Real Salt Lake will put its undefeated streak at Rio Tinto Stadium to the test on Sunday when they host Sporting Kansas City.
Claret and Cobalt are one of only two MLS sides who have not lost a home encounter this year, while SKC matched their longest unbeaten run of the season on Wednesday, drawing Minnesota United 1-1.
Match preview
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A pair of defensive lapses cost Salt Lake in midweek as they were beaten 2-1 by Atlanta United and dropped down into fourth place in the Western Conference table.
Pablo Mastroeni's side have been a little slow out of the gate in recent weeks, conceding the opening goal in two of their last three games, while squandering two points in between those defeats against their biggest rivals, the Colorado Rapids (2-2).
Even though the past few matches have not been great, in general, this team have had a solid campaign to date, accumulating 30 points after 20 games, their best start to a regular season since 2017.
In his first full season as head coach, Mastroeni deserves a lot of praise for the way that this team have played collectively after losing Albert Rusnak to the Seattle Sounders over the off-season and without their top goalscorer from 2021, Damir Kreilach, who has been sidelined throughout much of the campaign with a back injury.
Those two players alone accounted for nearly half of their goals in the 2021 regular season campaign, tallying 27 of their 55 strikes, and even that barely got them into the playoffs, as they claimed the final position in the West thanks to some late heroics on numerous occasions.
So far in 2022, Mastroeni has put in a system designed for the betterment of the whole team as 13 different players have netted at least once, while they have been sharp on the back end at home, posting five clean sheets.
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The 2022 campaign in Kansas City has been underwhelming to say the least, as this usually dependable squad sit dead last in the Western Conference with 20 points.
Off to their worst start since rebranding under the name Sporting Kansas City, Peter Vermes, the longest-tenured boss in the league, has been racking his brain to find solutions to their struggles.
While their recent form has been far from a masterclass performance, we are seeing them take baby steps forward, claiming four points in back-to-back road games, including their first come-from-behind victory of the year last Saturday, 2-1 over CF Montreal.
Since suffering a humiliating 7-2 loss to the Portland Timbers at Providence Park in the middle of May, they have played their best football away from home, earning eight points in their last five road matches.
Aside from the significant injuries sustained to their Designated Players, KC have had a hard time replacing all-star defensive midfielder llie Sanchez, as they have been a much easier side to penetrate in the middle of the field, conceding the second-most goals in the Western Conference (35).
They sit seven points back of a playoff position, though they have looked a lot like the RSL side we saw a year ago, with most of their attacks and chances coming from a couple of sources.
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Team News
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Justin Meram captained RSL for the first time on Wednesday, notching his fourth assist of the season to move into a tie for first on the team alongside Pablo Ruiz and Maikel Chang, while Johan Kappelhof netted his first career MLS goal in the defeat.
Anderson Julio and Bobby Wood scored in the final 20 minutes of their playoff encounter with SKC last season, as they stunned the home side 2-1 to advance to the Western Conference Final.
Five players are tied for first on the team in terms of goals scored this season as Meram, Wood, Jefferson Savarino, Justen Glad and Sergio Cordova have all tallied three times in 2022, though three of those players are out through injury, including Savarino (hip flexor), Glad (hamstring) and Wood (abductor).
Zack Farnsworth has a right ankle problem, and Scott Caldwell might not be available once again due to health and safety protocols.
Anderson Julio remains a question mark because of an injury to his quadriceps, and the club transferred Everton Luiz to SK Beveren in the Belgian second division.
Kansas City scored twice at Minnesota this week, though one counted for the opposition when goalkeeper John Pulskamp was credited with an own goal but was redeemed when their top goalscorer Johnny Russell put home his sixth of the campaign.
Daniel Salloi is second on the team in goals with four, Felipe Hernandez has the most assists for them with three, while Kayden Pierre was outstanding in their victory over Montreal last weekend, finishing with a team-high in touches (60), passing accuracy (92%), duels won (seven), recoveries (six), tackles won (three) and fouls suffered (three).
Remi Walter continues to be a workhorse for KC in the midfield as he leads the league in distance covered, while Roger Espinoza missed their midweek encounter due to yellow card accumulation.
Ozzie Cisneros is out with a hamstring issue, Gadi Kinda and Alan Pulido are gone for the season after both undergoing knee surgery, while Erik Thommy and William Agada are still waiting for their work visas to be approved.
There are also a few players questionable heading into this weekend as Graham Zusi has a sore quad, Kortne Ford missed their match on Wednesday because of concussion protocol and Tim Melia is listed as questionable with a shoulder injury.
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
MacMath; Kablan, Kappelhof, Holt, Herrera; Julio, Besler, Ruiz, Chang; Rubin, Meram
Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:
Pulskamp; Sweat, Fontas, Isimat-Mirin, Pierre; Espinoza; Hernandez, Walter, Duke; Russell, Salloi
We say: Real Salt Lake 2-0 Sporting Kansas City
As a unit, RSL have more consistency in all facets of the game, while their backline will likely to key on Johnny Russell, and they should be able to find a way through what has been, for the most part, a leaky KC backline.
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