Real Salt Lake defeated St. Louis CITY 3–2 at home, securing three key points in the battle to recover ground in the MLS Western Conference. The victory, their second in the last three matches, featured a historic goal, a moving tribute, defensive mistakes on both sides and another key performance from goalkeeper Rafael Cabral.
With the result, RSL reaches 22 points and moves into 12th place in the West. St. Louis, on the other hand, suffered another loss, remains at the bottom of the conference with just 12 points in 21 games and continues to show clear signs of disorganization on the field.
Strong start and an emotional goal
Real Salt Lake started fast. Controlling possession and applying high pressure, the home team opened the scoring early. In the sixth minute, after a corner taken by Pablo Ruiz was only partially cleared by the St. Louis defense, the ball landed at the feet of Noel Caliskan. The right back brought it down with his chest, let it bounce and struck it first time. The ball went into the top corner of the net.
The team continued to dominate throughout the first 45 minutes. Pablo Ruiz delivered a perfect pass to Russell, who faced the goalkeeper one-on-one, but Roman Bürki made the save. On the rebound, William Agada also had a chance, but Bürki stepped up again to stop the shot. RSL created multiple chances but couldn’t extend the one-goal lead.
At the end of the first half, Justen Glad intercepted a pass and launched a counterattack. Agada carried the ball forward and passed it to Diogo Gonçalves. The RSL Designated Player cut inside from the left and finished with his right foot into the far corner of the net, doubling the home team’s lead. After scoring, Gonçalves paid tribute to his former Portugal U-21 teammate, Diogo Jota, who tragically passed away on Wednesday.
St. Louis responds, but RSL takes back control
The second half began with a change of pace, with St. Louis gaining more control of the ball. The visitors showed renewed energy and earned a corner kick in the 51st minute. João Klauss connected with the cross and scored with a header, cutting the deficit to one goal.
Just as the match seemed to be shifting, RSL responded. In the 64th minute, right back Alex Katranis led a quick counterattack and pushed the ball forward to Agada, who touched it once and passed it to Gonçalves. With space to operate, Gonçalves delivered a low cross into the box. Josh Yaro, pressured by RSL forward Zavier Gozo, deflected the ball into his own net, putting RSL up 3–1.
In the 81st minute, the match became tense again as St. Louis scored a second time, once more from a corner. A contested ball in the box between Sam Junqua and Yaro took a deflection off the St. Louis defender and crossed the goal line, making it 3–2.
Despite the pressure in the final minutes, RSL held on for the win. The team secured its second victory in the last three matches, thanks in part to crucial saves from Cabral.