AUSTIN, Texas — After a club-record 13-match winless skid in MLS play, Real Salt Lake is starting to #Believe again.
Saba Lobjanidze and Morgan Guilavogui each scored a second-half goal as RSL climbed back above the playoff line with a 2-1 win Wednesday evening over Austin FC.
The win doesn’t just put Salt Lake (12-14-6, 42 points) a point ahead of the LA Galaxy (10-11-11, 41 points) just over a week before the two sides’ Decision Day destiny in Sandy, but it also eliminates Austin (8-14-10, 34 points) from playoff contention.
That’s one fewer bid for RSL to compete for berths in the Western Conference, with Colorado, Seattle, Salt Lake, LA Galaxy, Portland and Minnesota separated by a total of 5 points with what will likely be three postseason berths for six teams.
After a brutal run that spanned the FIFA men’s World Cup break and stretched into early fall, RSL has found its footing again — and its confidence.
“The confidence makes everyone happy,” Guilavogui said on a Zoom call with local media. “I think you just needed time to build this team; we’ve had a lot of injuries, and no everyone is coming back and everyone is giving 100% to push this team for the best.”
It should be noted that a return to health is undoubtedly playing into its new run of form.
Zach Booth came off the bench for a fifth-straight game after recovering from a hamstring injury, with the club improving to 3-1-1 in that span. Justen Glad played the final 10 minutes and change at center back, another step forward following veteran’s long injury absence, as did striker Ariath Piol along with defenders DeAndre Yedlin and Alex Katranis.
But whatever is in the secret sauce of a group that plays Lobjanidze high up the pitch and Dominik Marczuk opposite Juan Manuel Sanabria at wing back, it’s working — and RSL will keep trying to ride the form, even as Guilavogui is suspended for Saturday’s road tilt at San Jose due to yellow-card accumulation.
Belief is a powerful motivator. So, too, is a three-match winning streak when the club needed it the most.
“Each performance where you perform well, you add trust to the tank,” head coach Pablo Mastroeni said.
RSL out-shot Los Verde 11-8 in the first 45 minutes, but both teams had just one shot on goal apiece — the same number as Salt Lake yellow cards, a 35th-minute card against Morgan Guilavogui that will keep the Designated Player out Saturday against San Jose.
Jorge Alastuey struck first, giving Austin a 1-0 lead with a left-footed rip in the 52nd minute.
But Salt Lake couldn’t have responded much better. Three minutes later, it was Saba Time.
“We are attacking together as a team,” Lobjanidze said. “It’s helping us, both of us, not only me and Morgan but with Serji, Stijn, Noel, the wing backs. Everyone is together, and everyone is attacking. It’s helping us a lot, and we are scoring some goals.
“Same with defense; we defend together,” he added. “We are compact in defense, and we are compact offensively.”
Lobjanidze took a pass from Sanabria in the corner of the penalty area before deftly dribbling around a defender and launching a right-footed curler inside the far post to equalize in the 55th minute.
Serji Solans nearly put the go-ahead attempt on frame in the 61st minute. But instead of pursuing the goal, the striker with 14 goals on the season — including five in the previous five matches — laid off a ball to an open Guilavogui on the fast break to gift the Guinean international his fifth goal contribution in three games.
And then?
“The last 15-20 minutes was just determination, dogged defending in the box,” Mastroeni said. “I thought we could’ve made better decisions in the final third but that’s part of the growth of the group.
“I think we deserved the result.”
Now RSL must unlock a tricky set Saturday, with three days to prepare for a third match in eight days and a flight from central Texas to the Bay Area. Guilavogui’s absent adds to the compressed nature of the late-stage MLS season.
But belief can be a powerful tool, as well.
“We are expecting the same results,” Lobjanidze said. “The results are coming from the hard work. We’re going to keep continue to work hard.
“Morgan is a key player, and it’s really hard to replace him,” he added. “But we believe in all of our players, and I hope and I ams sure they will give 100% for the next game.”
Saturday’s kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. MT on Apple TV.
