By: Avery Romney
After defeating the Portland Timbers on home turf last Saturday, Real Salt Lake (6-3-1, 19 pts., 6th West) heads to Texas this weekend, hungry for another road win. FC Dallas (4-3-4, 16 pts., 7th West) await the arrival of its Utah foes for the Saturday evening faceoff, trailing just one place behind RSL in the Western Conference standings.
Sparking Winning Momentum
Following a tough two-game stretch against Inter Miami CF and LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake found its response last weekend on the Wasatch, delivering a much-needed win over Portland. With first-half strikes from USA World Cup hopefuls Zavier Gozo and Diego Luna, the Claret-and-Cobalt look to capitalize on the winning momentum going into the next challenge.
RSL set the tone early on Saturday when Spanish rookie Sergi Solans found Gozo’s feet within the 18-yard box, just 10 minutes into the first half. Gozo made contact just inside the box on the right, blasting the ball into the net and bringing the lead to 1-0. Luna doubled the score just 18 minutes later after he delivered Uruguayan World Cup hopeful Juan Manuel Sanabria a one-two pass on the left side of the box, launching a left-footed strike that soared past Portland’s keeper and into the right corner of the net.
Saturday’s win marked the Claret-and-Cobalt’s sixth of the season, and its fifth on home soil. RSL GK Rafael Cabral and the team’s rearguard logged his first clean sheet of the 2026 campaign, the Club’s previous zero coming in a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids on October 4, 2025.
Gozo’s Game-Winning Touch
Homegrown attacker Zavier Gozo is turning heads left and right with a sensational 2026 season thus far. In just 10 games, Gozo has managed to tally three goals and four assists, making a strong case for a spot on the U.S. Men’s National Team World Cup roster this summer. His emergence has added another dynamic layer to RSL’s attack and positioned him as one of the League’s most exciting young talents.
Big moments have consistently found Gozo this season, and the real story is in what the young midfielder decides to do with them. He has recorded five game-winning goal contributions—two goals and three assists—creating the standard for most in MLS this season. While his total goals and assists is already making waves within the public eye, taking a closer look at these moments offers a better understanding into just how valuable this Utah-native is.
Gozo is tied for the second-most game-winning contributions by a teenager in a single season in League history, alongside players like Jozy Altidore, Alphonso Davies, and Freddy Adu—and he’s done it in just 10 matches. With one more game-deciding goal or assist, he would surpass Altidore and move into sole possession of second place all-time, trailing only Diego Fagundez’s mark of eight.
RSL Looking to Strike First
Looking forward to Saturday, the Claret-and-Cobalt are determined for another win to keep themselves above FC Dallas in the Western Conference standings. Before beating the Red Bulls 2-0 on Saturday, the Texas team struggled to come out victorious, with two draws and two losses in a two-week drought from April 11-25. RSL intends to re-implement this pressure, leaning on intensity and structure to put the home-team on the back foot early and control the tempo from the opening whistle.
When RSL strikes first blood during the 193-game Pablo Mastroeni era (since August, 2021), it boasts 51 wins and 19 draws against just 10 losses. Last year, just one of RSL’s 13 wins were earned in come-from-behind fashion, while this season, only the March 14 game against Austin saw RSL climb out of an 0-1 hole to capture the full three points.
This weekend’s road match is set to kick off at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas at 6:30 PM MT, and fans can tune in on Apple TV. RSL returns to the Wasatch Front for its next home match against another Texas rival, Houston Dynamo FC, next Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM MT and tickets are available for purchase here.
