Storylines | Real Salt Lake Finishes Out Three-Game Road Swing Against St. Louis City SC 

Coming off of disappointing back-to-back losses on the road, having recently fallen to both LAFC and the Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake turns its focus this weekend to its matchup against St. Louis City SC in the final match of its three-game post-World Cup road swing at Energizer Park on Saturday, August 1. The Club will be looking to snap its six-game road winless streak since its March 7 win at Atlanta, including a two-game slide since resuming action filling the summer World Cup hiatus. 

This edition of Storylines will introduce new players to the Club's history, explore the series between Real Salt Lake and St. Louis City SC and showcase Zavier Gozo as an MLS All-Star.

Back-to-Back Debuts

Real Salt Lake enters Saturday’s matchup coming off consecutive losses to open a span of 11 games in 44 days, falling 3-1 to LAFC a week ago Wednesday before suffering a 2-1 loss in Portland on Saturday to the Timbers. The upcoming match against St. Louis is vital in proving that Salt Lake has not abandoned the momentum it gained in the first half of the season, demonstrators what it takes to bring home three points this weekend. While the last two matches have not yielded a positive result, they have featured new faces to the Club’s roster, both of which have made quick contributions for Salt Lake: forward Saba Lobjandize and defender Juan Jose Arias.

In the 78th minute of the battle against LAFC, Lobjanidze made his RSL debut memorable when he came on for Diego Luna, making an immediate impact when he served an 86th-minute assist to Lukas Engel. Despite only playing 15 minutes, Lobjanidze contributed to a lively attack, creating the lone goal scored in the 3-1 loss. The 31-year-old winger came over on July 1 from Atlanta United, having played three-plus seasons in MLS, racking up 645 minutes of play and notching 15 goals and 21 assists in his 93 MLS appearances with Atlanta. The left-footed player will be a cornerstone of RSL's attack during the remainder of the 2026 campaign.

Three days later in following match against the Portland Timbers, Arias stepped onto the pitch, subbing on for Engel in the 74th minute to make his Real Salt Lake debut. Despite being down a man, and only playing 16 minutes of the match, Arias made key defensive contributions to the Claret-and-Cobalt backline. Previously, the Colombian centerback played with Atlético Nacional, with his time at the club winning him two Colombian league titles (2021–22, 2023–24), two Colombian Super Cups (2022–23, 2024–25), and two Colombian Cups (2022–23, 2024–25). The U22 player's winning mindset and reliability on the backline will be a solid presence as RSL seeks a victory this Saturday.

Utah’s First Homegrown MLS All-Star 

Real Salt Lake's identity is perfectly mirrored in its 19-year-old homegrown star, Zavier Gozo, who will be heading to St. Louis straight off of the MLS All-Star game. The winger made history as the first Utah native and Real Salt Lake player voted into the MLS All-Star First XI for the 2026 midsummer festivities in Charlotte. Gozo played 27 minutes in the 4-3 MLS win, joining stars such as LAFC’s Son Heung-Min and 2026 USMNT captain Tim Ream as the MLS All-Stars downed the Liga MX All-Stars in a match on Wednesday night.

Gozo is a crucial playmaker for the RSL attack, having notched a club-high six goals (tied with rookie Sergi Solans) and adding five assists in 16 matches during his breakout season, always a vital piece to finding success over St. Louis on Saturday upon returning from the MLS All-Star Game.

The History of RSL and STL

Real Salt Lake and St. Louis City SC share a brief history, beginning after St. Louis joined MLS as an expansion team in 2023. The Western Conference rivals have gone head-to-head six previous times, with Salt Lake boasting a record of 3 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws. The Claret-and-Cobalt have dominated in St. Louis with one win and two draws, not losing to St. Louis in the last five games overall since its St. Louis won the first meeting in Sandy, 4-0, in 2023. The last time the two clubs faced off in St. Louis was October, 2025, the decision day clash ending in a dramatic 2-2 draw featuring an early brace from striker Victor Olatunji. 

St. Louis enters Saturday's matchup sitting at 7th in the Western Conference standings with a record of 7-4-6, 25 pts. The club has been on a recent tear, extending to before the international break, having gone unbeaten in eight games, with six wins and two draws, and not losing a match since early May in its 0-2 defeat to Austin FC. St. Louis has seen nothing but victories since returning from international break with a 1-0 success over the Colorado Rapids, a 3-1 win over the LA Galaxy, and a 3-2 triumph over Kansas City. 

St. Louis’ Marcel Hartel leads the club in goals with five for the 2026 season, and will be a pivotal player to watch for in the matchup this weekend, as he goes head-to-head with RSL’s backline. 

As Salt Lake looks to bounce back from its consecutive losses, it will rely on the new additions to the roster and RSL stars such as Gozo in the attack as the group takes on its third game in 10 days on the road. In the first of two meetings against St. Louis this season, Saturday’s clash is scheduled to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. MT at Energizer Park in St. Louis, Missouri. Fans can watch the match exclusively on AppleTV.

Looking Ahead 

Following the match against St. Louis, RSL will return home to play its first Leagues Cup 2026 match against Liga MX power Tigres UANL on Tuesday, August 4. The match is the first of five home games in 15 days at America First Field. Tickets for all Leagues Cup and regular- season matches are available at www.RSL.com/tickets.