Frequent Foes RSL, Dynamo Renew Rivalry
Two familiar Western Conference rivals meet once again as the Houston Dynamo host Real Salt Lake on Saturday night.
Houston Has Dominated Recent Meetings
This matchup marks the 10th meeting between these teams in the past three years, more than any other Western Conference rivalry in that span. However, RSL (1-2-0, 3 points) has struggled mightily against the Dynamo (0-2-1, 1 point), managing just one regulation victory over Houston in the last two seasons—a 3-2 comeback win in Utah last July.
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Houston has had RSL’s number, including:
- A 3-0 win in the 2024 Leagues Cup
- A dominant 4-1 victory last September
RSL Coming Off a Disappointing Loss
Real Salt Lake suffered a 3-1 home loss to expansion side San Diego FC last Saturday, giving San Diego its first-ever MLS win.
Ariath Piol provided an early spark for RSL, scoring his first MLS goal in the 17th minute, but the club failed to capitalize on other chances and conceded twice in stoppage time.
“We had control for large parts of the game, but we let it slip in stoppage time,” coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “We need to be sharper in those decisive moments.”
Piol appreciated his first goal but was frustrated with the result.
“It felt good to get the goal, my first in MLS, but it doesn’t mean much when we don’t win,” he said.
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Houston Seeking First Win After Scoreless Draw
The Dynamo picked up a valuable point on the road against Columbus, holding the defending MLS Cup champions to a 0-0 draw last week.
“It’s a tough place to get a point,” Houston coach Ben Olsen said. “We showed character.”
Amine Bassi and Nicolas Lodeiro have scored Houston’s only two goals this season, and the club will look to finally secure its first victory.
History Favors Houston
RSL holds a slight edge in the all-time regular-season series (14-13-11), but Houston has been the dominant side recently. Notably, RSL has just one win in its last 10 road games against the Dynamo.