Match Preview - Real Salt Lake
Game Info
Kickoff: 7:40pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Q2 Stadium - Austin, TX
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has a 3W-3D-6L all-time record against Real Salt Lake.
These two teams met for the first time this season all the way back on March 14th, when a late goal from midfielder Stijn Spierings earned RSL all three points in a 2-1 victory for the home side.
The most memorable fixture in this historical matchup for Verde fans is surely the 2022 Western Conference quarterfinal, Austin FC’s first ever playoff game, which went the distance and ended with a penalty shootout victory for ATX.
Real Salt Lake Recent Form
After a ten-game winless streak spanning the majority of August and September, Real Salt Lake has been able to right the ship of late, earning ten points from their last five matches. The Claret and Cobalt currently sit in tenth place in the Western Conference, just two points back of ninth seeded LA Galaxy with a game in hand.
Positioning themselves for a postseason berth was looking like a farfetched outcome just a month ago. The winless streak followed a busy summer window that saw a number of key contributors make their exit from the club before the roster was hit by a rash of injuries to another handful of mainstays in the RSL starting group.
The most important transfer out for both Salt Lake (and their opponents) in the second half of the season was the sale of USMNT prospect Zavier Gozo, who joined Crystal Palace in the English Premier League for a reported $15 million fee, a club record for an outbound sale. They also loaned TAM attacker Victor Olatunji to Belgian side SK Beveren and made a pair of intraleague trades, sending midfielder Pablo Ruiz to the LA Galaxy and U22 Initiative midfielder Nelson Palacio to Toronto FC.
At the time, it wasn’t an intentional sell-off with the team’s attention pointing to the future, rather a reload around some of the core pieces that remained. The club brought in Canadian centerback Luc de Fougerolles on loan from Fulham in the English Premier League and signed 19-year-old Serbian winger Dušan Žagar to a U22 Initiative contract. Salt Lake also traded for midfielder Saba Lobjanidze from Atlanta United and striker Jason Shokalook from Chicago Fire, along with acquiring midfielder Colin Guske on loan from Orlando City SC.
But then came the injuries, most notably a torn meniscus for attacker Diego Luna, the club’s most popular player who led the team in goals and assists last season. They’ve also been without both DP defender Justen Glad and TAM wingback Lukas Engel for extended periods, though Glad made his return on Saturday against St. Louis City SC and while Engel did not suit up, he was upgraded to questionable on the pre-match injury report.
The injury woes don’t end there however, as midfielder and former team captain Emeka Enneli has played just 26 minutes all season due to ongoing knee issues that have plagued him throughout his career. On top of that, U22 Initiative defender Juan Jose Arias has been sidelined with his third lower body soft tissue injury of the season, but has been listed questionable for Wednesday’s match.
Through all of that, Real Salt Lake remains in a strong position to qualify for the postseason, controlling their own destiny with three matches remaining. Wins against Austin FC on Wednesday and over LA Galaxy on Decision Day would be enough to get the job done barring three straight wins from the Portland Timbers. RSL does have a match against San Jose Earthquakes sandwiched between those two fixtures and winning all three remaining games would guarantee them playoff soccer.
Austin FC Recent Form
Austin FC did just enough to keep their mathematical wild card hopes alive headed into the midweek matchday that lies ahead with their win over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday. While the team earned their first win of the season after conceding the opening goal, the major storyline that emerged from that match was the benching of goal keeper Brad Stuver.
Interim head coach Davy Arnaud addressed the situation in the postmatch press conference and we of course discussed it on Episode 345 recapping the match. In case you didn’t get the chance to tune in, both E and myself would like to see Stuver back in net against Salt Lake, but Arnaud was non-committal in his postgame comments.
Another narrative that emerged from Saturday’s match was Arnaud’s decision to roll out a starting lineup with no true centerbacks in the XI, opting for a back three of Ilie Sanchez flanked by Mikkel Desler and Guilherme Biro. It’s not the first time we’ve seen Arnaud utilize Sanchez (who has played the majority of his MLS career as a defensive midfielder) in this position this season, but it is the first time he’s rolled out that look to begin a match.
Considering the way the Austin FC defense has been leaking high quality chances over the course of the season, I’m not against getting different at the back with the limited player personnel resources available. However, with the injury to Ervin Torres that will keep him out of this match, I think the team could be best served by moving Ilie back into the defensive midfield alongside Besard Sabovic. Of course, it’s also entirely possible that Austin’s captain returns to a reserve role for this match after going the distance against SKC, even with Ervin Torres sidelined.
Austin’s postseason chances are hanging on by a thread, but as long as they win this match on Wednesday they will remain alive for a wild card spot. With the Galaxy off in the midweek waiting to host the Verde and Black this coming weekend, ATX has a chance to position themselves squarely in the rearview mirror of the teams between them and a playoff berth. All the home team can worry about on Wednesday night is what’s in front of them. Win and you keep hope alive.
Injury Report
ATX:
Ervin Torres (Out - Ankle)
Jon Bell (Out - Lower Abdomen)
Chris Applewhite (Out - Quad)
RSL:
Diego Luna (Out - Knee)
Emeka Enneli (Out - Knee)
Juan Jose Arias (Questionable - Hamstring)
Lukas Engel (Questionable - Hamstring)
Real Salt Lake Players to Watch
Morgan Guilavogui - The 27-year-old forward arrived in MLS in the early parts of the season after spending the first six years of his professional career in France and Germany, amassing more than 2,800 minutes between Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga along with nearly 5,000 minutes in Ligue 2. He’s been solid for RSL this season and a key factor in their recent good form, recording a brace against SKC before nabbing an assist against St. Louis in the most recent match. Guilavogui has four goals and ten assists across his 25 appearances and is coming on strong to finish the regular season.
Sergi Solans - This is the type of story that I want for us here in Austin one day. Two years ago, the native Spaniard was finishing up his single season at Oregon State and throwing his name into the MLS Superdraft. RSL acquired the 30th overall pick from the defending champion LA Galaxy in exchange for $50k GAM, selecting Solans. The player returned to the NCAA level for his sophomore season (a new-ish rule surrounding draft rights of collegiate players), transferring to UCLA. Across his two collegiate campaigns, Solans recorded 30 goals and nine assists in just 35 appearances. He inked an MLS deal with RSL prior to this season and leads the team in scoring with 14 goals and three assists in his 29 appearances.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Step Two - Picking up where E left off in the Sporting KC preview, Austin was able to check off “step one” of controlling what you can control in the home stretch of the season. We also heard similar rhetoric from Coach Arnaud in the postgame locker room talk included in the “Story of the Match” video the club posted on Tuesday.
Wednesday’s home match is step two, where only a win will keep the team’s slim wild card hopes alive. There’s a lot of noise at this time of the year, with the postseason race in full swing along with an uncertain future for both players and coaches at Austin FC. But all they can do is attack what’s in front of them and that’s a hungry RSL side that ATX owes some payback after the late result-swinging goal back in March. Take care of business with a second straight win and put the pressure on those teams above you to stave off a late charge from a team that has nothing to lose.
Predictions
ZG - 2-1 Austin FC
E - 1-0 Austin FC
