After a humiliating MLS loss, Real Salt Lake faces another nightmare | OneFootball

Real Salt Lake returns to America First Field with one clear goal: win or say goodbye to the Concacaf Champions Cup. After a scoreless draw against CS Herediano in Costa Rica, Pablo Mastroeni’s squad must find the back of the net and secure a victory to advance to the quarterfinals. If the match again ends 0-0, there will be extra time, and if necessary, a penalty shootout will be used to decide the winner. Any drawn score with goals during regular time would, nevertheless, eliminate RSL due to the away goals rule.

Apart from the high-stakes international competition, RSL enters the game looking to bounce back from a dispiriting defeat in MLS action last weekend, as they were soundly thrashed by the San Jose Earthquakes in a disappointing 4-0 thumping. The team is dire need of a quick-turnaround result to ensure that the genesis of an early-season slump does not blossom into a full-blown crisis.

The situation is raising alarm. The team has suffered four straight knockout-round exits, a trend that openly contradicts the identity forged under Pablo Mastroeni.

RSL's last hope for a title in 2023 slipped away in a penalty shootout against Minnesota United, replaying the heartbreaking eliminations by Houston and Austin. Its away record in knockout matches has been nothing to write home about, but the numbers in Utah are different, the team has won its last three elimination matches at home.

That could turn out to be an important advantage over CS Herediano, a physically stout and tactically sound team with lots of battle-tested experience. RSL cannot afford to make mistakes.

The key to survival?

RSL fans know their team steps up in Utah under pressure. The club has delivered clutch victories over the past few years when it absolutely needed them. In 2023, they knocked out León of Liga MX and LA Galaxy in knockout games.

Now, against CS Herediano, that same mentality is vital. The Costa Rican side is dangerous, but if RSL can control the tempo from the outset, their chances of advancing are far better.

A season-defining match

Real Salt Lake finds itself at a crossroads. A team with designs on competitiveness in both the MLS and the Concacaf Champions Cup simply cannot afford to be eliminated at home by a weaker opponent. A loss would be a crippling blow to the team's confidence, especially this early in the season.

A dominant victory, on the other hand, would reverse all that, erase the humiliation of the San Jose loss, and propel the team into the Concacaf quarterfinals, where an epic showdown against LA Galaxy awaits.

The America First Field fans are bracing themselves for a life-and-death scenario. It's RSL's turn now to demonstrate whether they are ready for battle or face an early exit once more.