Scouting Real Salt Lake: What FC Dallas Needs to Know

FC Dallas returns home this weekend for the first of its final two matches at Toyota Stadium before a long summer stretch away. This weekend they welcome in rivals Real Salt Lake in what feels like a quietly important matchup.

RSL comes in off a bounce-back win over the Portland Timbers, responding well after dropping two straight matches before that. And while RSL is still ironing out some defensive wrinkles, this is a team that looks more balanced and dangerous than the version Dallas saw a year ago.

For Dallas, this one is about taking advantage of home games while they still can. Point at home matter in this league, but this one won’t come easy.

Let’s discuss RSL and what they bring to the game this weekend.

Potential Lineup & Tactic Style:

Real Salt Lake is one of the few clubs that relies heavily on younger players from their academy system and this year’s group appears to be more mature. Pablo Mastroeni’s shift to a 3-4-2-1 formation has given them a better balance, and honestly, it’s cleaned up a lot of the chaos that defined them last year.

• Offensive tendencies - With Diego Luna pulling strings and guys like Zavier Gonzo and Morgan Guilavogui making aggressive runs, they’re constantly probing between lines. Luna, in particular, has taken that next step as he works towards a World Cup roster spot. He’s the hub everything flows through.
• Defensive shape - They’re more compact and better protected centrally in their new formation. But let’s not pretend that they’ve become the best defense in MLS. There are still moments where spacing breaks down, especially if you move the ball quickly and force them to shift from side to side.

Key Player: Diego Luna

Lunda has become the creative engine for RSL. He drifts between lines, finds little pockets of space and has the confidence of someone who has been playing this game for decades, which is impressive to watch from a 22-year old. Give him freedom centrally and he’ll start dictating tempo, he’ll slip passes in between the lines for runners up front and he’ll crate the kind of problems that snowball over 90 minutes.

Key Matchup: Diego Luna vs. Kaick & Ramiro

This one really will be won in the midfield. If Kaick, Ramiro and throw in Chris Cappis or Ran Binyamin are on the field, they all need to find ways to lockdown what Luna is able to do on the ball. They need to make him uncomfortable on the ball and limit the space he typically has to operate in the attacking third.

Availability Report1:

Suspended: none
Out: Jesus Barea (knee), Emeka Eneli (knee), Ari Piol (Achilles)
Questionable: Juan Jose Arias (groin), Lukas Engel (hip)
International duty: none

Quick Notes:

All-time vs Dallas: RSL is 2-14-8 in all time meetings in Frisco, with three of the last four matches ending in a draw at Toyota Stadium.

Current form: In their last five games, RSL is 3-2-0, with wins coming at home against SKC, Portland and San Diego. They’ve been putting bad teams away, while their losses have come against teams like Vancouver, LAFC and Inter Miami.

Where they're at in the standings: RSL sits just three points above FC Dallas at the moment, in 6th place in what is quickly becoming a crowded Western Conference race.

Three keys for FC Dallas

1. Limit Luna’s Influence: Everything good for RSL runs through Luna. If Dallas gives him time and space in the attacking third, he’ll control this game. Tight marking, quick pressure, and forcing him into uncomfortable areas is a must.
2. Exploit the wide areas: With wingbacks pushing forward, there is going to be space behind them. Dallas has to attack those channels and force RSL’s back line to stretch wider than they want.
3. Be ruthless when the defense breaks: RSL is improving defensively, but they’re not perfect. When gaps open, Dallas has to capitalize. Hesitation will let them recover. Decisiveness turns those moments into goals.

1 Note: MLS has an injury report deadline that doesn’t hit until the day before each game. Our scouting reports will include last week's report and will be fully updated the day before with our injury report for FC Dallas.