Real Salt Lake Outlasts St. Louis City In Firework Filled Match
Jul 5, 2025, 9:58 PM
SANDY, UTAH - MARCH 01: Diogo Gonçalves #10 of Real Salt Lake runs with the ball during the MLS match between Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders at America First Field on March 01, 2025 in Sandy, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SANDY, Utah – Two first-half goals lifted Real Salt Lake to a 3-2 home win over St. Louis City, extending the club’s unbeaten streak to three games. St. Louis looked to have the equalizer in the closing seconds, but a foul sent the sellout crowd home happy.
RSL (6-10-4, 22 points) hosted St. Louis City (3-12-6, 15 points) at America First Field on Saturday, July 5.
Celebrating the 3 day weekend with 3 points #RSLvSTL | @Intermountain pic.twitter.com/eXR2XtIovH
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 6, 2025
João Klauss thought he had secured a point for his squad, but a foul explained his excellent positioning on a set play.
Noel Caliskan and Diogo Gonçalves scored for RSL.
First Half
Real Salt Lake got a huge leg up in the sixth minute when Noel Caliskan followed up a corner set piece with a blast into the top left corner.
The goal is the first of Caliskan’s brief MLS career.
It is the 13th time in 22 matches that RSL has struck first.
RELATED: Caliskan Rocket Gives Real Salt Lake Early Advantage
First goal for @realsaltlake and it’s a stunner, no problem for Noel Caliskan #RSL | @kslsports pic.twitter.com/VBNhXFEQcZ
— RSL Show on KSL 🎙️⚡️ (@rslshow) July 6, 2025
After surviving a couple of good challenges on the other end, RSL went on the offensive again.
The Claret & Cobalt broke the St. Louis back line and looked to have a guaranteed goal.
Johnny Russell had a shot blocked by Roman Bürki. Rebound attempts by William Agada and Russell were blocked by a recovering defense.
Diogo Gonçalves put RSL in the driver’s seat minutes later.
Agada found Gonçalves streaking behind the defense and hit him with a perfect pass. Gonçalves worked around a defender before ripping a shot toward the goal.
Come for the Diogo Gonçalves strike, stay for the Diogo Jota tribute 🫶🏽@realsaltlake leads it 2-0 at the halftime break #RSL | @kslsports pic.twitter.com/JwoKhZJC7l
— RSL Show on KSL 🎙️⚡️ (@rslshow) July 6, 2025
The ball beat the St Louis keeper, caromed off the post, and into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
Second Half
João Klauss put St. Louis on the board in the 51st minute. The goal was assisted by Marcel Hartel. Klauss has five goals in his last four matches.
St. Louis City has eight goals off set-pieces this season.
João Klauss with the picture perfect header to pull @stlCITYsc within one in Salt Lake. 💥 pic.twitter.com/8eutsRBYn9
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 6, 2025
Real Salt Lake’s lead increased to 3-1 when Joshua Yaro deflected a pass intended for Zavier Gozo. The ball skipped between Gozo and Bürki for a goal.
It is the first three-goal game for RSL since the second outing of the year against San Diego FC.
A transition play for @RealSaltLake leads to an own goal and RSL restores their advantage to ✌️
📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/rxHJsme8XT pic.twitter.com/1biyHSqQ60
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 6, 2025
Rafael Cabral made a spectacular save in the 75th minute to maintain the two-goal lead, but came up worse for wear with an apparent injury. Cabral remained in the match after receiving treatment.
An own goal off Caliskan in the 80th minute gave St. Louis new hope in the closing minutes.
It was an adventure but @realsaltlake kicks off the month of July with all three points thanks to a 3-2 victory over St. Louis City
Weigh in with your thoughts!
We’re breaking it all down on The #RSL Post-Match Show on The @KSLSportsZone & streaming live on the @kslsports app… pic.twitter.com/tXw8E0oU3z
— Jake Hatch (Yawk) Utah Mammoth Aficionado (@JacobCHatch) July 6, 2025
Real Salt Lake survived a late surge to escape with the 3-2 win.
How To Watch Real Salt Lake
RSL stays home to host the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, July 12. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. MT.
All Major League Soccer games are broadcast on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass.
All Real Salt Lake English-language radio coverage for the 2024 season and beyond will be carried on various KSL radio signals. KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) are both stations under the Bonneville International umbrella.
For more Real Salt Lake coverage and analysis, subscribe to The RSL Show and follow them on Instagram.
You can find KSL Sports coverage of Real Salt Lake here.
Take us with you wherever you go.
Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
