SANDY, Utah (Sat., Aug. 2, 2025) – Real Salt Lake (0-0-2, 3 points, Leagues Cup; 9-11-4, 31 points, 8th West) fell 4-1 in a tiebreaker tonight, its second straight penalty shootout of the tournament, this time against Liga MX side Atlético San Luis (0-1-1, 2 points Leagues Cup; 1-2-0, 3 points, 13th Apertura) in its second of three consecutive home games over an eight-day span.
RSL boss Pablo Mastroeni made five personnel changes and one positional shift from Wednesday’s emotional penalty shootout victory over Liga MX powerhouse Club América. On the back line, Mastroeni made three changes, retaining Justen Glad in the starting XI and starting fellow homegrown player Bode Hidalgo on the right in place of German-born defender Noel Caliskan, who is out with a quad injury suffered in Wednesday’s match. Rounding out the back line in Saturday’s match was Colombian defender Brayan Vera and Greek left back Alex Katranis.
Mastroeni also started Braian Ojeda and Polish midfielder Dominik Marczuk, while 18-year-old academy product Zavier Gozo shifted from his usual striker role to feature as the right-sided attacking midfielder. Goalkeeper Rafael Cabral wore the captains armband for the 11th straight match tonight after his historic penalty-kick shootout performance on Wednesday.
The Claret-and-Cobalt got off to a lightning-fast start, stringing together passes from the opening whistle. In the ninth minute, the pressure paid off when RSL was awarded a corner kick. Midfielder Pablo Ruiz sent a perfectly-placed ball over the defense to the top corner of the 6-yard box for Ojeda to volley into the back of the net and give Real Salt Lake the early lead. The strike was the second of the season for Ojeda, with the first coming late in last week's match against San Jose.
The corner kick goal marked the team’s first from such a situation this season. Although RSL struck first, the match was leveled at 1-1 in the 24th minute when Atlético San Luis capitalized on a defensive breakdown to find the back of the net. Despite continued pressure from Real Salt Lake that sparked several opportunities in the attacking third, the first half ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
In the 56th minute, Mastroeni made his first substitutions of the evening, bringing on Emeka Eneli,\\ Diego Luna and Johnny Russell.\\ The “super-sub” lineup of star power and experience no doubt looked to bring fresh legs and a creative spark onto the field. The presence was felt immediately, with a near goal from a free kick by Luna. Shortly after, Russell was fouled in the box after a beautiful passing sequence with Eneli that ultimately led to a penalty kick. Unfortunately, the kick taken by Luna was stopped by the ASL goalkeeper.
In the 82nd minute, Atlético San Luis was able to find the back of the net, scoring in transitio against the run of play, despite initial heroics by Cabral. The momentum did not last long for the visitors, as Ojeda found the back of the net for the second time of the night with a perfectly placed offering from outside of the box and into the goal. The equalizer knotted the score at 2-2, with six minutes of added time remaining.
Ojeda’s brace gave him three goals in as many games and allowed RSL to finish the match in a draw, forcing a penalty shootout. However, the Claret-and-Cobalt couldn’t carry recent form into another shootout win, falling 4-1 on penalties.
Real Salt Lake remains at America First Field for its fifth straight home match to close out Phase One of Leagues Cup this Wednesday, August 6 to host Queretaro, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. MT. Tickets for Wednesday’s fixture can be found at www.RSL.com/tickets.
GOAL SCORING SUMMARY:
RSL: Braian Ojeda (Pablo Ruiz) 9’: After being awarded a corner kick Ruiz set up and sent the ball into the box with his left foot. The ball sailed over the defense for Ojeda to run onto and volley out of the air into the back of the net with his right foot.
ASL: João Geraldino (José Suarez) 24’: Suarez crossed the ball from the right hand side of the pitch into the box where Geraldino headed it into the bottom right side of the goal from the center of the box.
ASL: Miguel García (Unassisted) 82’: Garcia found himself with a breakaway and took a shot that Cabral was able to deflect. The deflection sent the ball towards the goal for Garcia to run onto and head into the net.
RSL: Braian Ojeda (Alex Katranis) 88’: Katranis passed the ball to Ojeda, who was positioned just outside the box. After a touch, Ojeda struck the ball with his right foot, sending it across the box and into the bottom right corner of the goal.
SHOOTOUT SUMMARY:
ASL: João Geraldino
RSL: Brayan Vera (Miss)
ASL: Juan Sanabria
RSL: Justen Glad (Save)
ASL: Miguel García
RSL: Johnny Russell
ASL: Sebastien Salles-Lamonge
NOTES FROM RSL 2 (1) : 2 (4) ASL
- Ojeda’s early goal meant that RSL has drawn first blood in 16 of 28 games across all competitions this season, posting an 8-4-4 mark
- Ojeda now has four goals in nearly 80 games with RSL since the Paraguayan’s arrival, including three this week (one July 26 v San Jose, two more this evening)
- Diego Luna’s penalty miss tonight was his first of the year in three attempts, converting twice from the penalty spot in MLS reg. season action
- The 2-2 draw tonight dropped RSL’s all-time record against Mexican opponents on Utah soil to 5-6-4 (W-L-T), with Wednesday’s Queretaro opportunity a chance to reach .500
- RSL GK and Captain Rafael Cabral has now played all 2,520 minutes of RSL’s 28-game campaign across three competitions, the only player with the “Iron Man” distinction
LINEUPS:
Real Salt Lake (4-2-3-1): Rafael Cabral ©; Bode Hidalgo, Justen Glad, Brayan Vera, Alex Katranis; Braian Ojeda, Pablo Ruiz (Emeka Eneli, 56’); Dominik Marczuk (Johnny Russell, 56’), Zavier Gozo, Diogo Gonçalves (Diego Luna, 56’); William Agada (Ari Piol, 79’)
Subs not used: Max Kerkvliet, Sam Junqua, Omar Maquez, Philip Quinton, Kobi Henry, Tyler Wolff, Jesus Barea
Head Coach: Pablo Mastroeni
Atlético San Luis (4-2-3-1): Andrés Sánchez; José Suarez (Aldo Cruz, 86’), Juan Ramirez, Eduardo Águila, Juan Sanabria; Rodrigo Dourado, Sebastien Salles-Lamonge (Jahaziel Marchand, 86’); Oscar Macías (Román Torres, 66’), Mateo Klimowicz (Benjamin Galdames, 57’), Yan Oliveira (Miguel García, 46’); João Geraldino
Subs not used: Julio Domínguez, Carlos Rodas, Daniel Guillén, Cesar López, Fidel Barajas, Sebastián Bouquet Pérez, Jonatan Villal
Head Coach: Guillermo Abascal
Stats Summary: RSL / ASL
Shots: 14 / 15
Shots on Goal: 6 / 7
Saves: 5 / 4
Corner Kicks: 9 / 2
Fouls: 10 / 15
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
ASL: Rodrigo Dourado (Yellow Card - 90+1’)
ASL: Miguel García (Yellow Card - 90+4’)
