Real Salt Lake Look To Clich Playoff Spot Versus Portland Timbers

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH- Real Salt Lake seeks to secure its position in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday as they take on the Portland Timbers at America First Field on Saturday night.

Real Salt Lake has been up and down as of late, but they can wipe away the late-season bumpy landing if they are able to come out of a tight Western Conference with a top seed, and that starts with clinching a playoff berth.

RSL Achieve Pivitol Three Points v. FC Dallas In Tight Playoff Race

In their last outing on Wednesday night, Real Salt Lake conquered FC Dallas, winning 3-2. Anderson Julio led the attack, filling the hole of suspended Chicho Arango. Julio secured a brace, including a show-stopping goal from 57 yards out.

Relive @realsaltlake 's 3-2 win over @FCDallas with views from the sidelines!

🎥: @IsaacxMunoz | @kslsports pic.twitter.com/B7hLQkix32

— RSL Show on KSL 🎙️⚡️ (@rslshow) September 19, 2024

Wednesday’s win and three points proved critical, propelling Real Salt Lake back into second place in the Western Conference, as many of their playoff-contending counterparts in the conference dropped points. However, Real Salt Lake cannot celebrate their victory for long, as only five points separate them in 2nd place and Houston Dynamo FC in 7th place, meaning a loss down the stretch could be disastrous, dropping them multiple spots in the standings.

.@realsaltlake made their move to 2nd in the West. 📈 pic.twitter.com/uRn5jQ6Zor

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 19, 2024

After a bit of a skid in MLS play, the end-of-season stretch for Real became much tighter, and the margin for error much smaller. When talking on DJ & PK, Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni spoke about the playoff pressure.

“… Now you get to the end [of the season] and every little mistake is magnified, is highlighted,” Pablo said, “every point matters, and so therefore, every play in the game matters.”

With only five fixtures remaining in the regular season, it will be playoff life-or-deathh for RSL to maintain their current focus and close out strong. Otherwise, first-round matchups and home-field advantage may not favor Real Salt Lake.

Real Salt Lake Versus Portland Timbers

Real Salt Lake will kick off against the Portland Timbers on Saturday at 7:30 pm M.T. at America First Field.

A win for Real Salt Lake against the Portland Timbers would mean a 2024 playoff berth for the Claret-and-Cobalt. While Salt Lake sets its sights on winning Saturday’s matchup, they would also clinch if Austin FC lose or draw versus the Houston Dynamo.

In their last meeting with the Timbers in July, Real Salt Lake left Providence Park pointless and goalless, being shutout 3-0. RSL will look to avenge their defeat on Saturday.

Los Timbers vienen a nuestra ciudad#RSLvPOR | @EnglandLogistic pic.twitter.com/NzImdNuoan

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 20, 2024

The Portland Timbers are fighting for their own playoff position, currently sitting at 8th place in the Western Conference, meaning as of right now, they would host Minnesota United FC in a single-game playoff to determine who would get the Western Conference’s final spot in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.

The Timbers sit only two points behind the 7th-place Houston Dynamo, and if they were able to surpass Houston, they would guarantee themselves a spot in the tournament, avoiding the wild card round.

“Both teams have the propensity to score a lot of goals,” Coach Pablo Mastroeni stated when discussing Saturday’s matchup. Both Portland and Salt Lake sit in the top five in MLS goal-scoring, which means this clash could mean fireworks.

A high-scoring affair could be on the horizon, especially if you consider the return to the lineup of Chicho Arango, who on Saturday, will look to break the club’s single-season scoring record set by Álvaro Saborío in 2012. With 17 goals on the season, Arango not only aims for RSL glory but for league prestige as well. He sits only two goals back of Christian Benteke in the MLS Golden Boot race, and with limited games remaining, closing the gap on Saturday would put Cicho that much closer to etching his name in the history books.

Keep An Eye On The Competition

As Real Salt Lake jostles with other teams in the Western Conference for playoff positioning, here are some other games to keep an eye on during MLS Matchday 34:

Austin FC vs Houston Dynamo FC, 6:30 p.m. MT

• If Austin FC lose or draw, Real Salt Lake clinches a playoff berth, regardless of the result against Portland.

FC Dallas vs LAFC, 6:30 p.m. MT

• LAFC sits in 3rd place with 49 points, just one point behind RSL.

Colorado Rapids vs Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. MT

• The Rapids sit in 4th place with 47 points, only three behind RSL.

LA Galaxy vs Vancouver Whitecaps, 8:30 p.m. MT

• Both LA and Vancouver are currently in playoff position. The Galaxy sit in 1st place with 55 points, five points ahead of RSL. The Whitecaps sit in 6th place with 46 points, trailing RSL by four points.

How To Watch Real Salt Lake

All Major League Soccer games are broadcasted 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.

Tanner Tripp is a sports writer for KSL Sports covering all teams across the state of Utah. Follow him on X @tanner_tripp and Instagram @tanner.tripp here.

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