RSL faces surging Revolution in final match before international break

SANDY — Real Salt Lake gets another chance Saturday to end a winless streak that has now reached 13 MLS matches.

The degree of difficulty isn’t getting any easier.

Three days after a 2-0 loss at Seattle, Salt Lake returns to America First Field to host a New England Revolution team moving rapidly in the opposite direction.

New England has won four of its last five matches and three straight, including road victories over New York City FC and Chicago before a 4-2 win over Orlando City last weekend. The run has pushed the Revolution into second place in the Eastern Conference with 46 points.

RSL, meanwhile, has lost four straight and hasn’t won an MLS match since May 16.

Midfielder Noel Caliskan said the lengthy skid hasn’t extinguished the belief inside the locker room.

“The good thing is we were so good in the beginning of the season that we accumulated enough points to somehow still be in this playoff race,” Caliskan said Friday. “I still think there’s a fire in the group to make playoffs.”

Somehow is right. Despite 13 consecutive MLS matches without a victory, RSL enters the weekend just three points out of the Western Conference play-in position.

Tomorrow’s match at a glance

In English: https://t.co/OLsBrhnhyJ
En Español: https://t.co/KvNS14lyDM#RSLvNE | @kennecottutah pic.twitter.com/xxOYXX416Z

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 25, 2026

Young players asked to show personality

RSL’s mounting injuries and international absences have increasingly pushed young players into significant roles.

Luca Moisa started at the No. 10 in Wednesday’s loss to Seattle, while Liam O’Gara made his first-team debut. Aidan Hezarkhani has also seen his role increase, and Kobi Henry was thrust into the starting lineup minutes before kickoff on Wednesday night after Alex Katranis suffered a groin injury in warmups.

Henry believes RSL’s younger players can’t afford to become tentative as the pressure increases.

“I think it’s all about just showing personality,” Henry said. “Now is not the time to step out on the field and be nervous or be scared to show what you can do.

“I think it’s all about going out on the field, being 100% confident in your abilities and trusting in the older guys to give you guidance and let you step on the field and show your personality.”

MLS is playing through the opening portion of the international window, leaving RSL without Juan Manuel Sanabria, Luc de Fougerolles, Saba Lobjanidze and Luca Moisa for Saturday’s match.

Henry has made a commitment of his own to RSL during the difficult stretch. The Trinidad and Tobago international delayed joining his national team in order to remain with Salt Lake through Saturday.

“I wanna help the club,” Henry said. “I wanna do whatever I can to be here and help us get out of this bad period, so I prioritized this.”

Revolution missing weapons, but not Gil

New England will also be shorthanded.

Dor Turgeman and Ilay Feingold are away with Israel, while the Revolution list Peyton Miller and Brooklyn Raines as away on international duty with the U.S. men’s national team.

Those are significant absences.

Turgeman, a U22 Initiative signing, has seven goals and seven assists, while Miller, an 18-year-old Homegrown, has seven goals and four assists. Miller scored twice in last weekend’s win over Orlando.

But New England still has its biggest difference-maker.

Designated Player Carles Gil leads the Revolution with 12 goals and nine assists after leading the club with 10 goals and 14 assists last season. The former MLS MVP enters Saturday in torrid form with four goals in his last three matches, including a brace against Orlando that pushed him to a career-high 12 goals.

Finding the final action

In Seattle, Salt Lake got into dangerous attacking positions.

The problem was what happened once it got there.

Sergi Solans had RSL’s best opportunity shortly after halftime when he broke behind the Seattle defense one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but an extra touch allowed the keeper to make a play on the ball. Less than two minutes later, former RSL striker Danny Musovski scored at the other end.

Caliskan believes RSL can create similar opportunities against New England’s back four by moving the defense from side to side.

“In our offensive shape, we play with five high, so them covering with four, it’ll be tough,” Caliskan said. “If we rotate them twice, we should be able to get relatively easy to the final third.”

RSL managed to isolate Dominik Marczuk one-on-one several times in Seattle using that approach.

The next step is the one that has eluded Salt Lake throughout the winless streak.

“I think we just gotta capitalize better on these opportunities,” Caliskan said.

Saturday represents RSL’s final opportunity to do so before MLS finally pauses for the international window.

For Henry, the formula isn’t particularly complicated.

“We need to compete, outcompete the other team, and we need to be clinical in the offensive third,” Henry said, “as well as ruthless defensively.”

How to watch

Who: New England Revolution at Real Salt Lake
Where: America First Field, Sandy
When: Saturday, Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m. MT
TV/Streaming: Apple TV 

Radio: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM/1280 AM (English); Latino 106.3 FM (Spanish)