While it may seem repetitive to emphasize the need for RSL to rebound in the league, the reality remains: the team has yet to win in May. Still, the objective for the players and coaching staff is clear, to keep improving and push for a playoff spot. The results haven’t always reflected the team’s performances, as the players have often done enough to deserve wins. But in soccer, the “deserving” team doesn’t always come away with the reward.
The recent performances against Vancouver and Austin reflect the team’s struggles to hold onto leads, which has cost it valuable points in the race for the postseason in the West. In Saturday’s 3-2 loss against the Whitecaps, RSL found two early goals thanks to Zavier Gozo and Diego Luna, however the lead would quickly diminish after a set-piece goal off of a corner kick and a conceded penalty, both in the first half.
Then, in second-half stoppage time, Vancouver scored the game-winner, undoing what had been a strong performance from the team for the majority of the match. Wednesday at Austin, RSL scored its first set-piece goal of the season with a William Agada header off a sublime Luna free kick, but the Utah side couldn’t hold the lead as Austin equalized in second-half stoppage time, extending the Claret-and-Cobalt winless streak now to six games, the longest of the Mastroeni era.
RSL will wrap up this two-game road jaunt Saturday in LA as it visits the Galaxy. The Claret-and-Cobalt have already enjoyed success this season against the California side, when it hosted the defending MLS Cup champions in April, a 2-0 win with a five-minute brace by Luna. Mastroeni’s team will undoubtedly look to replicate that result against a team that looks much different - albeit still winless - than the team it faced nearly two months ago.
In this edition of Storylines, we’ll take a closer look at the upcoming matchup against the LA Galaxy, as well as the June international break that will give RSL a two-week pause from league play.
Closing Out the Series Against LA
The 2-0 home victory against the Galaxy feels like a lifetime ago. Since that match on April 5, RSL has recorded just one win - April 26 at San Diego - along with five losses and three draws. It is a far different scenario than what fans expected at this point in the season compared to the expectations coming off of an important rivalry win.
Despite the first encounter being far removed from the, the situation for the Galaxy team remains similar to when the teams last faced each other. The reigning MLS Cup champions have scraped together only four points in 16 games played this season - the lone remaining winless team in the entire league, with a record of four draws and 12 defeats. This difficult stretch for the original MLS club further emphasizes the need for RSL to capitalize and secure three more points to boost its season total. Additionally, both teams are seeking to put an end to an extended winless run.
In the last meeting, key players like Gabriel Pec, Marco Reus and Maya Yoshida were unavailable for LA, but all are expected to be fit for this weekend's match. As a result, the strategy for this match will likely change to better counter the undeniable talent of their opponent. On the RSL side, the team will also feature a few new faces, including last game’s goal scorer William Agada, who officially opened his account for the club. Zavier Gozo is also poised to play an important role in this match, having emerged as one of the team’s bright spots over the past month with a goal, seven straight starts at multiple positions, and a strong impact on the attacking end.
RSL on International Duty
The club will likely enter the second half of the season in the bottom half of the league table, giving Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni an opportunity to rethink his strategy ahead of a busy summer stretch featuring both MLS and the Leagues Cup games. While June should offer the roster some rest after a rollercoaster first half of the season, the focus will be on finding solutions to the on-field issues that have limited the team’s ability to collect points.
This Saturday will be RSL’s final match before the international break, with the team set to return to action on June 14 against D.C. United. During the break, Zavier Gozo, Diego Luna, Ari Piol and Dominik Marczuk will join their respective national teams to represent their countries in upcoming international fixtures.
Diego Luna has become a key player for newly appointed USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is placing a strong emphasis on developing talent within MLS, including players like Luna, rather than relying solely on those competing in Europe. So far, ‘Moon Man’ has made three appearances for the national team and provided an assist in the Nations League loss against Canada back in March.
Gozo and Marczuk will return to the U.S. Youth National Team and the Poland U-21s, respectively, where both have been regular contributors during recent FIFA fixtures, continuing their development during the international break. Piol will also represent the Australian U23 side, with Gozo and Piol expected back in time for the June 14 return to league action.
This Saturday, Real Salt Lake will look to close out May with a win against an old rival, the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park. Game is set to kick off at 8:30 MT, available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+..
