Storylines returns this week on a consequentially positive note, with the backdrop of a much-needed RSL victory last time out. A comfortable Diego Luna-inspired two-nil triumph over defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy in Matchday 7 serves as the ideal launching pad to kickstart a new, contemporary round of narratives.
Such events now means that RSL next sets its collective sights on Saturday’s trip to Geodis Park for an away fixture against Eastern Conference side Nashville SC in what will be the teams’ first meeting since 2022.
As always, our experts preview select plots and themes of which supporters should be mindful ahead of what promises to be yet another tantalizing domestic spectacle.
Retracing our steps, and finding consistency
RSL’s win over the Galaxy served as a lifeboat in many ways. Not an atonement or a redemption story of any sort – that would require far more than the privileges one mere single victory can provide – far be it from any of that. This was a reprieve, like a light shining out of a hole in a tunnel – a shaft of breathing space on the basis of which even more will now be expected.
In the run-up to what was an eagerly anticipated clash, the team’s record of five losses and three wins in eight opening competitive games hadn’t exactly made for pleasant reading, and successive defeats in previous outings against FC Dallas and Minnesota United had left the Claret-and-Cobalt languishing in fourth-from-bottom in the Western Conference standings.
Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney’s defending champions, for their part, arrived at America First Field on the back of four losses and two draws and were yet to record a win at all in their opening six domestic-season games. This was a team at their lowest ebb, in the league at least – the possible precarious narratives of which lent both sides’ encounter, for RSL, into being a must-win result. Not of convenience, but born out of sheer necessity. Victory, in short, was simply non-negotiable.
It was delivered, and in glorious fashion.
RSL boss Pablo Mastroeni’s side was equal parts ruthless and fun on a sunny, super-charged Sandy afternoon, with two goals in the mere space of five first-half minutes to effectively seal the encounter, brilliantly snapping a five-half scoreless run dating back to March 15 in Houston. The visitors, in truth, barely ever got going, seemingly consigning themselves to a defeat from the very first whistle. But the hosts, in fairness, hardly ever afforded their opponents the opportunity to do so. It was a complete performance in every sense of the word, and one can really only play what lies in front of them.
The upcoming task at hand now lies in replication and reproducing that same level of performance on a more consistent basis.
When Mastroeni’s side travels to Nashville for its latest domestic encounter, the clubs square off for what will only be the fourth time in MLS history. The first-ever meeting between the two sides ended in a goalless stalemate during the 2021 season, before RSL then enjoyed a narrow 2-1 victory over Nashville at America First Field in March 2022, followed by a 2-0 defeat during the most recent meeting in the reverse fixture in May of the same year.
RSL have endured a topsy-turvy start to 2025, which has seen the team twice suffer back-to-back defeats, and a further one on top for good measure, in a competitive campaign that is only nine games old across all competitions. Last season, Mastroeni’s men were forced to wait until their fifth MLS game to bask in the reassurance of consecutive victories (with 2-1 and 3-1 wins secured against Vancouver and St. Louis City, respectively) before then proceeding to go on an unprecedented 15-game league unbeaten run which lasted for three months from March to June.
This term, the Claret-and-Cobalt have yet to record consecutive victories at all thus far. Saturday at Nashville presents the chance to buck that inconsistent trend.
Mastroeni’s charges hold the slender advantage as it pertains to recent form, with former U.S. assistant B.J. Callaghan’s side suffering successive defeats in the last two outings.
It sets up what is sure to be an arduous, intriguing affair in the Southeast.
Luna primed to continue good form, and the need for collective contribution
In search of an inventive beginning to this section – to say that Luna will be the primary player to watch for at the weekend would be a gross understatement. Indeed, there perhaps isn’t much else left to say about the midfielder that hasn’t already been remarked.
The 21-year-old emerged as the headline act at the previous weekend, on a crucial afternoon against the defending champions, with a magisterial display, netting a five-minute first-half brace to guide the hosts to an ultimately routine but pivotal victory this early yet in the campaign.
“Luna is magic!” He certainly was on Saturday.
The USMNT international’s spectacular ascendancy understandably brings him sharply back into focus as Mastroeni’s most important weapon ahead of what surely is another important clash this upcoming weekend.
Luna’s emergence for RSL, crucially combined with his recent brilliance on the international stage, means that the 21-year-old’s danger and talent will no longer come as a surprise to opponents looking to take advantage. And whilst that occasionally still serves as no real consequence, if the goal of consistency is to be fully realized, it will require more of the midfielder’s supporting cast to shoulder the load.
The former El Paso Locomotive attacker truly burst into stardom during the 2024 season in an All-Star campaign that saw him net eight goals and lay on a further 12 assists across 31 matches in domestic competition, finishing as the team’s fourth-highest goalscorer by the end of the year. However, whilst the manner of his start this campaign projects potentially even higher numbers, what has become increasingly evident over the past few weeks is that the 21-year-old cannot do it all by his lonesome.
So far this year, four RSL players have recorded goals to their name. When one factors in goal contributions in total, that tally rises to six. The Claret-and-Cobalt also possess the fifth-lowest tally of goals scored in the Western Conference, and seventh-lowest in the entire league thus far this season, with just seven goals scored across its opening seven MLS games. The sum of all that, combined with inconsistent defensive showings, mean Mastroeni’s charges also rank third-worst in terms of goal difference in the West.
Chance creation and conversion had become a lightning rod for conversation regarding RSL, amidst a slew of inconsistent performances, in recent weeks before the Galaxy victory, and even then, there still remained components for improvement.
Star midfielder Diogo Gonçalves delivered a more involved, committed showing last weekend, even crucially contributing to the creation of RSL’s opener on the afternoon, but wilted when presented a golden opportunity in front of goal, blazing an effort from a one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper high and wide, and his finishing inside the box continues to leave much more to be desired.
Striker Ari Piol and winger Dominik Marczuk also continued to show impressive flashes of talent and promise but struggled to genuinely threaten the opposition goal at any real point during both their times on the pitch.
Piol has enjoyed an extended run in the team as of late during periods he’s been available, whilst Marczuk and Gonçalves have both since established themselves as consistent fixtures on Mastroeni’s team sheet since the pair arrived during the same summer transfer window of 2024.
You see shades of promise from what remains a remarkably young team, but at the consequence of the full picture, which still often seems to be lacking from a collective standpoint.
Finding stability and continuity in team displays will require that more of Mastroeni’s attacking cast carry the torch to prevent the burden being too much for any singular person to shoulder.
Luna might, indeed, be magic, but he’s still only one man.
Watch RSL at Nashville SC Saturday night at 6:30p MT via the Apple TV+ / MLS Season Pass service, and get your tickets now for RSL’s next home game at America First Field on Sat., April 19 at 7:30p MT against Toronto FC at www.RSL.com/tickets.
