Real Salt Lake Depending On Houston To Beat LA For Playoff Berth
Oct 26, 2018, 4:21 PM | Updated: Oct 27, 2018, 12:59 am
Real Salt Lake head coach Mike Petke watches in Sandy on Saturday, March 10, 2018. LAFC won 5-1. (Deseret News)
(Deseret News)
SANDY, Utah – It’s real simple for Real Salt Lake fans on Decision Day.
RSL needs the Houston Dynamo to beat the LA Galaxy when the two teams meet on Saturday in at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. If Houston can beat LA, RSL is in the playoffs. If LA gets a tie or a win, they’ll have the final spot in the postseason and RSL will be out for the second consecutive season.
Long Odds For Real
It doesn’t bode well for RSL. Houston is already out of playoff contention and has little motivation to win at this stage of the season. To add to RSL’s anxiety, the Dynamo have lost three in a row and won just two games in the second half of the season.
Not to mention, the Galaxy are led by perhaps the best player in Major League Soccer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has found the back of the net in five straight matches.
RSL Preparing For Playoffs Anyway
Although the odds are stacked against the squad, RSL remains focused on a possible playoff berth. If Houston can pull of the improbable, RSL will be playing on Wednesday in a knockout game against either Seattle, FC Dallas or Los Angeles FC. With that in mind, RSL resumed its training this week in preparation for any one of the three.
Despite the unfortunate position that RSL finds itself in, head coach Mike Petke remained hopeful when asked about his thoughts on the matchup between the Galaxy and the Dynamo.
“Houston is capable of getting a result for sure … but obviously the favorite on this game is LA. But I’ve seen crazier things in this league in my 20 years,” Petke said to James Edward of the Deseret News.
The game between LA and Houston will kick off Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
