‘It’s sudden death for us’: Real Salt Lake faces must-win Leagues Cup test against Atlante

SANDY — Real Salt Lake spent the first week of Leagues Cup talking about growth. The organization as a whole has tended to place more weight on improving performances than on any one result.

But on Saturday, the path to keeping its tournament hopes alive is clear.

Win.

RSL enters its second Phase One match against Atlante with one point after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw and penalty-shootout loss to Tigres UANL. Atlante arrives at America First Field with three points after opening the tournament with a 1-0 road victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Head coach Pablo Mastroeni did not attempt to soften the stakes.

“It’s sudden death for us,” Mastroeni said Friday. “We’ve gotta get the three points.”

That urgency does not mean abandoning the principles Real Salt Lake has spent the last several weeks trying to refine.

“You can’t win it in the first 15 minutes, can’t win it in the first half,” Mastroeni said. “You have to play the game the right way.”

A different kind of problem

Atlante presents almost the inverse challenge of Tigres.

Against Vancouver, the Mexican side finished with just 31% possession but made Jhojan Julio’s 40th-minute goal stand up for a 1-0 victory. Vancouver controlled the ball, pushed numbers forward and spent long stretches in Atlante’s half, but could not find an equalizer.

That is exactly the sort of game state RSL wants to avoid.

“They’re a team that likes to play direct,” Mastroeni said. “Their two strikers cause a lot of mayhem, and they play for a lot of second ball.”

The first goal, he believes, could determine what kind of match follows.

“That first goal is critical,” Mastroeni said. “It’s different when you’re playing with a lead as opposed to playing from behind it.”

Real Salt Lake spent much of a recent three-game road trip trying to rediscover its defensive compactness. Against Tigres, the challenge shifted back toward the other side of the ball.

RSL generated 18 shots but scored only once, Pablo Ruiz’s first-half strike marking his return to the starting lineup.

Mastroeni was encouraged by the performance, particularly the way his team progressed the ball after struggling to escape pressure against St. Louis.

Now comes another tactical problem: what happens when the opponent does not press?

Defender DeAndre Yedlin has seen plenty of different approaches over more than a decade as a professional, and actually won the inaugural Leagues Cup with Inter Miami in 2023. Against a team willing to concede possession, he said experience becomes particularly important.

“When a team’s pressing and they press hard, the decision on the ball becomes pretty easy because there’s not as many,” Yedlin said. “But sometimes when you have too many decisions on the ball, you can overthink.”

Yedlin still considers possession one of RSL’s strengths.

Against a compact Atlante side, however, patience will have to coexist with aggression.

“That’s the balance that you gotta find,” Yedlin said. “That’s why sometimes it’s difficult playing these types of teams that like to sit back.”

Moving the block

Mastroeni believes breaking down that shape begins with movement before the pass.

Against a low block, the runs behind the defense may not always be designed to receive the ball. Instead, they can move defenders out of position and create space underneath.

“Our 10s still running the half spaces will pull their outside center back out,” Mastroeni said. “Our nine getting to the highest line will attract their center back and their weak-side center back, and now it opens up a pocket underneath.”

The objective is less about racing behind the defense than manipulating it.

“You still need dynamic actions against a low block to move their defense left to right,” Mastroeni said. “We’re trying to shift them out of position.”

RSL has also experimented with releasing one of its deeper midfielders into the final third, effectively creating three attacking midfielders and adding another runner around the box.

“You saw a little bit when Noel came in,” Mastroeni said. “Almost playing with three 10s and asking real questions of their back line.”

Yedlin described the same problem from a defender’s perspective.

Atlante’s willingness to sit deep allows RSL to send more players forward, but every additional attacker leaves more space behind him to defend if possession is lost.

Asked how younger players learn to recognize those tactical tradeoffs, Yedlin’s answer was matter-of-fact.

“You can’t get too many numbers forward because then you’re exposing the counter,” Yedlin said. “It’s just experience.”

That experience has been accumulating quickly.

Against LAFC, RSL dominated possession but was punished repeatedly in transition. Against St. Louis, it stayed compact but struggled to play out. Against Tigres, Yedlin felt the team finally began putting both sides together.

“I think St. Louis defensively we were great, but on the ball we were obviously not great,” Yedlin said. “Against Tigres we were a little bit better in both aspects, and now it’s just looking to combine everything and get to an even higher level than we were before the World Cup break.”

No margin left

RSL almost certainly needs regulation wins in both remaining Phase One matches to retain any realistic chance of advancing.

Mastroeni is prepared to adjust accordingly.

“We’re prepared to make tactical adjustments and throw attacking players into the game to really put some pressure on them,” he said. “Play with a front six if we have to.”

The coaching staff is also managing a roster stretched by injuries and a crowded August schedule. Mastroeni said lineup decisions are being made with individualized workload data in mind, including minutes played, high-speed running and each player’s physical “red zone.”

The aim is not to save players specifically for MLS, he said, but to avoid losing important pieces for weeks at a time.

“It’s more about how do we keep our team whole,” Mastroeni said.

That depth was tested against Tigres, when RSL changed eight starters from its previous match. Yedlin believes the performance answered at least one question about depth on the roster.

“We learned that it’s there,” he said. “Everybody’s gonna have to contribute.”

‘A fan base that is in love with the game’

Saturday also offers RSL another opportunity to lean on an advantage it has enjoyed throughout the season: America First Field.

The conversation surrounding Leagues Cup often centers on comparisons between MLS and Liga MX, including the quality on the field and the culture surrounding it.

Asked Friday how MLS fan culture compares with the passion traditionally associated with Liga MX and Latin American soccer, Mastroeni did not hesitate to point toward his own stadium.

“I can speak about our fans here,” Mastroeni said. “We have one of the best fan bases in MLS.”

Midweek tournament matches can be difficult draws in either country, he acknowledged, but Tuesday’s meeting with Tigres drew a near-capacity crowd.

Mastroeni hopes for the same Saturday.

“They’re a fan base with a lot of passion,” he said. “They live soccer, they have high expectations, and I think tomorrow will be a soccer celebration with two great teams and a fan base that is in love with the game.”

For RSL, the hope is that celebration lasts beyond Saturday night. To keep Leagues Cup alive, the result has to match the atmosphere.

How to watch

Who: Real Salt Lake vs. Atlante
When: Saturday, Aug. 8, 8 p.m. MT
Where: America First Field, Sandy
TV/Streaming: Apple TV
Radio: KSL Sports Zone, 97.5 FM / 1280 AM