Real Salt Lake keeps playoff hopes alive with 2-1 win over Kansas City
The win inched Salt Lake (10-14-4, 34 points) into 10th place in the Western Conference, just one point behind San Jose for the final postseason bid.
Real Salt Lake is in must-win mode, and Saturday night’s result won’t hurt the club’s MLS Cup Playoff chances.
Zavier Gozo had a pair of assists, first to Diego Luna and a second-half helper to Alex Katranis, as Real Salt Lake snapped a three-match losing skid in MLS play with a 2-0 win over Sporting Kansas City — its first in nearly two months — Saturday night in Sandy, Utah.
The win inched Salt Lake (10-14-4, 34 points) into 10th place in the Western Conference, just one point behind San Jose for the final postseason bid.
“We’ve got to find a way to get maximum points these last few weeks,” RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said. “I think this league is a streaky league.
“I’m really happy for the group,” he added, “and I thought they did a great job.”
Luna’s goal was his first in MLS play since May 24, though that stat requires a bit of context.
The U.S. international missed a chunk of the season since then on international duty, including scoring three goals at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June and July. He also scored against Club América in Leagues Cup play.
And then there’s also the month-long suspension he served most recently as a result of yellow-card accumulation/red card infraction, a suspension that — when combined with another international break — kept him out of an RSL kit since Aug. 10.
But Gozo wasn’t done.
The 18-year-old RSL Academy product set up the club’s second goal of the night, finding Katranis on the far side of the field before the Greek left back scored. his first goal since last May.
It was the second assist of Gozo’s MLS career — both on the same night.
“The energy with the group was just to win at all costs,” Gozo said. “We tried to do that tonight.”
Sporting Kansas City pulled one back in the 71st minute, when Dániel Sallói's cross caromed off Brayan Vera for an own goal.
But Rafael Cabral — who recently signed a contract extension with Salt Lake through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028 — made three saves to help RSL collect its first win in league play since July 26.
“Down the stretch and into the playoffs, you’ve got to find ways to win games,” Mastroeni said. “They showed a lot of character tonight.”
Watch Saturday night’s post-game reaction from Mastroeni, Gozo and Katranis below: