RSL takes ‘steely mentality’ on the road for midweek Houston test

HERRIMAN — Real Salt Lake finally looked a little more like itself Saturday night.

Now they’ll have to do it again in the Texas heat on short rest.

RSL twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw against LAFC, snapping a four-match losing streak across all competitions.

It didn’t end RSL’s MLS winless streak, which has now reached nine matches. But after weeks of searching for the form that had the club sitting third in the Western Conference before the break, head coach Pablo Mastroeni saw something worth carrying into Wednesday night’s road match against the Houston Dynamo.

“It was a team performance,” Mastroeni said Tuesday. “The guys up front were helping defend. The guys in the back did a good job of making good decisions with the ball in the attack. And then most importantly, I think our reactions were great.”

Both RSL goals against LAFC came after the home side quickly won the ball back in attacking positions. Saba Lobjanidze scored his first goal for the club to erase a 1-0 deficit, and Noel Caliskan equalized after Alexandros Katranis forced another turnover high up the field.

“Both goals came from a repress,” Mastroeni said. “That’s really the mentality that I think we’ve been lacking. To play at home and to come back from two setbacks, two goals, and to fight the way we did, I thought was really impressive.

“We’re gonna need the same steely mentality in Houston for sure.”

It’s matchday in the Space City! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/yogtFVrqtZ

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 9, 2026

Breaking down the Dynamo

Finding goals may prove a tough ask.

Houston enters Wednesday second in the Western Conference with 40 points and has made a habit of shutting teams down. The Dynamo have kept 11 clean sheets this season, including four in their last five matches.

The latest came Saturday in a scoreless draw at Charlotte.

Charlotte entered the match having scored 11 goals over its previous three games, but Houston frustrated the hosts into a scoreless outing that included an Ashley Westwood red card for dissent. The Dynamo couldn’t take advantage at the other end in their second consecutive 0-0 draw.

Wily Brazilian midfielder Guilherme leads the team in both goals (12) and assists (7), and former LAFC winger Mateusz Bogusz has contributed four goals and an assist while providing a consistent threat in transition.

Mastroeni called Houston’s defense “a nightmare.”

“If anything, they’ve improved their defending quite a bit,” he said. “They really have 11 guys that are committed to sitting in a low block, and with that comes defending the space behind.”

The Dynamo tends to sit in a low block, but has speed and quality available when it wins the ball. Mastroeni stressed the importance of not becoming impatient while trying to break down a packed defense.

“We’ve got to do a great job with being patient, rotating them,” Mastroeni said. “Our rest defense has to be really good, and our reactions to either break up the play and finish the play or transition D has to be on top against these guys.”

Short rest, more options

After playing six matches in 18 days, RSL finally had a full week to train before facing LAFC.

“The biggest thing with that was a week of rest and not having to prepare for a game after game after game,” Mastroeni said. “So physically, emotionally, the guys were able to recover to be able to put out that effort.”

Wednesday’s match is the second of three games in eight days for RSL, with New York City FC coming to America First Field on Saturday.

Morgan Guilavogui, who leads RSL with seven assists, returns from suspension Wednesday. Midfielders Emeka Eneli and Stijn Spierings could also return from injury, while new center back Luc de Fougerolles won’t be available until Saturday at the earliest.

Taylor Booth is another reinforcement getting closer to being available after joining RSL on loan from FC Twente last week and working his way toward match fitness.

The short turnaround could create more opportunities for the young players who helped RSL against LAFC. Eighteen-year-old Luca Moisa started in midfield Saturday and covered more ground per minute than any player on either team, according to Mastroeni, before leaving with cramps.

“For some of them it’ll be a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate and show,” Mastroeni said. “Especially with the younger guys, I think coming into games is a lot different than starting games and having to manage your way through 60, 70, 80 minutes.”

The Houston heat adds another variable, particularly for an RSL system that asks its players to cover significant ground without the ball.

“A big part of the way we play requires energy,” Mastroeni said. “This game against Houston, the mentality has to be there. It’s gonna be a different game. Now heat becomes another factor. A team that sits in a lower block becomes a factor.”

Points becoming a priority

RSL doesn’t have much room left for encouraging performances that don’t turn into wins.

RSL enters Wednesday 10th in the West with 29 points, one behind ninth-place San Diego with a game in hand.

But RSL hasn’t won an MLS match away from home since a 3-2 victory at Atlanta on March 7, a stretch of 10 consecutive road matches without a win.

RSL has won its last three meetings with Houston, including 3-0 at America First Field in May and 2-1 in its last visit to Shell Energy Stadium.

Hezarkhani believes Saturday offered evidence that RSL is capable of rediscovering the form it showed earlier in the season.

“I don’t think we changed much,” he said. “I think it’s just a matter of all the work we’ve put in. We finally get some reward for that, and I thought we performed well.”

Saturday stopped the losing streak.

A win Wednesday would stop two more: a nine-match MLS winless streak and a 10-match road winless streak.

How to watch

Who: Real Salt Lake at Houston Dynamo FC
When: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m. MT
Where: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston
TV/Streaming: Apple TV