Real Salt Lake Travels to Sporting Kansas City Facing Narrow Playoff Window
Real Salt Lake needs four wins in its final five regular-season matches to extend its postseason qualification streak to six seasons, entering a Saturday night clash against longtime Western Conference rival Sporting Kansas City. RSL currently sits tied for 10th place in the Western Conference with 33 points, trailing the 8th and 9th place Wild Card spots by five points.
Head coach Pablo Mastroeni’s squad arrives in Kansas City seeking its first away victory since March 7, when the club defeated Atlanta. That result launched a 13-game winless skid on the road across Major League Soccer regular season and Leagues Cup play.
Recent Draws and Injury Returns Shape RSL Lineup
Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes at America First Field ended in late heartbreak when a stoppage-time defensive miscue allowed an equalizer. Canadian World Cup centerback Luc de Fougerolles made his home debut and first MLS start, scoring in the 79th minute off an assist from Uruguayan standout Juan Manuel Sanabria before San Jose leveled the score in the 95th minute.
Recent matches have seen the return of several key contributors from international duty, visa issues, and injuries. Sanabria, Saba Lobjanidze, Kobi Henry, Luc de Fougerolles, Zach Booth, and Ariath Piol have all featured in the club’s latest fixtures.
RSL's 17-10 Record Against Kansas City and 2013 Playoff Details
Real Salt Lake holds an all-time record of 17 wins and 10 draws against 11 losses facing Sporting Kansas City. The rivalry features deep playoff history, including the 10-round shootout in freezing conditions that decided MLS Cup 2013 at Sporting Park, which marked the final match of Jason Kreis’s tenure as RSL head coach.
Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. MT kickoff broadcasts on Apple TV with Josh Eastern and Lloyd Sam calling the English-language broadcast, alongside Jesus Acosta providing Spanish analysis. KSL Radio features David James and Jay Nolly on the call, while Nelson Moran, Willy Barrueta, and Isidro López cover the Spanish radio broadcast on KBMG Latino 106.3 FM.
Worth a look