In case you haven’t heard, Real Salt Lake clinched the final Western Conference berth in the upcoming MLS Cup Playoffs, sneaking in on the final day of the season via a dramatic game-winner scored by Damir Kreilach in the final seconds of the match.
Not only did RSL get into the playoffs, but they also knocked off rival Sporting Kansas City on the road to do it, while simultaneously eliminating the hated LA Galaxy from postseason contention at the same time.
In other words, it was a great day to be a supporter of the Claret and Cobalt.
🗣 90' + 5'
Damir Kreilach's stoppage time goal that sent #RSL into the @Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/0bkOBYBo3c
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 8, 2021
RSL’s reward? The seventh seed and a first-round matchup with the Seattle Sounders on the road.
Well, at least they made it to the party right?
2009 repeat, anyone?
So for anyone who remembers, RSL barely made the playoffs on the last day of the season 12 years ago.
Back then, only the top eight teams in the overall standings made the playoffs in the 15-team league. RSL finished with 40 points, which was fifth in the West but eighth place overall, making the playoffs ahead of Colorado and D.C. United thanks to a higher goal differential.
Real took that luck with them into the postseason, where they played on the Eastern Conference side of the bracket (ya I know, MLS is weird). They then proceeded to take down the defending MLS Cup champions Columbus in the conference semifinals, before the heroics of goalkeeper Nick Rimando in a penalty kick shootout led to a victory over the Chicago Fire in the East final.
RSL then faced Landon Donovan, David Beckham, and the heavily-favored LA Galaxy in Seattle for the final. After drawing 1-1 after extra time, Real won the only championship in franchise history in another penalty kick shootout.
All I’m saying is, maybe we can conjure up some Nick Rimando-Kyle Beckerman-Javier Morales-Jason Kreis era magic and run the table to a title? It seems impossible, but since it’s happened to RSL before, it apparently isn’t.
A look at RSL
Real Salt Lake had one heck of an up-and-down 2021 season, so being here at all is pretty impressive in its own right.
RSL played the season with no owner and has been under the watchful eye of Major League Soccer since disgraced former owner Dell Loy Hansen was ousted following a report of racist and sexist behavior that created a toxic environment at the club.
If things couldn’t get any worse off the field, former RSL head coach Freddy Juarez up and left in the middle of the campaign to take an assistant coaching job at – pause for effect – Seattle. Ya, the same team we are facing in the playoffs. A strange season indeed.
Since then, Pablo Mastroeni has led the team in an interim capacity while the club is now searching for a permanent managerial candidate and an ownership group.
Strong at the front, weak at the back
Nothing shows the rollercoaster that was this season than both Real’s record and goals scored vs. goals allowed.
The team scored 55 goals during the 2021 season, which was third-best in the Western Conference, led by 16 goals from Damir Kreilach. On the other hand, they allowed 54, which was the most among all of the league’s playoff teams. A plus-one goal differential sums up a lot of things about how uneven the team’s play was throughout most of the year.
With a record of 14 wins, 6 draws, and 14 losses (48 points), RSL is the definition of being stuck in the middle of the pack. It was quite a ride to get here, but it definitely had its exciting moments that only a team like Real can produce.
Damir and Albert lead the way
Damir Kreilach had a career year leading RSL’s high-powered attack, scoring 16 goals and tallying eight assists. The 16 goals were good enough to finish tied for third in MLS, while the eight assists was tied for the eighth-best.
Kreilach was named the MLS Player of the Week twice during the season, while also picking up the RSL team Golden Boot and MVP honors.
Albert Rusnak was the other option in RSL’s two-man attack, where he scored 11 goals and added 11 assists. His assists total was tied for fifth-best in MLS.
Rusnak also set the club single-season minutes played record in 2021, totaling 3,045 minutes on the pitch while featuring in all 34 matches.
A look at Seattle
Consistently a top-tier side in Major League Soccer, the Seattle Sounders have qualified for the postseason for 13 straight years – or all of the club’s seasons in existence. The Sounders have also reached the final of the MLS Cup in four of the past five seasons, taking home the trophy in 2016 and 2019.
Finishing second in the West with a record of 17 wins, 9 draws, and 8 losses (60 points), Seattle scored 53 goals during the season, good for fourth-best in the conference.
Unlike RSL though the Sounders were strong on the defensive end, allowing only 33 goals, the least amount of goals conceded in the league. Seattle finished with a plus-20 goal differential, at the top of the Western Conference.
History and connections
RSL and Seattle have met three previous times in the postseason, the first in the 2011 West semis when Real came out on top 3-2 over two legs.
Seattle got revenge with a 1-0 aggregate win in the following season’s semifinals and also came out on top with a 2-0 win in the West semis in 2019.
Not only do the two clubs have playoff history, but a number of people who work in the Seattle organization should be recognized by RSL fans.
Current Sounders general manager Garth Lagerway built RSL’s championship-winning side while working at the club from 2007-14, while sporting director Craig Waibel also worked for Real from 2014-19 as an assistant coach, technical director, and general manager.
Oh, and don’t forget Seattle assistant coach Freddy Juarez, who as mentioned previously left Real in the middle of the season as manager. Managing the club from 2019-21, Juarez worked with the team beginning in 2010, first as an academy head coach, then the Monarchs head coach, and then as an RSL assistant.
Prediction
Seattle is favored in this match at home, and rightfully so. The team possesses loads of playoff experience, as well as a top manager (Brian Schmetzer) and the best defense in MLS.
RSL is riding a wave of momentum after the last-ditch victory on Decision Day and has one of the top offenses in the league.
One thing Real does not do though is play well in Seattle. All-time, the Sounders hold an 11-2-3 record (Win-Draw-Loss) at home against the Claret and Cobalt, while also holding a 2-1-0 record in the playoffs.
With their playoff experience and RSL’s lack of success in the Emerald City, I expect the Sounders to come out on top and advance to the conference semifinals, and put an end to an up-and-down Real Salt Lake campaign.
Seattle Sounders 2, Real Salt Lake 1
RSL and the Sounders kick off their first-round matchup at 8:30 p.m. MT at Lumen Field in Seattle. The game can be seen on FS1.
