By Victor Araiza
Real Salt Lake and Atlético de San Luis meet for the first time when the two sides clash at the base of the Wasatch Mountains at America First Field in Sandy, Utah.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- First-ever meeting
- Record at Leagues Cup: Real Salt Lake (4-3), Atlético de San Luis (0-5)
LAST FIVE GAMES
- Real Salt Lake:
- 4 Wins, 0 Draws, 1 Loss
- Coming off win over América in penalty shootout
- Atlético de San Luis:
- 2 Wins, 0 Draws, 3 Losses
- Coming off 4-0 loss to Portland that puts them in early hole in Leagues Cup standings
MAIN STORYLINES
- Despite their strong showing against América and picking up the two points, Real Salt Lake sits in 9th place in MLS side of Leagues Cup standings. They still need a win in regulation to better position themselves
- Real Salt Lake continues to be in strong form recently with a 6-1-1 record in their last 8 games
- Atlético San Luis has lost three straight following a win in the opening game of Apertura 2025
- Atlético San Luis is still looking for their first win in Leagues Cup play (0-5)
- Will João Pedro return to the lineup for Atlético San Luis?
KEY FACTORS
- Real Salt Lake:
- Diego Luna is entering the prime of his career and leads the team in goals and assists. He will to look to build on his first Leagues Cup goal Wednesday against América
- William Agada helped cause the first goal and struck RSL’s second in first half stoppage time of the previous encounter
- Rafael Cabral was crucial in the PK win over Mexican powerhouse Club América. What’s next for Rafael Cabral after five saves and three blocked penalties against Club América?
- Atlético de San Luis:
- João Pedro, who did not feature against Portland as a tactical decision, has scored in two of three matches since joining from English Championship side Hull City
- Mateo Klimowicz is a player capable of delivering a spectacular goal at any moment’s notice
- Sébastien Salles-Lamonge and Juan Manuel Sanabria have been the team leaders in goals and assists, respectively, over the past year
WHAT TO EXPECT?
After the first round of Phase One matches, Real Salt Lake is in a good position with two points in hand – more importantly, within close distance of rising into the top four MLS clubs in the race for the Quarterfinals.
The Claret-and-Cobalt overcame one of the toughest tests in Liga MX in defeating the 16-time champions, Club América, who came back to tie 2-2 before RSL goalkeeper Rafael Cabral shined in the penalty kick shoutout with three key stops.
Diego Luna and William Agada scored as a tandem, the first instance that both have scored in the same match since the latter joined the Utah club.
“The guys were proud of the performance and their fight and their quality in the game,” said Real Salt Lake head coach Pablo Mastroeni. “Now we quickly turn to San Luis, which is a team that played a fantastic game against Portland, and happened to be on the wrong side of what looked like a lopsided game. But, looking at the tape, they're a really organized team. They're great quality, and it's going to be a big game for us.”
Atlético de San Luis visits the Beehive State hoping to make it a memorable the occasion as they are still seeking their first victory in Leagues Cup play.
The Potosinos were unable to contain the Portland Timbers offense in a 4-nil defeat. One name to watch will be João Pedro, the Brazilian forward who has struck twice in three appearances – including a match-winning goal in the team’s Liga MX opener, who missed the club’s opening match.
Whoever takes the field for La Ciudad de los Siete Barrios, manager Guillermo Abascal will be looking for an aggressive response to its recent defeat.
“What we're coming from is a match that requires a reaction,” said Abascal. “Of course, there will definitely be changes compared to the last match, because the competition ultimately demands it and because players have to be brought in and out.”
