Fresh from shutting out the LA Galaxy 3-0 in El Tráfico, Los Angeles FC return to BMO Stadium looking to build on that momentum. The derby win was as convincing as anything Marc Dos Santos’s side have produced this season, and it arrived after a run of three straight league defeats that had left their top-four place looking fragile. Standing in the way is Real Salt Lake, sitting one point behind LAFC in fourth with two fewer games played, making this a direct confrontation for position in the Western Conference standings.
What’s at stake
LAFC sit third in the Western Conference with 27 points from 16 matches, five points back of co-leaders Vancouver Whitecaps and San Jose Earthquakes, who both have 32. Real Salt Lake are fourth on 26 points but have played only 14 games, meaning they have two matches in hand on the team immediately above them. FC Dallas (25 points, 15 played) and Seattle Sounders (24 points, 14 played) are close enough behind that neither side can afford to give ground here.
A home win keeps LAFC in front of RSL and extends the cushion over the clubs chasing playoff positioning from below. For Real Salt Lake, a victory in Los Angeles would move them to within one point of third and put pressure back on LAFC from a side with games in hand. A draw leaves the picture largely unchanged but does Salt Lake no favors given their superior games-in-hand advantage.
How they got here
LAFC’s last five league results read W, W, L, L, L from most recent backwards (the friendly win over El Salvador aside): the 3-0 at the Galaxy and a 1-0 home win over Seattle Sounders on May 25, preceded by away defeats at Nashville SC (3-2) and St. Louis City (2-1) and a 4-1 home loss to Houston Dynamo. The form string in the standings reads WWLLL, so the derby result is the second win of a recovery rather than the continuation of a run. Real Salt Lake’s recent MLS form reads D, W, W, L going backwards: a 1-1 draw at Minnesota United, home wins over Colorado Rapids (2-1) and Houston Dynamo (3-0) in May, and a 3-1 defeat at FC Dallas before that. They also beat Championship side Burnley 4-1 in a friendly last week, a result with limited competitive weight but one that gave the squad useful minutes heading into this road trip.
LAFC are third with 27 points; RSL are fourth with 26 but have two games in hand. The gap to the top two is five points for LAFC and six for Salt Lake, while FC Dallas (fifth, 25 points) and Seattle (sixth, 24 points) are breathing down both sides’ necks. The race for the top four in the West is genuinely open across six clubs separated by just eight points.
Key battle to watch
Son Heung-Min’s involvement at BMO Stadium will be worth tracking closely. The South Korean forward is listed in LAFC’s squad, and with Denis Bouanga also available as an attacking option, Dos Santos has firepower to call on against a Salt Lake back line that has conceded 19 goals in 14 games, a mid-table defensive record in a conference where the top two have given up 12 and 15. RSL’s backline, which includes Justen Glad and DeAndre Yedlin, will need to be compact and disciplined to limit LAFC’s attacking transitions, particularly if the hosts come out aggressive trying to erase the memory of the Galaxy loss.
Key Stats
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Our Prediction
History favors LAFC, who have won six of the last ten meetings against Real Salt Lake, and the three-defeat run that preceded the derby now looks like it has been shaken off rather than left unresolved. RSL arrive with their own momentum from May and two games in hand, making them a live threat rather than a passive visitor. Expect a tight, physical match where LAFC’s home advantage and the confidence from the derby win tip the balance narrowly in their favor.