“If God wanted games to end in a tie, she wouldn’t have invented numbers.”
Ted Lasso
9th in the West FC Dallas (4-4-3, 15 points) hosts 11th in the West Real Salt Lake (4-7-0, 12 points) at 7:30 pm CT at Toyota Stadium on Saturday. This is one of those 6-pointers, as the two teams seem like they might be fighting for some of the bottom playoff spots this year.
Also, RSL hates ties, apparently.
Broadcast Info
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, Apple TV+,
– Apple TV English: Josh Eastern, Jamie Watson
– Apple TV Spanish: Jose Bauz, Natalia Astrain
– Dallas Audio: Steve Davis, Garrett Melcer, and Sam Hale. With a visit from Sebastian Lletget.
MLS Injury/Player Availability Report
FC Dallas
Léo Chú – Out (Knee)
Marco Farfan – Out (Legs)
Geovane Jesus – Out (Knee)
Sebastian Lletget – Out (Upper Leg)
Enzo Newman – Out (Knee)
Ramiro – Suspended (Yellow cards)
Suspended next yellow card: Luciano Acosta
Real Salt Lake
Matthew Bell – Hamstring (Out)
Javain Brown – Knee (Out)
Kobi Henry – Hamstring (Out)
Zac MacMath – Shoulder (Out)
Philip Quinton – Hamstring (Out)
Brayan Vera – Head (Out)
RSL game notes have Vera and Henry as questionable.
Suspended next yellow card: Justen Glad
FC Dallas Lineup Prediction
Given the way Lucaho Acosta plays middle to left, I’m going to draw Quill’s 4-3-1-2 more like a hybrid 4-3-3 to show this slide. Pedrinho does the same “false wing,” if you will, when he comes in for Acosta.
I advocated on a Burn I did on Friday, that it’s time for Lalar Abubakar to start over Sebastien Ibeagha. I think the former has outplayed the latter over the last few games. Swap ’em, if you don’t agree.
I’ve included Petar Musa in the XI even with a couple of weeks out because he’s so important to this team. I think FCD was quite careful with him, and if there had been playoffs, he probably would come back last week or earlier.
Ramiro is out with yellow cards, so Kaick slides to the 6, and I have Tsiki Netabeleng in the XI. (He started the Cup game midweek. perhaps as a test?)
Bench Prediction
Michael Collodi
Sebastien Ibeagha
Bernie Kamungo
Patrickson Delgado
Paxton Pomykal
Pedrinho
Logan Farrington
Alvaro Augusto
Tarik Scott
10-minute run out for Paxton Pomykal this week? Or is it too early? I’d be ok with one more week of waiting.
MLS Kit Assignments
This is a very blue game.
Officials
Ref: Rosendo Mendoza
AR1: Jeffrey Swartzel
AR2: Stephen McGonagle
4th: Corbyn May
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr
AVAR: Jozef Batko
More Game Info
- FCD vs. RSL all-time: 23-15-12 (77 goals scored, 62 goals conceded)
- FCD vs. RSL home: 14-2-7 (43 goals scored, 22 goals conceded)
Jason Kreis scored the first goal in club history for both of these franchises. That’s the most unbreakable record in MLS.
RSL has suffered just one loss at Dallas since the 2017 season, including winning in 2021 with 2 goals in the final 10 minutes. RSL also has five draws in the last seven visits to Frisco.
FCD is 4-2-0 in games decided by one goal.
Last year’s visit saw RSL come back from a 3-0 deficit in the game’s final 30 minutes. Diego Luna, Anderson Julio, and Nelson Palacio each scored, with the Colombian substitute’s blast from nearly 25 (which might be why FCD traded for him).
Only twice this season has Dallas led at halftime (2-0-0). Dallas is unbeaten in the last 23 MLS matches when leading at halftime (W17, D6) since May 19, 2022.
This is the third of a three-game road stretch for RSL. They won at San Diego 3-1 and lost at Vancouver 1-2.
FCD has scored just one goal in the first 30 minutes of play this season.
Dallas is tied in fifth in aerial challenges won with 152.
Through 13 games across all competitions in 2025, RSL has scored only 12 goals, with 50% of the production (6 goals) coming from Diego Luna.
FCD leads MLS in clearances with 116.
Dallas ranks 23rd in xG across MLS with 15.09 xG. That’s rough.
The Burn leads MLS alongside San Diego FC in counterattack goals (5).
The Burn are tied in fourth in MLS in opponents’ crosses fisted with seven.
FC Dallas was unbeaten through its first six road matches of the season, the longest such streak to begin a campaign in club history. With 12 points earned away from home, Dallas joins Philadelphia (2024) and the New York Red Bulls (2022) as the only clubs in the last decade to remain unbeaten through six road games.
Dallas and RSL traded Anderson Julio for Sam Junqua this winter.
Léo Chú has the fastest speed recorded for FC Dallas this season at 35.3 KPH/21.9 MPH, ranking No. 9 in MLS.
Osaze Urhoghide is third in MLS in aerial challenges won with 36.
New RSL GK Rafael Cabral arrives in Dallas as the Club’s lone remaining “Iron Man” this season, having appeared in every minute of the Club’s 11 MLS contests this season.
Shaq Moore ranks No. 28 across MLS in total distance covered with 115.89 km (72 miles). He is also tied for 11th in MLS in clearances with 19.
Oz Urhoghide is tied second in goals scored from freekicks with one. Wow, that’s surprising.
Saturday could mark the first-ever RSL for 25-year-old FW William Agada, who was acquired two weeks ago from Sporting Kansas City at the close of the primary MLS transfer window.