Hudson River Blue caught up with Lucas Muller of Wasatch Soccer Sentinel, the successor to SB Nation’s RSL Soapbox, to learn more about what’s going on with Real Salt Lake, New York City FC’s opponent tomorrow in Matchday 17: Here’s your NYCFC vs Real Salt Lake preview.
1. Unhappy times at Rio Tinto
Hudson River Blue: Real Salt Lake look like they’re having a frustrating year. They sit in ninth place, just inside the playoff zone, but they’re winless at home in their last four MLS league games with two draws and two losses. What’s the mood in the Beehive State?
Lucas Muller: The mood around RSL is fairly negative. There have certainly been some fun moments this season, but the inconstancy seems to confirm to fans that this team has some real holes in it. This is the second year in a row where RSL have failed to replace their top goal scorer (Albert Rusnak left after 2021, and Sergio Cordova left after 2022), and there are real questions around the FO’s ability, or ownership support, to bring in a good striker.
The home loss to the Galaxy last Wednesday was a real shock. Rio Tinto had been seen as a fortress for much of the 2010s, and to suffer a home defeat to last-place LA was tough. But that was immediately followed by RSL’s first-ever road win in Austin, so there’s a real sense of uncertainty around the result in any game right now.
