Real Salt Lake vs LAFC

Real Salt Lake welcome LAFC to America First Field for the 17th meeting between the two Western Conference sides on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts have collected just one point from their two games played in the 2024 MLS campaign, losing out to Inter Miami 2-0 in the first game of the season at Chase Stadium before picking up a point on the road at St Louis CITY.

Cristian ‘Chicho’ Arango scored RSL’s first goal of the new season against St Louis with roughly 15 minutes to go in normal time, putting his team in the driver’s seat late on. However, St Louis’ Sam Adeniran pulled one back five minutes later to deny RSL from picking up their first win of the season.

The Black and Gold, however, have played just once in regular season action, a 2-1 triumph over Seattle Sounders at BMO Stadium. Tim Tillman and Mateusz Bogusz propelled the 2022 MLS Cup champions to victory despite a late penalty strike from Seattle’s newest addition in Pedo de la Vega.

Here’s 90min’s preview of the rematch of the Western Conference clash.

Real Salt Lake vs LAFC H2H record

Current form (all competitions)

New signing Alexandro Katranis has yet to make his debut for Real Salt Lake and has missed the team’s first two games of the season for personal reasons. Andrew Brody is set to hold down the left-back position for the foreseeable future for RSL.

Kevin Bonilla is the only injury-related absence for RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni, as he’s dealing with a knee injury and is set to return in April.

Real Salt Lake predicted lineup vs LAFC (4-2-3-1): MacMath; Hidalog, Glad, Vera, Brody; Eneli, Ojeda; Luna, Ruiz, Gomez; Arango.

The only injury LAFC boss Steve Cherundolo has to worry about is center-back Lorenzo Dellavalle, who was signed by the club to join the first team this offseason from LAFC 2. His injury doesn’t really impact the starting lineup but instead takes away some of the depth that Cherundolo had before the season began.

Hugo Lloris and Omar Campos marked their MLS debuts with a win. The former Tottenham Hotspur skipper made six saves and was unable to keep out De la Vega’s penalty, while Campos played the full 90 like Lloris and recorded one assist.

LAFC predicted lineup vs Real Salt Lake (4-3-3): Lloris, Hollingshead, Murillo, Long, Campos; Tillman, Sanchez, Atuesta; Olivera, Bogusz, Bouanga.

The Black and Gold kicked off their 2024 season in winning fashion, and they’ll pick up another three points against a talented Salt Lake team that just hasn’t put it all together yet with Arango, Diego Luna and Pablo Ruiz.

The likes of Denis Bouanga and Cristian Olivera could bag their first goals of the campaign to lift LAFC to victory and their second win of 2024. RSL will huff and puff, but the visitors’ speed on the counter-attack is what will be the difference in this one on Saturday afternoon.

Prediction: Real Salt Lake 0-2 LAFC