Real Salt Lake Comes Up Empty Against Charlotte FC
Aug 16, 2025, 7:44 PM
SANDY, UT - APRIL 5: Pablo Mastroeni head coach of Real Salt Lake reacts to an officials call during the second half of their game against the LA Galaxy at America First Field on April 5, 2025 in Sandy, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Tar Heel State proved unforgiving to Real Salt Lake in a 1-0 road loss to Charlotte FC.
RSL (9-13-4, 31 points) took on Charlotte FC (12-8-5, 44 points) at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, August 23.
Final#CLTvRSL | @SelectHealth pic.twitter.com/KwTXGlHalC
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 17, 2025
Idan Toklomati scored the only goal on a leaping header following a well-played free kick from Ashley Westwood.
Real Salt Lake was charged with four yellow cards during the match. None was as impactful as the one given to Zavier Gozo in the first half. Gozo’s yellow means he will miss next Saturday’s match because of yellow card accumulation.
First Half
Rwan Cruz and Victor Olatunji made their first starts for Real Salt Lake as Pablo Mastroeni looked to jumpstart the club’s beleaguered offensive attack.
The tone for a physical match was set three minutes in when Charlotte’s Wilfried Zaha earned a yellow for a bad foul.
Feeling your support all the way across the country. Y'all are the best 🫶 pic.twitter.com/QPSDkoDJfz
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 16, 2025
Charlotte nearly broke through in the 24th minute when an Idan Toklomati shot was deflected and bounced off the post. Charlotte’s Kerwin Vargas had the rebound bounce right to him, but sailed his shot wide left.
The home team capitalized on its next chance ten minutes later.
Off a set piece following a yellow card on Justen Gald, Ashley Westwood sent a beautiful ball into the box. Toklomati soared above the defense, meeting the pass at its apex to head it past Rafael Cabral for a 1-0 lead.
A rising header by Idan Toklomati gives @CharlotteFC the advantage 💥
📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/M5lCkvKpFg pic.twitter.com/CCRgAC2bKj
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 17, 2025
Zavier Gozo earned a yellow in the 37th minute when he shoved a Charlotte player.
Second Half
Vargas forced Cabral to make a save diving to his left after the defense didn’t pick him up early enough on a shot from distance.
William Agada replaced Cruz in the 62nd minute.
62' | making our first change of the night#CLTvRSL | @SJ_Utah pic.twitter.com/F0b1RrhBYE
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 17, 2025
RSL had some prime scoring chances in the middle portion of the half, but Kristijan Kahlina repeatedly came up big for Charlotte.
Charlotte had chances for a second goal, but poor passing kept the game 1-0 after 90 minutes.
How To Watch Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake returns to America First Field after a two-game road trip to host Minnesota United FC on Saturday, August 23. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. MT.
All Major League Soccer games are broadcast on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass.
All Real Salt Lake English-language radio coverage for the 2024 season and beyond will be carried on various KSL radio signals. KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) are both stations under the Bonneville International umbrella.
For more Real Salt Lake coverage and analysis, subscribe to The RSL Show and follow them on Instagram.
You can find KSL Sports coverage of Real Salt Lake here.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
