Real Salt Lake looks to leapfrog into the playoff picture when they travel to play desperate Austin FC on Wednesday in a late-season Western Conference match.
Both teams harbor flagging postseason hopes, but Real Salt Lake’s chances are more realistic. Real Salt Lake (11-14-6, 39 points) begins the midweek action in 10th place with three matches to play, two points and one spot out of the West play-in game and just four points out of a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.
Real Salt Lake head to Austin on the heels of a stirring 3-0 home victory over St. Louis City on Saturday to earn a second straight win that kept them close to the playoff line.
Sergi Solans scored twice in the win and boosted his team-leading total to 14 goals. Dominik Marczuk also found the net and Rafael Cabral made two saves for Salt Lake, which outshot St. Louis 20-3 and controlled the match throughout.
After going 13 matches without a win, Salt Lake has three wins and a draw over its past five outings.
“The guys are playing well and with a lot of belief,” Real Salt Lake coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “We understand that we’ve got to keep the momentum going. The guys are really playing for each other, and that’s really shown up the past two games.”
Austin FC (8-13-10, 34 points) comes into Wednesday’s match in 14th place with barely a heartbeat remaining in the postseason chase.
The Verde’s most recent game was a 2-1 win at league doormat Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in which Myrto Uzuni recorded a brace for Austin that included the game-winner in the 86th minute.
The win snapped a three-match losing streak for the Verde and was their first victory since a 2-1 decision in Vancouver over the conference-leading Whitecaps on Sept. 13. Austin will need to win its final three games and get plenty of help with losses from the teams it is chasing to make the postseason.
“Everyone knows we are not doing great, but we are there — we are alive,” Uzuni said. “The hope is there and we are going to try until the end. This is our job and, in the end, we know the calculation. (Beating Kansas City) is our best motivation — now we have to go and win the next game against RSL.”
Real Salt Lake took the first game between the sides this season, earning a 2-1 decision in March at home.
–Field Level Media
