As Real Salt Lake readies for the resumption of the 2020 MLS season on Saturday with a Rocky Mountain Cup tilt with the Colorado Rapids (7 p.m. MT, KMYU, KSL TV App, ESPN 700), it’s time for a refresher on the MLS Western Conference standings.
Coming out of the MLS Is Back Tournament – and the three matches that have taken place thus far as FC Dallas, Nashville SC and two of the three Canadian teams resumed matches starting last week – RSL had played five matches counting towards the 2020 MLS regular season. That includes the two matches against Orlando City and the New York Red Bulls to open the season back in February and March and three matches in the Group Stage of the MLS Is Back Tournament.
While posting the second-best defensive marks in MLS, allowing just a 0.60 goals against average, RSL is 1-1-3 for six points and ninth in the Western Conference.
In the first six games of the schedule, RSL will square off with Colorado twice (2-2-1, 7th in the West), LAFC (2-0-3, 4th), the Portland Timbers (3-1-1, 3rd), Seattle Sounders FC (2-1-1, 5th) and Minnesota United FC (3-0-2, 2nd). With all six matches coming against teams that are above the playoff line, the RSL schedule is difficult on paper. However, it also provides RSL an opportunity to climb the standings while bettering competing teams in the rough-and-tumble Western Conference.
This weekend, the Western Conference will feature 11 teams in action:
Friday, August 21
Sporting Kansas City at Minnesota United (5:30 p.m. MT)
FC Dallas at Houston Dynamo (6 p.m. MT)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Toronto FC (6 p.m. MT)
Saturday, August 22
LA Galaxy at LAFC (4 p.m. MT, FOX)
Real Salt Lake at Colorado Rapids (7 p.m. MT, KMYU, KSL TV App, ESPN 700)
Sunday, August 23
Seattle Sounders FC at Portland Timbers (8 p.m. MT, FS 1)
| Western | Points | Overall | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | PTS | PPG | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | ||
| Sporting Kansas City | 12 | 2.4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 8 | ||
| Minnesota United FC | 11 | 2.2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 6 | ||
| Portland Timbers | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | ||
| Los Angeles Football Club | 9 | 1.8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 5 | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 8 | 1.6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | ||
| San Jose Earthquakes | 8 | 1.6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Colorado Rapids | 7 | 1.4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 9 | -1 | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 6 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 13 | -6 | ||
| Real Salt Lake | 6 | 1.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| FC Dallas | 5 | 1.25 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Houston Dynamo | 3 | 0.6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | -5 | ||
| LA Galaxy | 2 | 0.4 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 | -6 | ||
