‘We can’t defend with 9’: RSL takes lessons from LAFC loss into Portland

Jul 25, 2026, 11:31 AM

Real Salt Lake midfielder Zavier Gozo (72) shoots past San Diego FC defender Osvald Søe (17) during the first half of a Major League Soccer game at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Photo: Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)

(Photo: Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)

BY MATTHEW CASEY

KSL Sports

SANDY — Any player or coach will tell you the best remedy for a loss is another match as quickly as possible, a chance to wash away the bad taste.

Real Salt Lake gets that opportunity Saturday after falling 3-1 to LAFC on Wednesday and flying from Los Angeles to Portland for another difficult Western Conference road test.

Portland is a club in transition after parting ways with manager Phil Neville following two and a half seasons. Interim manager Jack Cassidy oversaw a 5-1 demolition of the Seattle Sounders after the World Cup break before newly appointed manager Martí Cifuentes took charge Wednesday. In his debut, the Timbers twice rallied from a goal down to salvage a 2-2 draw against FC Dallas.

Talent has never been the question. U-22 Initiative striker Kevin Kelsy continued his breakout campaign with his team-leading eighth goal of the season Wednesday to go with four assists, while Designated Player Kristoffer Velde came off the bench to provide the stoppage-time assist on Felipe Mora’s equalizer.

Velde now has four goals and four assists this season, giving Cifuentes plenty of attacking firepower as he begins reshaping Portland in his image.

Real Salt Lake last faced Portland on May 2, ending a two-match skid with a 2-0 home victory behind first-half strikes from Diego Luna and Zavier Gozo. Saturday will serve as Gozo’s final tune-up before the teenager heads to Charlotte for MLS All-Star festivities, the latest reward in what has become a remarkable breakout season.

Another Matchday is already here pic.twitter.com/ijidVWV7po

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

Defending with 11

Real Salt Lake doesn’t believe it needs to reinvent itself after Wednesday’s loss in Los Angeles.

Despite the 3-1 scoreline, head coach Pablo Mastroeni and his players came away encouraged by long stretches of the performance. The rotations were cleaner, the buildup produced chances, and RSL again showed it could go toe-to-toe with one of the Western Conference’s elite sides.

The difference boiled down to efficiency. Real Salt Lake generated 28 shots, with six on target, but scored only once. LAFC scored three goals from just 12 shots, with six on target.

“I think 90% of the game was really good,” left wingback Lukas Engel said. “We controlled it really well, and then we get three situations wrong, and they get three goals.”

He then distilled the performance into eight words.

“We lost the game in the two boxes.”

Engel believes the underlying numbers showed a performance that deserved more.

“If you look at the underlying stats, we would’ve won this game probably eight out of ten times,” he said. “But when we don’t defend well in critical moments, then we’re not going to win a game like this.”

Mastroeni rued chances missed, but his focus centered on what happened before LAFC ever reached the penalty area. Defensive breakdowns, he argued, often began higher up the field.

Against elite attacking teams, he said, defensive organization begins with collective discipline. When one player abandons the defensive structure to chase a press that can’t realistically win the ball back, everyone else is forced into recovery mode.

“We’re really good at pressing out,” Mastroeni said. “We’re not good enough pressing back and getting into our block quicker.”

He pointed to moments where players sprinted 30 yards to pressure the ball or chased goalkeeper Hugo Lloris without teammates in support behind them. Those decisions broke Real Salt Lake’s defensive shape, turning settled defending into transition.

“You can’t have one guy going rogue,” Mastroeni said.

“You just can’t.”

His message to the squad postmatch was simple.

“We can’t defend with nine. We’ve got to defend with eleven.”

Mastroeni wants to see his players trust that opportunities will come without forcing the issue.

“You have to have patience,” Mastroeni said. “You’ve got to be willing to suffer defensively. And that’s okay. I tell the guys, ‘We have a great attack. We’re gonna get our chances, but when the game’s asking you to be patient, don’t go rogue.'”

That message will be critical Saturday against a Portland attack that has scored seven goals in two matches since the World Cup break.

“Not against Portland you can’t,” Mastroeni said. “Because they have killers on the front line.”

For Real Salt Lake, the answer isn’t changing systems or abandoning an identity that has steadily taken shape throughout the season. It’s about executing that identity for all 90 minutes.

Every press has to be coordinated. Every recovery run has to be made. Every player has to trust the structure.

Engel doesn’t think the response requires anything dramatic.

“When we lose a game like this, there’s not too much time to feel sorry for ourselves,” he said. “We’ve got to bounce back.”

Engel remains confident the goals will come if the team collectively defends.

“We’ve got to go out there and get a clean sheet,” Engel said. “Then I’m pretty sure we’re going to win the game because we’re going to score goals. I am 100% sure of that.”