own hands, beginning with a daunting away clash against division heavyweights, the Sounders.
Judgement day
When the Claret-and-Cobalt line up at Lumen Field on Saturday night, Mastroeni’s charges will do so armed with the knowledge that any manner of victory, however narrow or wide, will guarantee another postseason appearance — at the very least through the play-in opportunity — regardless of whatever result occurs afterwards in the team’s final game of the season.
Defeat to Seattle will still leave Mastroeni’s side with a lifeline through a ‘Decision Day’ victory, but the RSL boss will no doubt be aiming to get the objective wrapped up sooner rather than later.
In the service of that, the visitors will surely be looking to the last encounter between the two sides as a source of confidence and inspiration ahead of an all-important clash. at America First Field in the most recent meeting between both teams at the start of March.
Manager Brian Schmelzer’s high-flying side have gone on to enjoy a mostly impressive season since that point, culminating in a maiden Leagues Cup triumph during a thrilling 3-0 final upset win against Inter Miami at the end of August, but arrive at Saturday’s game on a paltry run of just one win in five matches since then. Mastroeni’s men have grappled with their own share of struggles this term, but arrive at Lumen Field on the back of two consecutive encouraging victories and a slight ripple in their sails. They will be further aided as well, if only slightly, by factors which have left Schmelzer’s side moderately depleted, with Saturday’s opponents missing no less than six players to international duty, and midfielder Albert Rusnak also suspended.
The Claret-and-Cobalt will, however, be forced to contend with absences of its own, with midfielders Diego Luna (USA), Braian Ojeda (Paraguay), and likely Zavier Gozo (USA U20) all also unavailable due to international selections, but Mastroeni will be placing full faith in the options at his disposal to get a positive result on Saturday.
Chief amongst the RSL head coach’s offensive starters will be the contemporary attacking trident of strikers Victor Olatunji, Rwan Cruz, and midfielder Diogo Goncalves. The latter proved the difference with the winning goal (his fourth of the season) and an encouraging performance in the preceding weekend’s Rocky Mountain Cup triumph, while strikers Olatunji and Cruz did themselves no manner of disservice at all with convincing-enough performances that continue to justify their acquisitions. Brazilian Cruz managed his first assist in Claret-and-Cobalt, in the set-up for Goncalves’ winner, while Olatunji constituted a consistent terror in the opposition’s defense throughout the night and could be classed as perhaps unfortunate not to have recorded a goal contribution, but two goals in five matches since his summer arrival continue to add credence to his impact and potential.
Saturday will also constitute a homecoming for RSL defender DeAndre Yedlin, against his former side and first career professional team. The 32-year-old was brought through the Seattle Sounders U23 team, making 56 appearances for the club’s first team between 2013 and 2014, before a transfer to English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in August 2014.
Only once before has Yedlin returned to his hometown as the visitor, back in April 2022, earning the game-winning assist in a 1-0 Miami victory.
RSL’s boss has never failed to qualify his team for the MLS Cup playoffs in all his previous four years at the helm of America First Field. That enviable record seems poised for a cathartic, historic extension as his side prepares to tackle these final weeks of the regular campaign.
