Real Salt Lake 2026 Leagues Cup Run Ends in 3-0 Loss to Club León

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Tues., Aug. 25, 2026) – Real Salt Lake (8-8-4, 28 points, 8th West / 14th MLS Shield) saw its Leagues Cup run come to an end with a 3-0 loss to Club León (3-2-0, 9 points, 8th Liga MX) in front of 7,150 fans at the neutral-site venue of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in suburban Denver. 

With a 21st-minute score by the Liga MX side, Real Salt Lake saw its Leagues Cup shutout streak of 284 minutes snapped, while RSL Golden Boot Leader Sergi Solans also saw his four-game scoring streak consecutive end in the shutout loss.

RSL Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni rotated the full XI by introducing an entirely new team, preparing for the Quarterfinal battle after limited minutes for many on Saturday in MLS action. Most notably, RSL Golden Boot leader Sergi Solans led the line, with Designated Player Morgan Guilavogui and star playmaker Diego Luna rounding out the attacking trio. Uruguayan World Cup standout Juan Manuel Sanabria retook his place on the left wing, while relative newcomer Saba Lobjanidze made his second-ever RSL start on the right wing.

With his ability to dictate the tempo and provide resistance, German-born MF Noel Caliskan earned his 43rd start in 48 matches, while Dutch destroyer Stijn Spierings made his 17th start in 18 games. Three veteran defenders returned to the starting lineup against León, as Lukas Engel, Philip Quinton and DeAndre Yedlin each returned to action, the three owning a combined 46 starts this year prior to tonight. RSL Captain and Goalkeeper Rafael Cabral returned to his spot between the posts after seeing his streak of 63 consecutive starts across all competitions snapped Saturday, since signing with RSL in January 2025, playing every minute of every game in that span.

After thwarting a few attacks by the Liga MX side, Luna earned RSL’s first tangible scoring opportunity in the 12th minute. Just one minute later, Cabral made an impressive punch save over the crossbar, denying León’s red-hot Columbian Daniel Arcila, who had scored at least one goal in all three of León’s Phase One matches. 

In the 21st minute, RSL’s 284-minute shutout streak in the tournament was snapped with a goal by León. The goal is the first the Claret-and-Cobalt have conceded since the sixth-minute score on Aug. 4 against Tigres. Following the goal, Spierings suffered a right ankle sprain and was replaced by Argentine MF Pablo Ruiz, who has enjoyed a strong Leagues Cup campaign in 2026, netting two goals during the first three matches. 

The Claret-and-Cobalt continued to play with grit, and in the 37th minute it was Guilavogui who gained possession, progressing forward before sending the ball to Solans, who was able to get off two shots directly in front of goal, both stopped by the León ‘keeper. After nearly netting a flurry of goal-scoring opportunities, RSL was unable to convert, sending the squad into halftime down 0-1. 

RSL came out after the break with energy, immediately bringing the ball upfield with Solans seemingly scoring a goal just four minutes in, but it was ultimately nullified after being called offside. Despite the reversal, the Claret-and-Cobalt continued to push forward, in the 54th minute the RSL Golden Boot leader nearly netting an acrobatic scissor-kick that forced a high, diving save by the goalkeeper. 

After receiving a yellow card early in the first half, Yedlin was substituted out in the 60th minute, replaced by 22-year-old DF Kobi Henry, who made his first RSL start on Saturday in Orlando. While RSL was able to work more cohesively since the beginning of the match, it was Club León who found the back of the net for a second time, following a corner kick in the 66th minute. Just six minutes later the Liga MX side netted a third goal via breakaway to bring the score to 3-0. 

While the shutout loss brings Real Salt Lake’s Leagues Cup run to a close, the Claret-and-Cobalt will now focus its energy to MLS play, one of 11 teams within seven points between 3rd and 13th in the West, looking to snap its active winless streak of seven matches on Saturday back in Colorado I the 2026 Rocky Mountain cup decider.

Real Salt Lake now arrives home on the Wasatch Front for a few days before returning to Denver this Saturday, August 29. Kickoff for the rivalry showdown is slated for 7:30 p.m. MT, also streaming on Apple TV. 

GOAL SCORING SUMMARY: 

LEO 3 : 0 RSL

LEO: Diber Cambindo (Iván Moreno) 21’: After receiving the ball, Moreno brought it down the right side of the pitch, before sending it through the box for Cambindo, whose one-touch sliding shot went into the back of the net. 

LEO: Sebastián Vegas (Fernando Beltrán) 66’: After earning a corner kick, Beltrán sent the ball into the middle of the box for Vegas, who leapt above the defense to head the ball into the net. 

LEO: Diber Cambindo (Fernando Beltrán) 72’: Beltrán found himself with the ball and took a touch before sending a ball through the middle of the pitch, splitting the RSL defense for Cambindo, who outpaced the defense before taking a touch around the ‘keeper for the score. 

NOTES FROM LEO 3 : 0 RSL

• The meeting at the neutral-site in Denver, Colorado, was only the second time these two sides have met, the first coming in 2023 Leagues Cup, when RSL secured a 3-1 comeback win against the Liga MX side. 

• During the 209-game Mastroeni era, RSL has dropped back-to-back matches now on just 22 occasions 

• The 21st-minute score by León snapped RSL’s 284-minute shutout streak in the tournament, previously conceding in the sixth minute of match one against Liga MX side Tigres

• Tonight marked RSL’s eighth game in 24 days during an August schedule gauntlet

LINEUPS:

Real Salt Lake (3-4-2-1): Rafael Cabral ©; DeAndre Yedlin (Kobi Henry, 60’), Philip Quinton, Lukas Engel; Saba Lobjanidze (Dominik Marczuk, 73’), Noel Caliskan, Stijn Spierings (Pablo Ruiz, 27’), Juan Manuel Sanabria (Alex Katranis, 73’); Morgan Guilavogui, Diego Luna (Aiden Hezarkhani, 73’); Sergi Solans

Subs not used: Mason Stajduhar, Max Kerkvliet, Sam Junqua, Juan Jose Arias, Luca Moisa, Lineker Rodrigues, Victor Olatunji 

Head Coach: Pablo Mastroeni

Club León (4-1-4-1): Oscar Garcia; Iván Moreno (Bryan Colula, 46’), Jhohan Romaña, Juan Guevara, Sebastián Vegas; José Rodriguez © (Luis Valadez, 73’); Jordi Cortizo (Juan Dominguez, 65’), Rodrigo Echeverria, Fernando Beltrán, Daniel Arcila (Ismael Díaz, 81’); Diber Cambindo (José Alvarado, 82’)

Subs not used: Irving Martinez, Julio González, Sebastián Santos, Paul Bellón, Salvador Reyes, Christopher Mora, Jesús Lara 

Head Coach: Javier Gandolfi

Stats Summary: LEO / RSL

Shots: 19 / 11

Shots on Goal: 8 / 5

Saves: 5 / 5

Corner Kicks: 8 / 3

Fouls: 8 / 12

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:

RSL: DeAndre Yedlin (Yellow Card - 9’)

LEO: Diber Cambindo (Yellow Card - 77’)

RSL: Lukas Engel (Yellow Card - 78’)