FC Cincinnati make their first of three Western Conference road trips of the year this weekend, packing their bags and heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a matchup with Real Salt Lake. With the high of their dominant victory over Inter Miami in the midweek still putting win in their sails, but the memory of a disappointing loss to start the three-game week also fresh on the mind, FC Cincinnati enters this match looking to keep their temperament even and continue to compete in a good way to close out a busy and draining week.
“Typically, wins and losses and good performance and bad performance can bring out the obvious emotions, but there was disappointment after the weekend, and the guys are in a better place because of how they improved and how they approached the Miami game to have a better performance and a better outcome. They don't get too high or too low,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Friday before the club departed for Utah later that day. “So we go into Salt Lake, I think, in a good way, off of a good performance. But now it's over, and we need to, or already have shifted our focus to, an in-form Salt Lake team. So I'm happy with where the group's at.”
Notably, any trip to Salt Lake City includes a visit to America First Field, the home of Real Salt Lake, which boasts the second-highest elevation in Major League Soccer at 4,700 feet above sea level. That additional challenge at the end of a hard week presents physical challenges, but it can also affect the game in more material ways. And when facing a team like Real Salt Lake, who have earned victories in four of their last five and are undefeated in that stretch, they have shown an ability to capitalize on matches in their home grounds.
“It won't change how we approach the game, as far as tactically or, with ways that we want to impact the game with and without the ball,” Noonan explained. “It's awareness. You know, the ball is going to travel in a different way. You're going to have more distance when you're playing in a more direct way, understand when we're on the defensive side of the ball, how the ball travels to understand how to not let plays get behind you. Maybe the surface is a little bit more firm. How does it bounce in altitude? All of those things. It's just understanding the differences that we might experience.”
FC Cincinnati enter this match in second place in the Eastern Conference, and just one point off the lead in both the conference and the Supporters’ Shield table. FC Cincinnati will continue their road swing after this match, traveling next to Florida to take on Inter Miami CF before pausing in the MLS regular season for the Leagues Cup 2025.
FC CINCINNATI vs Real Salt Lake – Saturday, July 19, 2025 – 9:30 p.m. ET – America First Field
Watch/Stream (English/Spanish): MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
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Versus Real Salt Lake
FC Cincinnati and Real Salt Lake meet for the third-ever time, for the first time since
September 17, 2022 when the Orange and Blue earned a 2-1 road win in Utah. FC Cincinnati and Real Salt Lake split the two prior meetings in 2019 and 2022, with the road team winning both prior matchups.
In the most recent game, Maikel Chang scored first for RSL in the 35th minute, Brenner
equalized in the 44th minute – and Roman Celentano then saved a penalty kick in first-half
stoppage time – before Brenner’s second goal in the 76th minute gave FCC the road win.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
Strong Against the West – Under Head Coach Pat Noonan, FC Cincinnati are 14-4-5 against Western Conference opponents in MLS Regular Season play. Cincinnati are 2-0-1 this season, all home matches, against Western Conference clubs. Following Saturday, FCC still have trips to Portland Timbers (Aug. 16) and LA Galaxy (Sept. 20). FC Cincinnati went 3-0-0 last year in Western Conference road trips (at San Jose Earthquakes, at FC Dallas, at Minnesota United).
Milestone Watch – Two long-tenured FC Cincinnati players approach milestones with the club as Nick Hagglund (149 appearances for FCC) and Sergio Santos (99 appearances for FCC) approach their 150th and 100th game played for the club, respectively, in all competitions for FC Cincinnati.
What else is there to say about Evander – FC Cincinnati midfielder Evander has scored in five-consecutive matches, which is the longest streak in FC Cincinnati history and the longest active streak in MLS. A goal Saturday at Real Salt Lake would match the longest goal streak in MLS in 2025.
With his fifth brace of the season on Wednesday, Evander matched the club record for most
multi-goal games in a season with countryman Brenner, who scored multiple goals in five games in 2022, including the 2-1 win at Real Salt Lake that year.
Evander’s 17 goals in all competitions, 15 in MLS play, near the single-season club records of 21 goals in all competitions (Luciano Acosta, 2023) and 18 goals in MLS play (Brenner & Brandon Vazquez, 2022).
The All-Star Evander is coming off of his second MLS Player of the Matchday honor of the season following his brace in the 3-0 win over Inter Miami CF on Wednesday.
On Short Rest – Following another midweek matchday, Saturday marks another quick turnaround. Historically, FC Cincinnati are strong in matches in quick succession. Under Head Coach Pat Noonan(since 2022), FC Cincinnati are 18-8-9 in 35 matches playing a game just three days following another, across all competitions.
SCOUTING REAL SALT LAKE (8-10-4, 28 Points, 10th in the Western Conference)
Real Salt Lake enter Saturday night's match in the Beehive State on the outside looking in of the playoff line in the Western Conference, but their recent run of form suggests they may not be for long. Winners of their last three and undefeated in five, RSL have found some form late in the season and have shown a competitive spirit that makes them a hard team to play against. Led by Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni, now in his fifth season at the helm, RSL is poised to be a challenge in the Western Conference late in the season.
While Diego Luna’s return to the club after a successful Gold Cup with the US Men’s National Team has certainly provided a lift to Real Salt Lake, it has been a collective effort to get the results they have over the last several weeks.
“On the defensive side of the ball, I think they apply pressure in a really good way. It's a very collective effort in how they do that. You know, there's been variation in their pressing, but they step up to the ball well, and in moments where opponents have broken their pressure, they recover behind the ball very well,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Friday of Real Salt Lake. “There's a good commitment there to get organized and defend the goal, and in transition, a good commitment to get behind the ball. So I think that's a big strength of their team.”
The aforementioned Luna, 21, has been the breakout star for RSL over the past couple of years, as the attacking midfielder has established himself as one of the top young talents in the league. With eight goals and four assists on the season, Luna leads RSL in both of those categories and has already matched his then-career high in goals from 2024.
“He's got a good feel for movement off the ball to find space for himself. I think he sees pressure in a good way, to be able to combine with his teammates, and moves off the ball in those moments really well to free himself up. Good dribbler, can beat you with shots from distance, can beat you on the dribble, very active and very effective. And you know, at a young age, you can see a player that is hungry and has improved a great deal in a short amount of time,” Noonan said in praise of Luna. “So I think the recognition and the attention that he's getting is well deserved.”
Luna typically plays on the left in an attacking trio in the midfield with RSL playing a 4-2-3-1 formation. They used that shape in their most recent match and earned a 1-0 victory against Portland Timbers. Along with Luna, MLS veteran William Agada started at striker and another young talent in Zavier Gozo, 18, started in the middle.
In net for RSL is veteran keeper Rafael Cabral, who joined MLS and Real Salt Lake this season after over 300 professional appearances in Brazil, Italy, and England. This season, the 35-year-old keeper has played in every match, allowing 28 goals on 97 shots and earning six clean sheets along the way.
