Behind Enemy Lines: Scouting Real Salt Lake 🔎

There is no time to dwell on last night’s US Open Cup match for FC Dallas, as the weekend is quickly approaching. Current Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake come to town to battle FC Dallas for the first time this season.

RSL is off to a strong start in 2024 with an 8-2-4 record after 14 games, including a wild 5-3 over rivals Colorado last weekend.

Key Player: Cristian Arango

The Colombian is off to an MVP-type start this season with 13 goals and eight assists. So far, he has contributed to 21 of RSL’s 27 goals this season.

Key Matchup: Arango vs Nkosi Tafari

The entire Dallas backline will be really called into action on this one, but we’ll single out the leader of the Dallas defense to take on Arango the most. If Tafari and the rest of the Dallas defense can limit his time on the ball around the penalty area and keep him from finding those pockets of space to get on the end of crosses, they could slow down this RSL attack.

Availability Report1:

Suspended: none
Out: Kevin Bonilla (knee), Bode Hidalgo (hamstring), Erik Holt (hamstring), Pablo Ruiz (knee), Marcelo Silva (hamstring)
Questionable: Andrew Brody (foot), Zavier Gozo (concussion), Bryan Oviedo (calf)
On Loan: none
International duty: none

Quick Notes:

Last year against FCD: Dallas picked up two straight wins over RSL last season, including a 2-1 win at home last April.

All-time in Frisco: Real Salt Lake is searching for their third win at Toyota Stadium in all-time matches against FC Dallas, with the last win coming in the 2021 season. They have a 2-16-6 record in North Texas.

Potential Lineup:

Head coach Pablo Mastroeni has mostly used a 4-2-3-1 look this season that targets teams along the wings.

MacMath; Brody, Glad, Vera, Katranis; Oieda, Eneli; Luna, Crooks, Gomez; Arango

Keys To Three Points over RSL

1. Limit the chances: RSL has been very good this season at exposing the team’s defenses and finding pockets of space in and around the penalty area. FC Dallas must limit those chances in and around their penalty area and find ways to keep the pressure off Maarten Paes and the defense.
2. Play to the counter: While RSL will push numbers forward, they can get exposed on the counterattack. FC Dallas must take their chances wisely when RSL turns the ball over in the midfield.
3. Keep feeding Musa: Musa sat out Wednesday’s USOC game due to the birth of his first child earlier this week. The lack of travel this week will help keep him a bit fresher, as Dallas will need to continue to find ways to get him into space around the RSL penalty box.