By Josh Green
Midway through RSL’s final three-match week of 2026, Real Salt Lake now hits the road for its final road trip of its 22nd all-time regular season, first with a midweek stop at Austin FC, the penultimate match away from the Wasatch Front, prior to a Halloween matinee at San Jose. With just three matches remaining and nine extremely valuable points remaining in the 2026 season, Real Salt Lake rides a three-game unbeaten streak into the final twelve days, hoping to push its way firmly above the playoff line.
Sergi “GOLans”
Logging the third brace of his first professional campaign in RSL’s dominant 3-0 win over recently-minted U.S. Open Cup Champion St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday, Solans continued to strengthen his resume as a 2026 MLS Newcomer of the Year nominee. Finding the net on either side of halftime in the 41st and 59th minutes, Solans surpassed former Orlando striker Duncan McGuire (13, 2023) to become second overall in all-time goals scored during an MLS SuperDraft selection’s rookie campaign, trailing only Cyle Larin (17 for Orlando in 2015).
Solans also enters the final three 2026 MLS reg. season contests just three goals shy of matching RSL’s all-time single-season goal-scoring record, set by Club legend Alvaro Saborio in 2012, with 17 MLS goals, a total matched by Cristian Arango in 2024. Solans’ total of 18 goals across all competitions in 2026 entering the final three MLS reg. season matches and potential postseason contests sits just one goal shy of Saborio’s 19, also established in 2012.
Defensive Heartbeat
Fresh off of a clean sheet, Real Salt Lake Captain and goalkeeper Rafa Cabral’s fourth shutout of the current MLS season and sixth across all competitions in 2026, the Claret-and-Cobalt defensive unit has found a new, elevated gear with the addition of English Premier League loanee Luc de Fougerolles. In the seven halves played by Canadian World Cup centerback de Fougerolles, RSL holds a +5 goal differential, en route to seven of a possible nine points. Pairing the Canadian international centerback on the right side, in tandem with wingback Dominik Marczuk, recently named to MLS Team of the Matchday for week 32, has opened up the field for not only RSL attackers but also for RSL centerbacks to get forward.
The collective RSL rearguard has combined for 11 goal contributions (two goals, nine assists) thus far, just under 10% of the Claret-and-Cobalt’s total goal contributions (9.8%) as an underrated part of an often dynamic RSL attack. Real Salt Lake Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni has been forced to navigate an injury-riddled defensive unit since returning from the 2026 FIFA World Cup break, but with Lukas Engel and Juan Jose Arias now joining Justen Glad in a much-needed return to health, the Claret-and-Cobalt should have a full slew of center backs to choose from.
Remaining Fixtures
@ Austin FC (34 pts., 14th West)
@ San Jose Earthquake (48 pts., 4th West)
vs. LA Galaxy (41 pts., 9th West)
At first glance, RSL holds a manageable schedule for the remainder of the season, seemingly peaking at the right time, picking up four results in the last five matches, one controversial VAR check in RSL’s 2-1 loss in Philadelphia away from five consecutive games unbeaten.
RSL arrives in Austin just two points shy of ninth-placed LA Galaxy, which has played one additional game than RSL, the MLS original side sitting idle on Wednesday. RSL also sits just three points behind rival Colorado and four points behind Seattle, with even LAFC still within striking distance for the Claret-and-Cobalt.
Three wins to close out the 2026 campaign would all but book the Claret-and-Cobalt’s ticket to the dance, giving RSL a 65% chance of the seven seed, setting up a battle with the Western Conference runner up in a best-of-three series. Two wins leaves RSL with a 93% chance at the postseason, while just one win in the final three matches leaves the Utah-based side only a 14% chance of extending its season.
Should RSL end the campaign in a tiebreaker, wins will matter most, followed by goal differential, goals for and head-to-head. Lots of scoreboard watching to come for RSL fans and beyond in the final three MLS matchdays, as RSL looks to hold off San Diego, Portland and Minnesota, while chasing down any one of three teams to extend its playoff streak to a West-best six consecutive seasons, qualifying for the postseason for the eighth time in the last nine seasons (Covid-affected 2020 the lone exception), and for the 16th time in the last 19 years (2015, 2017 joining 2020).
As Real Salt Lake fans learned in 2009, knowing the power of #BELIEVE and catching heat as the playoffs roll in is an incredibly powerful combination.
