RSL with chance to climb crowded Western Conference table against FC Dallas

SANDY — Real Salt Lake left America First Field on Saturday with a tie that felt like 2 points dropped.

Wednesday brings an opportunity to get them back, and take them from a team directly above RSL in the Western Conference standings.

RSL hosts FC Dallas with just two points separating the two teams. Dallas enters the match fifth in the West with 30 points from 19 matches, while RSL sits seventh with 28 points through 18.

A win would send RSL past Dallas in the table, with the Utah side still holding a game in hand.

“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We can’t walk around with our heads down, because we’ve got a game in three days, four days,” defender Lukas Engel said after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Minnesota United. “So it’s just on to the next one, and it’s about preparing and getting ready for that because we need to win that game.

“Three points is needed, and it’s just a good chance to bounce back quick.”

Juan Manuel Sanabria echoed that urgency after training Tuesday.

“I think the group is doing well, even though we need a win tomorrow in MLS,” Sanabria said. “But I think we’re doing things well.

“Obviously, every point is becoming more and more difficult. All the teams are also starting to find that rhythm that we had at the beginning of the year. So hopefully tomorrow we have a great game, a win that would be very important for everyone, for our confidence.”

Western Conference Clash

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— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 18, 2026

A crowded Western Conference

There isn’t much room for error, or much distance to climb, in the middle of the West.

RSL is only six points behind second-place Houston Dynamo, while Portland sits three points behind RSL in 10th. Dallas, St. Louis and RSL occupy fifth through seventh with just two points separating the three clubs.

Salt Lake has lost just once in its last five matches across all competitions, and that came in a penalty shootout against Tigres after a 1-1 draw in Leagues Cup play.

RSL followed that result with consecutive shutout wins over Atlante and FC Juárez, scoring seven goals in the process, before returning to MLS play against Minnesota.

Saturday didn’t produce another win, but RSL believed it produced enough chances to earn one.

Sergi Solans finally broke through in the 79th minute, only for Minnesota to equalize as regulation time expired.

“The first thought is frustration, because it’s such a cheap goal to give away,” Engel said. “It’s a long ball that gets flicked and he’s in. So I think when we look at it again, it shouldn’t be possible, really.

“Again, I think if we play this game 10 more times, I think we probably score two or three goals today and the game is over.”

RSL has now gone five matches without losing in regulation, but has also settled for 1-1 draws in each of its last two MLS matches after taking the lead.

FC Dallas arrives in form

Dallas comes to Sandy fifth in the West at 8-5-6 and has scored 34 goals through 19 league matches, four more than RSL has scored in one fewer game.

The attack starts with Croatian striker Petar Musa, who has 14 goals in 17 appearances, but he isn’t the only player RSL will have to account for.

In Austin on Sunday, Santiago Moreno carved through Austin FC’s midfield almost at will, repeatedly finding space through the middle and driving Dallas forward in a 2-1 road win.

Logan Farrington has added six goals and four assists, while midfielder Joaquín Valiente leads the club with six assists.

FC Dallas has averaged just 42% possession this season, compared with RSL’s 50%, but is averaging 1.79 goals per match. Dallas has also allowed 1.37 goals per match and has four clean sheets.

Sunday’s victory continued a strong stretch for Dallas, which has three wins, one draw and one loss over its last five matches in all competitions. It beat Querétaro 2-0 and Chivas Guadalajara 1-0 during Leagues Cup before losing 3-1 to Toluca, then returned to league play with the win over Austin.

RSL played Minnesota on Saturday, giving Salt Lake an extra day to recover during a stretch in which both clubs have had little time between matches.

“I think it’s a lot of talk, a lot of meetings, and analyzing what we did well and what we can improve as well, because we don’t have so much time to train,” goalkeeper Rafa Cabral said Tuesday.

“We’ve got to take care of the recover. The way we play is very intense, is very intense, so we need to recover well to execute well and play in our way.”

Another test for RSL’s attack

Against Minnesota, Salt Lake struggled to create much in the first half before finding considerably more space after halftime, with Engel and other players increasingly making runs forward from deeper positions.

RSL eventually created four big chances, but failed to convert any of them.

Solans leads Salt Lake with eight goals in 18 appearances, while Morgan Guilavogui leads the team with six assists. Guilavogui is back to full training after missing the Minnesota match due to injury.

After settling for draws in each of its last two MLS matches, RSL gets another home opportunity against a team it can catch immediately.

How to watch

Who: Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas

When: Wednesday, Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. MDT
Where: America First Field, Sandy, Utah
TV/Streaming: Apple TV