Real Salt Lake snapped a club-record 13-match MLS winless skid in its final match before an international break, 3-0 against the New England Revolution last Saturday, Sept. 26.
And it couldn’t have come a moment sooner — for the fans, for club staff and personnel, and even for the players.
Sergi Solans had a brace before the club sent off seven players to represent internationally during the September/October FIFA international window.
“Obviously, when you win, the whole week is going to be better than when you lose,” midfielder Stijn Spierings admitted. “And especially after the bad results that we’ve had with a lot of games in a row. That wasn’t great for the morale of the team.
“But we tried to stay positive and look at all the good things, even when we lost. There were a lot of bad things as well. But the last game gave us the confidence that we needed, and showed us what we are capable of if we reach a certain level.”
RSL’s international contingent included former World Cup starters Juan Manuel Sanabria (Uruguay) and Luc de Fougerolles (Canada) playing in three friendlies for their squads, while center back Kobi Henry joined Trinidad and Tobago immediately after playing all 90 minutes against New England as one of two club products competing in CONCACAF Nations League (Monarchs homegrown Gio Calderon was the other, representing Puerto Rico).
Additionally, Saba Lobjanidze was called in following RSL’s loss at Seattle to camp with Georgia ahead of its UEFA Nations League group game, and American youth internationals Luca Moisa and Colin Guske were called up by the U.S. U-19 and U-20 squads, respectively.
Former RSL Academy striker Antonio Riquelme joined Chile’s U-20s during the break, and Academy goalkeeper Konstantinos Kyriazis earned an invitation with the Greek U-17 side for the Ježek Cup in the Czech Republic.
The rest of the club took 3.5 days off, a time to recharge and reset ahead of the final seven matches of the 2026 MLS regular season — and the final push for a playoff spot.
Salt Lake is in 11th place in the Western Conference with a 9-13-5 record, but just 4 points back of eighth and ninth place thanks to the league’s generous playoff bracket where nine of 15 teams in each conference advance to postseason play.
In other words, despite a winless skid in MLS play, Real Salt Lake is still very much in chase for a sixth-straight playoff appearance and a 16th berth in the last 19 seasons.
Other news and notes from RSL’s weekly availability with local media include the following:
Real Salt Lake manager Pablo Mastroeni confirmed that de Fougerolles has (finally) received his P-1 visa, and will be eligible for selection when the club travels east Saturday to Philadelphia following the break. Dašan Žagar, the 19-year-old Serbian winger who signed with the club Sept. 2 at the close of the summer transfer window, has also received his visa — but fitness could keep him out of the lineup as the U22 signing from FK IMT Belgrade is in little more than preseason form following his time in the Serbian SuperLiga.
Speaking of attackers, Salt Lake will likely reunite Saturday with former RSL Academy alum Milan Iloski in the City of Brotherly Love. The 27-year-old from Escondido, California, played just two games for the first team before being released following the 2021 season, when he led Real Monarchs with five goals and three assists.
After Salt Lake, Iloski scored 39 goals in 66 appearances with Orange County SC in USL Championship and played two years with Nordsjaelland in the Danish Superliga before returning stateside with San Diego FC and now scoring 16 goals with six assists in 27 appearances with the Union.
“It’s not a surprise that he’s where he’s at now, given what you’ve seen in his history. Regardless of what level he went to, he overcame,” Mastroeni said of Iloski. “I think that’s the most powerful experience to lean on as a professional. What you end up doing is look back, suffered, and made it — and then the obstacles that seem like mountains to climb are mini-hurdles for Milan, because of his mentality and knowing that he’s done that.”
Mastroeni’s entire mid-week session with the media is always worth your time.
How to watch Real Salt Lake vs. Philadelphia Union
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. MT
Venue: Subaru Park; Chester, Pa. (cap: 18,500)
TV: Apple TV
English broadcasters: Chris Wittyngham, Lori Lindsey
Spanish broadcast: Moises Linares
Kits: Black Diamond
Series note: RSL is just 2-1-4 all-time at Subaru Park including a 2-1 win on Alex Katranis’ late banger from distance in its last visit, April 27, 2024
