Real Salt Lake clinches playoff bid, but the work's not done yet

The hosts had already booked a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs for a fourth consecutive year by the time the final whistle blew on a 3-3 draw with the Portland Timbers.

Ultimately, Real Salt Lake’s playoff hopes didn’t hinge on the outcome of the club’s home match Saturday night against the Portland Timbers.

The hosts had already booked a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs for a fourth consecutive year by the time the final whistle blew on a 3-3 draw. That’s because RSL (14-7-9, 51 points) took advantage of Austin FC falling too far below the line with a 1-0 loss to Houston.

“For me, that’s all about mindset from the players and commitment from the players,” RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said. “I think that is what is special about this group: players come and go, but the mindset stays the same. The commitment to try to be a top team in this league continues.

“I think that’s the goal for us, to be a perennial playoff team but also to play an exciting brand, to get results, and more importantly, you want guys on the field who are going to fight for each other. That, to me, is a contagion … That comes from the players’ mindset.”

But while inaugural team goals by new signings Diogo Gonçalves and Dominik Marczuk and a pair of assists by Alex Katranis were a bit of a highlight, Salt Lake’s less-than-stellar defensive effort was not.

The hosts took a 2-0 lead into halftime after Katranis finished off his second assist to Diego Luna near the penalty spot that the 21-year-old rising star buried with his right foot.

But Portland didn’t stay down for long. Antony pulled one back in the 62nd minute, and Evander equalized 14 minutes later with a curling free kick against a helpless Gavin Beavers in the 76th minute.

Gonçalves seemingly came to the rescue in the 90th minute, burying a ball with one touch inside the near post after Andrew Brody won a ball with a header near midfield and found Chicho Arango for the primary assist.

But the Timbers clinched the draw in the second minute of stoppage time, nearly off the restart following the goal’s celebration, when Jonathan Rodriguez connected with a picture-perfect header at the near post to earn a share of the points.

“We had numbers behind the ball, and just fell asleep on the back post,” Mastroeni said. “I think the story for me is that we did a really good job controlling the game and playing the game we wanted it to play out. But in the last two games we’ve given up 3-4 set pieces.

“We’ve got to go back and evaluate … It’s about experience in those moments, and how important those moments are. Life doesn’t tell you when you’re at risk; you never turn your back on the ball, and we had too many turn their back on the ball.”

Real Salt Lake is postseason-bound for the sixth time in the last seven years, and 14th time in 17 seasons, with the second four-year playoff streak in club history.