Underdogs again: Real Salt Lake in familiar territory in MLS Cup Playoff opener vs. Houston

The Dynamo were 14-11-9 for 51 points during the 2023 MLS campaign, and also knocked off Inter Miami and RSL in the US Open Cup final 4.

Real Salt Lake is the underdog in its MLS Cup Playoff opener against the Houston Dynamo, and that’s not a bad thing.

The Dynamo were 14-11-9 for 51 points during the 2023 MLS campaign, and also knocked off Inter Miami and RSL in the US Open Cup final 4.

Houston is led by 10-goal scorer Amine Bassi and midfielder Hector Herrera, who finished second in the league with 17 assists and added four goals in just over 2,500 minutes to rally the Dynamo from last year’s 18-loss, 36-point campaign.

“I think they’re a really good team,” RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said earlier this week. “Hector Herrera has been revolutionary this year for them; he controls the game on both sides of the ball, and the focal point of their attack is getting him on the ball and letting him dictate the game.

“In the three games (against Houston), it comes back to good defending — especially going on the road. And that’s a group that likes to find their wide players … For us, it’s going to take everything that we’ve learned along the way, with a really cohesive performance with some good attacking opportunities.”

RSL posted an 11-7-4 mark away from American First Field during the 2023 campaign across MLS play, Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup, including the aforementioned run to Houston for the Open Cup finals. That includes a club-record eight road wins en route to fifth in the Western Conference.

Can Mastroeni’s men replicate the road form in a best-of-three first-round series were two of the three contests will be played at Shell Energy Stadium (if necessary)?

“I think it’s a pretty cool format, and I think the higher seed taking home-field advantage is really neat,” Mastroeni said. “We experienced it back in 2021, where we upended Seattle, and I think the previous setup favors the underdog. But I think the current setup favors the home team, which is only fair given how long the season is and what you have to get to that spot … I think it will be exciting, and we’ll have to win our home game, as well. But we’ll have to do our damage on the road, which given the way our season has looked this year, I feel comfortable going on the road and doing the job there.”

Listen to Mastroeni preview Sunday’s match in the video below, or on YouTube here.

MLS Cup Playoffs: Real Salt Lake at Houston Dynamo

Sunday, Oct. 29

Kickoff: 4 p.m. MT

Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (free stream)

Availability report:

• OUT: Pablo Ruiz (knee)

• QUESTIONABLE: Brayan Vera (ankle), Erik Holt (shoulder), Chicho Arango (hamstring), Justen Glad (adductor), Marcelo Silva (bereavement)