Another new RSL matchday beckons in this turbulent start to the 2025 campaign, as Real Salt Lake will host Western Conference foe FC Dallas at America First Field Saturday at 7:30 MT.
RSL arrives home against what is expected to be a capacity crowd, with Mastroeni’s men looking to build off of the crucial 2-1 away win against recent nemesis Houston last Saturday. The team quickly and immediately rebounded from the disappointing 3-1 home defeat against San Diego FC two weeks ago, again looking to utilize winning momentum to catapult itself up the table as a new FIFA fixture is looming and with it, the loss of some key players for Head Coach, Pablo Mastroeni.
This edition of Storylines explores the most important topics heading into this weekend’s battle for 3 points.
Losing Luna and Marczuk
The FIFA international fixtures give most fans an opportunity to shift their focus from clubs to the national teams. During this time, most leagues around the world come to a halt as teams lose players to international callups. This is not the case, however, for the March window, as MLS action will continue to ramp up during the 8 days that make up the international break this March, the league choosing to observe later FIFA windows this year, including breaks for the group stages of the FIFA Club World Cup, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and other events.
RSL will be heavily impacted this week, conceding the loss of two regular starters to the countries they represent. This weekend’s Wasatch Front match will likely render RSL without the reigning 2024 MLS Young Player of the Year and the recently announced Utah Sports Commission Male Professional Athlete of the Year, Diego Luna. Last week, RSL announced that the talismanic Luna - now coming off his first goal of the year, the game-winner at Houston - was selected by U.S. Men’s National Team manager Mauricio Pochettino, while this week saw Claret-and-Cobalt winger Dominik Marczuk representing the full senior national team for Poland.
Mastroeni and his illustrious staff will have to strategize without two undisputed starters, the duo accounting for 3 goal contributions in 5 total goals scored for the Claret-and-Cobalt so far this season. Luna is fresh off of a brilliant performance against the Dynamo, with his involvement in the first goal of the night and subsequently scoring the game-winning goal just before halftime. His production was met with league-wide praise and he was selected to the ‘Team of the Matchday’ by MLS and chosen as the ‘Star of the Matchday’ by Apple TV.
Dominik Marczuk continued his strong start to the 2025 season, tallying another assist to his name in the last match bringing his total to two. His performances have brought a spark to a lineup that has at times lacked creativity in the attacking third. Both players should be available for RSL’s March 29 away game against Minnesota United barring any setbacks.
Dallas will need to restructure its starting lineup as well, with the absence of starting goalkeeper Maarten Paes, who will represent Indonesia in this window.
Pablo Ruiz Tyler Wolff the Ideal Reinforcements
It’s no simple feat to replace two of your most important players, but RSL and its annual “next man up” mentality has no choice but to do exactly that. Mastroeni has multiple options to counter the losses of Luna - who could potentially return to RSL should the U.S. fall to Panama - and Marczuk.
One option is to start Argentine midfielder Pablo Ruiz, who can add flair to the center of the pitch. Despite not being available for the match against San Diego due to illness, and not subbing on in the 2-0 win over Seattle, Ruiz has made 4 appearances so far this season across all competitions, once as a starter.
In this scenario the most realistic decision would be for him to play a more central role in the midfield, positioned in front of Emeka Eneli and Braian Ojeda. Diogo Gonçalves would shift to the left to cover Luna’s position— as he did in four of six matches this season— allowing the 26-year-old to play where he is most comfortable. Throughout his career with the Utah club, Ruiz has made a grand total of 117 club appearances across all competitions, contributing 7 goals and 11 assists according to *Fbref*.
Mastroeni could also opt to include Tyler Wolff into the starting lineup against FC Dallas. The Georgia native has been a steady option off the bench so far in his first season with the Club. He’s made 5 appearances in 6 games, coming off the bench four times and earning his first and only start in the loss against San Jose, in the MLS season opener. Wolff is a logical substitute for Marczuk as both players operate on the right side of the pitch.
The 22-year-old has made 56 appearances in MLS, spending the previous 5 seasons with Atlanta United before emigrating to Sandy. During this time, he has recorded 6 goals and 1 assist, primarily as a substitute.
This Saturday, fans could see an attacking midfield featuring Diogo Gonçalves, Pablo Ruiz, and Tyler Wolff to combat the absences of Luna and Marczuk. Another option for Mastroeni’s lineup is Australian right forward Lachlan Brook. Only time will tell which formula is chosen to host Anderson Julio’s homecoming.
Head to Head Matchups
FC Dallas is without a doubt one of RSL’s biggest rivals in the West, only having played two other clubs— Colorado Rapids and LA Galaxy— more times than their Texan counterpart. Since Real Salt Lake’s 2005 entrance into MLS, no visitor has won more often on Utah soil than Dallas.
These two clubs have faced off 52 times. The Utah club has not had a favorable history to say the least, notching 15 wins but suffering 24 losses to go along with 13 draws. During their struggles they conceded 80 goals while scoring 64. Their most memorable matches include a Western Conference Semifinals meeting in the MLS playoffs in 2010. Dallas advanced to the next round, defeating the Claret-and-Cobalt in two legs with an aggregate of 3-2.
The most recent encounter, however, was a game to remember for the RSL fanbase, with the home team defeating Dallas, 3-2, accompanied by a brace from now former team member, Anderson Julio. The Ecuadoran’s first goal of the night was a memorable strike from near the halfway line to send the crowd screaming. Now, his reception by the fans will surely be mixed as the forward returns to America First Field, where he once spread magic across the pitch, but now this time in an FC Dallas uniform. In four seasons with the club, Julio made 111 appearances, adding 30 goal contributions to his career achievements.
Real Salt Lake hopes to secure back-to-back home wins against Dallas for the first time since 2008-2009, when it walked away with 3-1 and 4-2 victories respectively. Although the history is somewhat unfavorable, the team has garnered the confidence to walk away with the three points as it is fresh off of an away win and can now build upon it before a home crowd.
Tickets remain for the 7:30p MT kickoff v Dallas at www.RSL.com/tickets.
