SANDY, Utah — Against all odds, or at least some, or maybe even just a few, Real Salt Lake kept its MLS Western Conference-best playoff streak intact Saturday night with a dramatic 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy at America First Field.
It wasn’t always easy, but what has been for an MLS side that went through the ringer of a season that included a club-record 13-match winless skid and lost several key players to injuries, transfers, and long-term surgical procedures.
But when the dust settled on MLS Decision Day, Salt Lake found itself in a familiar position: above the playoff line, if even just enough.
Send a thank-you postcard to FC Dallas for eliminating Colorado from the bubble with a 3-1 win, or not. Either way, RSL is headed to Seattle for the Western Conference wild-card round Nov. 19 (8 p.m. MT, Apple TV).
“Relieved” was the optimum word for head coach Pablo Mastroeni after Saturday’s results, not happy.
“Just to be clear, this is not a celebration moment for me,” he told reporters after the match. “But it is a testament to the willpower and the belief.
“When you’re down in the dumps, everyone’s written you off, and you find a way to squeak in. That perseverance is analogous to anything you do in life.”
Perseverance and another goal by rookie wunderkind Sergi Solans, who scored his 15th goal of the season to put RSL up midway through the first half. Zach Booth doubled the advantage less than three minutes later, and a defense anchored by goalkeeper Rafael Cabral held the Galaxy without a shot on target to hold on for the win.
It’s the sixth straight playoff appearance for Salt Lake, who went 4-1-1 down the stretch of the regular season to squeeze the No. 9 seed in the West by a single point.
They’ll joined fellow Utah Soccer club Utah Royals, which punched their ticket to the NWSL Playoff semifinals Friday night with a dramatic 1-0 road win over San Diego.
One year after finishing 12th in the NWSL table, the Royals went unbeaten all-time in playoff quarterfinals as Kiana Palacios scored the club’s first goal since Oct. 3 and Mandy McGlynn put on her Superman cape that included four saves to hand the Wave a fourth straight playoff loss.
“We’re a special group, and we have worked on our mental state our entire year through highs and lows,” McGlynn said after the match. “I really think we can conquer anything with where our heads are at right now.”
The Royals will head to the opposite coast for the NWSL semifinals, traveling to Audi Field in Washington, D.C. to face the Washington Spirit. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. MT on CBS and Paramount+.
They won’t be the only Utah women’s soccer team in action Saturday, either.
Utah Valley will host the Big West tournament final Saturday at UCCU Stadium in Orem after the Wolverines shut out Cal Poly in a semifinal.
The Big West regular-season champs got two assists from Nixan Jackson and goals from Bailey Peterson, Quinn Rustand and Big West offensive player of the year Sadie Beardall to advance to Saturday’s final against second-seeded UC San Diego.
The winner gets an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
“Another shutout, and in a semifinal,” said UVU coach Chris Lemay, who signed a three-year contract extension through the 2029 season Friday. “We’re really happy about where we’re at right now and we’re excited about next week.”
The Tritons were one of just two teams to pull a point off Utah Valley during an unbeaten regular season in conference play (9-0-2) with a 2-2 draw in La Jolla back on Sept. 26.
Beardall had a goal in that match, then followed up with nine of her team-high 13 goals since then as the Wolverines barreled toward the postseason at lightning speed.
The group is now 90 minutes away from an NCAA Tournament berth for the third time in five years — and a chance to clinch it on home soil in front of their own fans.
Saturday’s kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. MT.
In the mean time, Big 12 regular-season champion BYU opens the conference tournament Monday in Mansfield, Texas. The 13th-ranked Cougars will kick off against eighth-seeded West Virginia at 1 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
After clinching a Pac-12 co-championship in their first year in the reformed league, Utah State will host the four-team conference tournament beginning Wednesday against fourth-seeded Gonzaga.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field in Logan.
Weber State won’t host the Big Sky conference tournament, but the Wildcats will take the No. 1 seed and an 11-6-2 overall record into Missoula, Montana, and host the winner of Idaho and Utah Tech on Friday.
The Trailblazers will make their Big Sky tournament debut against the fourth-seeded Vandals at 1:30 p.m. MT on Wednesday.
