For the fourth consecutive season under Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni, Real Salt Lake has advance to the postseason, with the 2024 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs kicking off on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at America First Field in Sandy, UT. Also remarkable is the Claret-and-Cobalt qualification for the sixth time in the last seven years (missing only the Covid-affected 2020 campaign), for the seventh time in the last 10 seasons (2015 / 2017), and for the 14th occasion in the last 17 seasons, RSL’s perennial postseason dreams coming true more than just about any other MLS side of the last generation.
With the MLS Decision Day results of Saturday, October 19, 2024, RSL moved past Seattle to secure the third seed in the final Western Conference table and clinching home-field advantage in the Round One Best-of-Three series, which could include a pair of home games (if game three is necessary) against sixth-seeded Minnesota United FC.
1.64 – points-per-game average for RSL in the 116 MLS games coached by HC Pablo Mastroeni, the highest by any of the six full-time coaches in the Claret-and-Cobalt’s 20 MLS seasons
2 – consecutive 50-point RSL seasons, RSL reaching the threshold in back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024 under HC Pablo Mastroeni, the first consecutive seasons at 50+ points since 2013/14
3 – new all-time ranking in minutes for RSL Homegrown Justen Glad, whose 20,900+ minutes played in MLS action trail only legendary Club icons Nick Rimando (33,048) and Kyle Beckerman (29,940)
4 – consecutive seasons qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs by RSL, something no other Western Conference Club has accomplished from 2021 – present … Two perennial postseason obstacles for the Utah side – LAFC and Seattle – join the Claret-and-Cobalt with the 6-out-of-7 qualification distinction, equaled by one East team – Philadelphia … The New York Red Bulls are the lone MLS side to have qualified for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in seven consecutive years from 2018-24
5 – Real Salt Lake is one of just five MLS teams overall to have qualified for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in at least six of the last seven seasons (2018-24), overcoming both internal and external volatility in the last six years through three different ownership situations and three different head coaches, as well as four different MLS Cup Playoff formats during this period
6 – the number of Chicho Arango game-winning assists this season, matching the Club record set by former Captain Kyle Beckerman (2011)
8 – the number of 50-point regular seasons in RSL’s 20-year history, with only three coming in the last decade – 2024 (59 pts.), 2023 (50), and 2019 (53)
9 – RSL players to have exceeded 2000 minutes played during the 2024 MLS reg. season, led by the midfield pivot pairing of Braian Ojeda (2694) and Emeka Eneli (2669) … Captain Chicho Arango, DF Justen Glad, MF Diego Luna, GK Zac MacMath, DF Brayan Vera, DF Andrew Brody and DF Alex Katranis also exceeded the 2000-minute total, joining two others – MF Matt Crooks and former winger Andrés Gómez – to have played more than 1800 minutes this season
10 – years since RSL last qualified for a continental Cup competition, earning advancement the newly-expanded and reformatted 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup via this year’s reg. season performance (16-7-11 / 59 points, 3rd West MLS) … RSL was knocked out by LIGA MX power Tigres back in March, 2016 in its last CCL foray
11 – home regular-season games already won this season by RSL, the eighth time in 20 years that RSL has reached double-digit home wins in a single year … RSL also added a 12th home win with its 2-1 comeback against Atlas CF (LIGA MX) in Leagues Cup 2024 group play
12 – should RSL emerge from the upcoming series with Minnesota, all-time MLS Cup Playoff series won by RSL out of its 24 played since 2008, across various stages and formats (NOTE: shootout wins/losses count as draws) … Entering the best-of-three, first-round matchup with the Loons, RSL’s all-time postseason record is 10-12-12, with five advancements in the eight games that have been decided in extra time or via the shootout tiebreaker
14 – years qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs by RSL in 17 seasons played since its first postseason back in 2008 … The perennial nature of RSL’s 14 postseason appearances in now 17 years is remarkable when considering the League’s growth and change dating back to 2008 … Since RSL’s first postseason appearance in 2008, the Utah side has advanced to 10 Conference Semifinal rounds and 5 Conference Finals – only SEA has reached more (12 Semis, 6 Finals) … LA Galaxy also with 5 Conference Final appearances to match RSL
17 – number of goals scored this year by RSL Captain Chicho Arango, matching the Club’s all-time reg. season record established in 2012 by Alvaro Saborio …
23 – road points accrued by RSL during the 2024 season, the Club’s 5W-4L-8T / 23 points this year establishing RSL’s second-best road point haul of all-time, breaking the 2014 mark of 6-7-4 (22 points) … Pablo and company established the Club’s best all-time road season last year, accruing an 8-5-4 / 28-point campaign
30 – players used by HC Pablo Mastroeni and staff during the 34-game 2024 campaign, including 12 players making their RSL debuts
34 – number of RSL wins when scoring first during the Mastroeni era, against just four losses and 12 draws since late August, 2021, when Pablo seized the reins
38 – the number of home goals scored this year in 17 MLS contests at America First Field in Sandy, matching the highest-scoring home campaign in the Club’s 20-year history (2018)
59 – the NEW all-time Club record for regular-season performance, breaking the 57-point mark accrued in the 2012 campaign
65 – goals scored in 34 reg. season MLS games this year by RSL, smashing the former record of 57 finding the back of the net back in 2013 – when RSL last matriculated to MLS Cup
98 – most games played in RSL history without an assist, by GK Zac MacMath (8730 minutes) …
104 – all-time goal-scorers to find back of net in RSL’s 648 MLS reg. season contests, with 21 others providing at least one assist, meaning that 125 of RSL’s 217 players to have appeared for at least one MLS minutes have found the scoresheet
903 – the number of reg. season goals scored in 20 years, one shy of the Club’s overall MLS points (904) accrued in 648 games played during that span
365,114 – the number of fans to have supported the Claret-and-Cobalt at America First Field during the first 18 matches across all competitions in 2024, for an average of 20,284 and 101% of the venue capacity
