Real Salt Lake hosts FC Cincinnati this Saturday in a match that might seem like just another stop in the long MLS season. But that’s not the case. The Utah side is on its best run of 2025, unbeaten in five matches and coming off three straight wins. They’re about to kick off a crucial stretch of five consecutive home games.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, arrives in second place in both the Eastern Conference and the league’s overall table, with 45 points. RSL has 28 points and sits in 10th in the West, looking to stay alive in the playoff race.
Real Salt Lake looks to climb the table
Wednesday’s 1–0 win on the road against Portland stretched RSL’s unbeaten streak to five. Diogo Gonçalves scored in the 83rd minute, his third of the season and second in the last three matches — all wins. The team hasn’t allowed a goal in 189 minutes, its best defensive stretch this year.
The recent run has brought energy back to the team. Three straight wins hadn’t happened since April and May of last year. The defense is holding firm again, with goalkeeper Rafael Cabral going two straight games without conceding, something the club hadn’t done since October. At home this season, across MLS and Champions Cup play, RSL has five wins, five losses and one draw.
Out of the 24 games they’ve played so far, RSL scored first in 15. They won eight of those, drew four and lost three. Since Pablo Mastroeni took over, when RSL scores first, they’ve posted 42 wins, 8 losses and 15 draws over 165 matches. Every win this season has come when they opened the scoring. Still, they’ve let a 1–0 lead slip away four times in 2025, which points to issues managing games from ahead.
Cincinnati begins road stretch with eyes on the top
Cincinnati hits the field on Saturday after a packed week. The midweek win over Inter Miami helps, but the earlier loss in this stretch still lingers. This is the start of three straight road games out West, and they’ll need to stay sharp, physically and mentally, against a team hitting its stride.
With 45 points, Cincinnati holds second place in both the Eastern Conference and the league overall. Under Pat Noonan, the team’s been strong against Western Conference opponents: 14 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses in regular season matchups. This year, they’ve faced three Western clubs at home and went unbeaten — two wins and one draw. On the road last season, they swept their West Coast trips, beating San Jose, Dallas and Minnesota.
Midfielder Evander has been the difference-maker. He’s scored in five straight games, the longest streak in club history and the longest active run in the league. A goal on Saturday would match the longest scoring streak in MLS this season. He’s already netted 17 across all competitions — 15 in league play and is closing in on the club’s single-season records of 21 total and 18 in the league.
One thing working against them is the setting. Salt Lake City sits 1,450 meters above sea level, the second-highest elevation in MLS. After a run of demanding games and long travel, that could catch up to them once the match kicks in.