Preview | Real Salt Lake vs. LAFC - 2026 MLS Season

Saturday, September 5 | 6:30 p.m. PT

🏟 | America First Field - Sandy, UT

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Third-place LAFC resumes a travel-heavy September with a Saturday night stop in Sandy, Utah, to face 10th-place Real Salt Lake. The Black & Gold recently embarked on a stretch in which five of six matches will be played away from home – starting with last weekend’s scoreless draw in Washington, D.C., against D.C. United.

With 11 matches remaining in its MLS regular-season schedule, LAFC’s 36 points (10W-7L-6D) have the club just seven points back of Western Conference leaders Vancouver, while Real Salt Lake (8W-9L-4D, 24 points) sits within one point of ninth-place Minnesota, which would hold the final wild card spot if the MLS Cup Playoffs were to begin today.

LAFC has won its last three meetings against RSL by a combined 11-3 score, and has dominated the overall series with a record of 14W-4L-1D in MLS play, scoring 43 goals to RSL’s 21.

SCORING STREAK

LAFC forward Son Heung-Min has scored in each of LAFC’s three straight wins over RSL, including his first MLS hat trick one year ago this month, in Utah. The same holds true for Denis Bouanga. The Black & Gold’s all-time top goal scorer has found the net in three straight meetings with the Claret & Cobalt, including a hat trick of his own.

In a magical five-day span last season – on September 17 and 21, 2025 – Son and Bouanga became the first MLS teammates to record a hat trick in successive matches, with both three-goal performances coming against Real Salt Lake.

FORM CHECK

Both LAFC and RSL are coming off a jam-packed August in which they played eight and nine matches, respectively. The Black & Gold’s defending and goalkeeping kept the club’s chin above water throughout the challenging month as LAFC endured a handful of injuries while going 1W-2L-5D overall, including three Leagues Cup outings.

Centerback Ryan Porteous (below L) is tied for third in MLS with 45 clearances, with Nkosi Tafari (below R) not far behind at 35. The legendary Hugo Lloris leads all MLS goalkeepers with 11 clean sheets in 2026, and is coming off arguably his strongest performance of the season in last weekend’s 0-0 draw against D.C. United.

After a hot start to the regular season, RSL entered its July 22 match against LAFC in Los Angeles in fourth place, with a record of 8W-4L-2D, but the Claret and Cobalt has not won a league match since, going 0W-5L-2D, including that day's 3-1 loss at BMO Stadium.

Last weekend RSL lost 1-0 to the Colorado Rapids, the deciding moment coming on a 58th-minute header by Rapids defender Reggie Cannon on a corner kick. The loss to the Rapids also marked the farewell match for RSL midfielder Pablo Ruiz, an eight-year veteran of the club who was traded to the Galaxy this week in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM).

LAFC WILL WIN IF

It applies early pressure and scores the opening goal. LAFC remains unbeaten in MLS play this year (10W-0L-1D) and in all competitions as well (15W-0L-2D) when it scores first. The Black & Gold has not scored first in any of its last five matches, going 0W-2L-3D in that span.

RSL CAN WIN IF

The high temperatures and 4,500-foot elevation in northern Utah adds to RSL’s home-field edge. Head coach Pablo Mastroenni’s side owns a 10W-2L-2D record at America First Field across all competitions this year. Four of RSL’s next six matches will be played at home.