Real Salt Lake vs LA Galaxy

Rio Tinto Stadium forms the backdrop for a potentially high-stakes Major League Soccer showdown between Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles Galaxy.

Real Salt Lake’s quest to secure MLS playoffs for the third season running has been off to a sluggish start as a 1-1 draw at Minnesota United last time out marked their 10th winless game in 14 at the beginning of the new league campaign (W4, D4, L6). Except for an enthralling 3-2 win at Colorado Rapids a fortnight ago, the hosts are winless in five of their last six MLS matches (D4, L1), yet they’re still level on points with 9th-placed Portland Timbers. But Pablo Mastroeni’s men seem to be losing their touch on home turf, having gone from back-to-back victories to three consecutive MLS home games without winning (D2, L1). A lack of firepower in the final third has everything to do with their recent drop-off, as they failed to get on the scoresheet in each of those three winless showings.

In the meantime, out-of-sorts LA Galaxy slumped to a woeful 1-0 home defeat to Charlotte FC last time out, extending their losing MLS run ‘to nil’ to three matches. Nailed to the bottom of the Western Conference with only two wins from the opening 14 rounds (D3, L9), Greg Vanney’s men are at risk of missing out on MLS playoffs for a third successive season unless they turn their fortunes around soon. But based on their horrific seven-game winless record away from home in the new MLS campaign (D2, L5), that’s easier said than done. Indeed, the visitors have only netted once across those seven travels, highlighting an uneventful frontline as the team’s weakest link.