Real Salt Lake was able to reach the Quarterfinal stage of the Leagues Cup thanks to the emerging talent of striker Sergi Solans. The Spanish-born forward had scored in four consecutive matches across Leagues Cup and regular-season MLS play prior to Tuesday’s loss to León. After signing a contract extension earlier this week, Solans has grown into a scoring threat, hungry to win with a number of different types of goals amongst his13 across all competitions this year.
Solans began his August scoring streak when Real Salt Lake talisman Diego Luna pulled the ball back to him against Atlante CF, allowing Solans to compose a first-touch finish that rippled the net for the opening goal in RSL’s dominant 4-0 Leagues Cup victory.
The second goal of the streak came in RSL’s 3-0 Leagues Cup dismantling of FC Juárez. A dangerous throughball from Noel Caliskan set Solans up perfectly for a beautiful roulette around the defender, before cleverly finishing past the Juárez goalkeeper.
In a dramatic return to MLS action between Real Salt Lake and Minnesota United, the crowd at America First Field anxiously awaited until the 82nd minute for the first goal of the match. Luna skillfully flicked the ball off his head and into the path of Solans’ darting run into the penalty area. Solans used his strength to create just enough space between himself and the defender before unleashing a venomous right-footed strike. In an instant, the ball flashed past the Minnesota keeper, who could only throw up his hands and watch as it rippled the top corner of the net to give RSL the late 1-0 lead.
The fourth and final goal of the streak came against FC Dallas, off a low-driven free kick sent in by Luna. Solans, positioned in the middle of a crowded six-yard box, swiped his right leg to guide the ball into the top-right corner of the goal, handing RSL a lifeline as the team looked to carry that momentum into halftime in search of a second.
Solans had a chance to extend his streak to five games Tuesday night and score another Leagues Cup goal, when a first-half cross from Morgan Guilavogui flashed across the six-yard box. The RSL striker was just inches away from applying the finishing touch with the spikes of his cleats.
Another clear chance came to Solans at the beginning of the second half Tuesday, when the ball ricocheted into his path inside the penalty area. A calm half-volley finish found the bottom-left corner of the goal as the RSL striker thought he had scored the equalizer. Unfortunately, Solans was ruled offside after the ball pinged off Caliskan in the ricochet, denying the Utah side its equalizer.
What’s Next
Real Salt Lake now return to MLS regular-season play at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to face off against Colorado Rapids this weekend in the 2026 Rocky Mountain Cup decider - RSL needing a win or a draw to secure its 15th RMC in 22 years - with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT and streaming on Apple TV.
RSL Next Match: 9/5 @ America First Field
Premier League star Son Heung-Min comes to America First Field as RSL takes on LAFC.
