Welcome back to storylines. Real Salt Lake marked the resumption of its July MLS commitments, following a 10-day break, with a hard-fought, come-from-behind 3-2 victory against Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night at America First Field. Goals from Andres Gómez, Diego Luna, and a first time finding the back of the net in Claret-and-Cobalt colors for Braian Ojeda set the stage for yet another dramatic comeback as RSL rallied yet again from a goal down to secure all three points in front of a record home crowd of 21,522, the third-highest attendance in the venue’s 15-year history.Following a frustrating defeat to LA Galaxy back on June 22 that knocked the team down from its previously occupied top spot in the West standings, Pablo Mastroeni’s men delivered the perfect response to what all expect to be a minor setback with its League-best sixth come-from-behind win, catapulting RSL right back into the heat of both the West title race and Supporters Shield pursuit.Wednesday’s win represented yet another step in what - as has been consistently emphasized this season - has been a magical season thus far for RSL, with 11 wins and seven draws against just three losses to create one of the most impressive 21-game starts to a season in franchise history. The victory also now places the Utah side in second place overall in the West standings, three points behind LAFCand three ahead of the Galaxy after the Black-and-Gold outfit picked up a narrow El Trafico win on July 4 at the Rose Bowl.In a quick turnaround from Wednesday’s match, Pablo Mastroeni’s men quickly return to footballing action on Saturday with yet another crucial MLS matchup, this time against Atlanta United, at America First Field.Kickoff for this game - RSL expecting another electric, standing-room-only crowd in Sandy - is slated for 7:30 pm MT. Real Salt Lake always searching for all three points at home in front of its adoring fanbase, hoping to improve on a 7-2-1 / 22-point home record as it attempts to reclaim its previously held solo spot atop the Western Conference table.The games are coming fast and furious at this point of the season, with a three-game road week July 13-20 heading into the July 24 MLS All-Star Game and the month-long Leagues Cup to follow. It’s all to play for and the stakes are higher than ever before. Here are a few storylines to consider ahead of the visit from the Five Stripes.Storylines
- Ones to watch - Luna and Gómez; The pair continued their stunning forms this season with standout showings against the Dynamo. Pablo will be depending on his young attacking lieutenants to continue to help herald a new age of Claret-and-Cobalt dominance starting with Saturday night’s blockbuster against Atlanta.
- Chicho Arango again; It would seem like we cannot stop talking about Real Salt Lake’s superstar captain, and rightly so, why would we? RSL’s flagbearer made history for himself and the Club against Kansas, and with 16 goals and 11 assists this season, has the chance to continue to do so with a goal or more against Atlanta United.
The Deep Dive
- Ones to watch - Luna and Gómez; The pair continued their stunning forms this season with standout showings against the Dynamo. Pablo will be depending on his young attacking lieutenants to continue to help herald a new age of Claret-and-Cobalt dominance starting with Saturday night’s blockbuster against Atlanta.
RSL’s young dynamic attackers Diego Luna and Andres Gómez both shone brightest on Wednesday night, continuing their amazing forms this season with man-of-the-match-worthy performances in the Utah side’s win. With the hosts a goal down early on against the run of play, the pair led the charge for yet another thrilling comeback. Gómez was the first of the pair to strike, scoring RSL’s equalizer in the 8th minute before adding two further assists, while Luna scored an MLS Goal of the Matchday candidate with a spectacularly-curled effort from outside the penalty box en route to a 3-2 victory.Indeed, it has been a truly remarkable season for the pair, both of whom have now developed into some of the first names on Pablo’s teamsheet. Gómez’s goal and pair of assists on Wednesday night brought him up to 11 goals and nine assists so far in the season, ranking him amongst the league’s top 10 for both categories. The 21-year-old has also started in all but two of the team’s 21 MLS games played this season and has scored in three of RSL’s last six games.Luna as well also scored his fourth goal in total of the campaign with his strike on Wednesday, alongside his nine assists bringing him up to 13 goal contributions in total this season, more than double his tally last season (six).The pair have combined for a total of 33 goals and assists out of Real Salt Lake’s 43 total goals scored this season, emphasizing their importance to Pablo’s team.Pablo will once again be counting on this electric dynamic attacking duo, either side of Chicho, as RSL head into its next set of grueling fixtures, starting with Saturday’s clash with Atlanta.
- Chicho Arango again; It would seem like we cannot stop talking about Real Salt Lake’s superstar captain, and rightly so, why would we? RSL’s flagbearer made history for himself and the Club against Kansas, and with 16 goals and 11 assists this season, has the chance to continue to do so with a goal or more against Atlanta United.
Chicho Arango, again and again. It would seem as though we cannot stop talking about RSL’s superstar striker. Chicho has appeared in nearly every edition of storylines and player highlights since the start of the season, and rightly so.RSL’s captain and flagbearer has been the jewel in the crown of the Claret-and-Cobalt’s title charge and success this season. The 29-year-old recovered in time from a nasty head collision suffered early on in the June 22 Galaxy game to play 89 official minutes against Houston Dynamo before being substituted in injury time, with the Captain surely raring to go on Saturday night.In what has been a magical season both personally and collectively, Chicho currently has 16 goals this campaign and needs just one more goal to tie the franchise single-season record of 17 goals set by Alvaro Saborio over a decade ago in 2012, and two more to break and claim sole possession of the all-time single-season RSL Golden Boot record, all this with nearly half the season still to play for.His assist in RSL’s last road game against Kansas City also made him just the third-ever RSL player - out of 210 to have logged league minutes with the Utah side - to have a 10g/10a campaign, joining Jeff Cunningham (2006) and Albert Rusnák (2021). Chicho’s game-winning assist against SKC was also his team-high fifth of the year, out of 10 wins thus far in 2024.Moreover, Chicho’s hat trick in the team’s June 1, 5-1 home win over Austin made him only the second RSL player to score multiple career hat tricks (two in 31 MLS games), joining Alvaro Saborio, who scored three in 127 regular season games (two of Sabo’s hat tricks came in 2012; should Chicho score another hat trick this season, he would become just the eighth all-time MLS player with three hat tricks in a single-season).As if all that wasn’t already enough, Chicho’s goalscoring exploits against Austin also meant the 29-year-old Colombian became the third-fastest MLS player to reach 25 goals and assists in a season this year, with only 17 games played at the time.It seems like the records just keep falling one by one for RSL’s undisputed champion, and that doesn’t look like it might change anytime soon. Chicho has undoubtedly become the most important figure in Pablo’s attacking arsenal, and with nearly half the season still to play for, the stage is set RSL’s captain to take the league by storm, rewriting the history books. But for now, we look on in anticipation for Saturday. Dale Real, and Dale Chicho Arango!
