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Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake secured a 2-1 victory and a spot in the MLS Playoffs in the high-stakes, must-win Decision Day matchup against the LA Galaxy in front of a roaring crowd of 20,738 fans at America First Field.
Solans and Booth lift RSL to playoff berth
Spanish sensation Sergi Solans continued his impressive rookie MLS campaign, netting his 15th goal in the 10th minute to give RSL the early lead, putting him just two goals shy of the MLS rookie regular season scoring record of 17 goals (Cyle Larin in 2015 with Orlando City SC). The scoring continued with Utah native Zach Booth netting his second goal of the 2026 season just two minutes later.
With the Decision Day victory, Real Salt Lake has officially punched its ticket to the postseason for a sixth consecutive season, the longest active playoff streak in the Western Conference. Although the evening was a nail biter the home side further cemented itself as a constant within the best squads in the Western Conference, earning ninth place and a spot in the Wild Card match.
Quotable
“We could only do what we could, which was win the game and then the universe had to do its thing, it’s gotta cook. We were in the right spot to receive its blessings and all we talked about was controlling what we can, and tonight the guys did a great job.“ — RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni
Game summary
The Claret-and-Cobalt opened up the Decision Day battle with energy, pushing up the pitch immediately as Solans and Canadian defender Luc de Fougerolles each earned tangible scoring opportunities in the second and fifth minutes. Although the early momentum continued with the home side netting two goals within minutes of each other, the LA Galaxy found the back of the net in the 40th minute to make the score 2-1. After earning an impressive seven shots on target, Real Salt Lake headed into the locker room with a one goal lead.
The home side continued to show grit and energy as the second half began, stringing together passes to bring the ball up the pitch and into its attacking third. In the 59th minute, RSL Head coach Pablo Mastroeni made his first substitutions of the match bringing on defensive veterans DeAndre Yedlin and Justen Glad.
Mastroeni’s men worked as a unit to thwart multiple attacks by the Galaxy throughout the second half to secure the ever important victory. The win catapulted the squad into ninth place and earned the home side a spot in the wild card.
Up next
Real Salt Lake will now face the Seattle Sounders in the Wild Card match on Nov. 19th. With a win, the squad will face the top seeded Vancouver Whitecaps in a best-of-three set of matches. Kickoff for the Wild Card matchup is slated to kickoff at 8 p.m. MDT and will be streaming on Apple TV.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/match-review-rsl-secures-6th-194450391.html
