Between late July and early August, Real Salt Lake faces a busy stretch with matches in both MLS and the Leagues Cup. In its second Phase One match of the 2025 Leagues Cup, the Claret-and-Cobalt follow up Wednesday’s 3-1 penalty shootout victory (the game ending in a 2-2 draw after regulation) against Liga MX powerhouse, Club América, with a quick three-day turnaround to welcome another Mexican club to America First Field.
The team now in question is Atlético San Luis, losers Wednesday at Portland by a bitter 0-4 scoreline. Ahead of the 2025 Apertura, the club underwent a managerial change as former head coach Domènec Torrent parted ways with the organization by mutual agreement. The decision followed a poor run of results toward the end of the 2025 Clausura and a failure to align on plans for the upcoming season. Stepping in to revitalize the squad is 36-year-old Spaniard Guillermo Abascal, who has signed on through the end of the year.
With only three league games under his belt with the club so far, it is yet to be seen how the team will respond to the coaching change ahead of the Leagues Cup. In this preview, we’ll explore the key points about RSL’s second Leagues Cup 2025 opponent: Atlético San Luis.
Inconsistency on the Pitch
The present situation at Atlético San Luis is more delicate than it was when the team participated in the 2024 Apertura. In this competition, the team—then led by Torrent—enjoyed one of its best campaigns in recent memory. It finished sixth in the first phase of the competition, then defeated Mexican powerhouse Tigres in the quarterfinals 3-0 on aggregate, before ultimately falling to Monterrey 6-3 on aggregate in the semifinals.
Despite its impressive run, the 2025 Clausura proved to be a completely different challenge that the group was unable to overcome. ‘Los Gladiadores’ ended the competition as the fourth-lowest ranked team in the league, finishing 15th and failing to qualify for the knockout stage. During this time, it logged only six wins in 17 games and suffered 11 defeats, curiously not drawing a single game.
So far in the 2025 Apertura, three matchdays have been played. In its opening match, San Luis defeated León on the road thanks to a last-minute winner from recent signing João Pedro Galvão, who scored in his debut for the club. In the following fixture, the squad hosted Monterrey and suffered another defeat - this time 1-0 - mirroring its loss in the 2024 Apertura semifinals. Saturday, ASL fell in a high-scoring affair, 3-4, away at favored Chivas de Guadalajara. Although it’s still early in the schedule, Atlético San Luis currently sits in 13th place with just three points earned so far.
Ones to Watch
Unlike América, Atlético San Luis is a more modest club based in San Luis Potosí, often serving as a talent pipeline for larger Mexican teams such as América, Cruz Azul, and Chivas. Young players frequently see the club as an opportunity to gain valuable minutes and experience to then move to bigger teams that can compete for trophies. In fact, the owners of Atlético de Madrid in the Spanish LaLiga, partially own the Mexican team which allows them to transfer players between each club.
In recent years, however, the club has been able to invest in talent hailing from the best leagues in the world like the English Premier League and the Bundesliga in Germany. What’s more, in 2023 it was able to sign French forward Sébastien Salles-Lamonge, accruing much-needed experience around Europe. Salles-Lamonge was a critical investment to improve the attack and, so far, the move has proven successful. Across the last two competitions, the Frenchman led the team in scoring with 11 goals and three assists, appearing in all 34 phase-one matches - starting 31 of them, according to fbref.com.
One position that often goes underappreciated in soccer is the fullback. In San Luis’ case, its left fullback is one of the team’s most valuable assets heading into this point of the year. Uruguayan leftback Juan Manuel Sanabria has played a key role in the club since his arrival in 2021 from Atlético de Madrid and has amassed 118 starts in 130 appearances, scoring five goals and adding 20 assists to his resume. Just last season, he scored two goals and provided six assists which marked one of his best seasons with the club while also leading the team in shot-creating actions with 94. Sanabria has become one of the main voices in the squad, acting as one of the team captains for the current season, largely in part to his importance on-field, registering the second-most minutes on the team between 2024 and 2025, according to fbref.com.
While little connects RSL to Atlético San Luis, there is one thing both clubs share in common: Anderson Julio. The Ecuadoran forward spent time with both teams. Notably, Julio first played for the Mexican club before joining the MLS side on loan, which later turned into a permanent deal in 2022. With San Luis, he logged eight starts in 20 appearances, unable to score or provide any assists. On RSL he made 38 starts in 111 appearances, scoring 25 goals and tallying five assists, according to fbref.com.
Just prior to the current Leagues Cup iteration, former RSL wunderkind Fidel Barajas has transferred to San Luis. Roughly a year ago, RSL sold the former Charleston Battery and Mexican Youth National Team player to Chivas for a substantial fee - the second-largest in Claret-and-Cobalt history. Ahead of the 2025 season, Barajas was loaned by Chivas to D.C. United, where the attacking midfielder did not appear on his June 14 visit to RSL, and played just four MLS contests prior to his recent move to Atlético San Luis.
The team currently sits in the middle of the pack in terms of goal scoring, ranking eighth between 2024 and 2025 with 46 goals in 34 matches. Defensively, it also conceded the eighth-most goals during that span - 55 in total - outpacing its goal production, according to fbref.com. Under Torrent, the team often employed a 4-3-3 formation. However, new coach Guillermo Abascal has opted for a 4-2-3-1 in the first three games of the 2025 Apertura, prioritizing greater structure and a more dynamic midfield over strength in the attack.
Bitter Relationship with Leagues Cup
‘Los Tuneros’ are no strangers to the Leagues Cup, as it participated in the last two iterations of the competition in 2023 and 2024. Despite its involvement, the club has not managed to overcome Phase One of the tournament, both times failing to qualify in a three-team group.
In 2023, Atlético San Luis was drawn into a group with the New York Red Bulls and New England Revolution. The Mexican side opened the tournament with a heavy 5-1 loss to the Revs, followed by a 2-1 defeat to the Red Bulls. As a result, the team was eliminated in the first round without earning a single point.
In the subsequent edition, San Luis faced Orlando City SC and CF Montréal in the group stage. In the second matchday fixture, the team suffered its third consecutive Leagues Cup defeat, falling 3-2 to Montréal. Fortunately, San Luis managed to snap the losing streak by earning its first point in the competition with a 1-1 draw against Orlando City, but the team ultimately lost 5-4 in the penalty shootout and was eliminated from the competition.
Real Salt Lake and Atlético San Luis have never faced each other in an official match, adding intrigue for fans of both teams. The unfamiliar matchup brings a layer of unpredictability, as each side must prepare carefully for a crucial game against an unknown opponent.
Come and support the Claret-and-Cobalt during Leagues Cup 2025 as it faces a tough Liga MX opponent. Watch Real Salt Lake take on Atlético San Luis at America First Field this Saturday, August 2. Kickoff is set for 7:30 MT. Tickets are available here.
