Combined match review: RSL earns second road victory of, Royals fall at home

Utah Royals FC fell 2-0 at America First Field against the Kansas City Current on Saturday evening in front of 10,809 fans, the club's second-highest attendance this season. Unable to secure the victory, the squad will now be forced to wait yet another week to officially clinch its first playoff berth in club history.

While the Royals were unable to earn the result in the battle at home, Real Salt Lake traveled to Kansas City, earning a 3-1 victory to lift itself to a second road win in the 2026 season. The victory earned the visitors an important three points to keep the push for the postseason alive in the doubleheader evening for Utah professional soccer against Sporting Kansas City.

URFC sees Del Fava and Cronin Reach key milestones in 2-0 loss

As the Utah Royals took the pitch on Saturday evening the home side was without the heartbeat of its midfield as Japanese star Mina Tanaka was out due to a hamstring injury sustained while on international duty. URFC captain Paige Cronin earned an impressive milestone Saturday against the Current, starting in her 100th NWSL match.

Iron woman Kate Del Fava returned to the pitch following her USWNT debut as a second-half substitute in Tuesday's 2-2 draw against Spain. The defensive wall not only leads the Royals in possessional passes and clearances but, made her 80th consecutive start today, the longest active streak for a single club. Del Fava has played 7,661 straight minutes, the second longest streak in club history while also having played every one of the 7,211 minutes Utah has played as a team in 79 games since the Return to Royalty in 2024.

First career brace for Guilavogui helps to lift RSL to 3-1 victory

Real Salt Lake got off to a near perfect start against Kansas City to earn just its second road win of the 2026 MLS season with goals by French attacker Morgan Guilavogui and Spanish Rookie Sergi Solans in under 15 minutes. The score by the Frenchman in the 12th minute marked his third of his first MLS season, while 2026 RSL Golden Boot leader Solans netted an impressive 12th MLS goal of his rookie season to double the visitor's lead.

The hero through the first 10 minutes of the second half was undoubtedly 22-year-old Kobi Henry who headed a ball just before it crossed the goal line in the 53rd minute following an RSL turnover that found RSL goalkeeper Rafael Cabral out of position. In the 61st minute Guilavogui found the net again for his first career RSL and MLS brace, burying a ball off a perfectly placed assist by German metronome Noel Caliskan.

"I'm not too concerned (about the remaining games) actually, I think it's just the reality of continuing to do what we've been doing. I think we showed up as the Royals we are today and almost got a result as a team that is good, a team that has scored eight or nine goals in its previous two games." — URFC Head coach Jimmy Coenraets

"I thought the guys up front did a really good job probing behind the backline, the movement behind the backline opened up a lot of space between the lines and the decisions in and around goal were really good. Our midfield of Noel and Stijn were top and then our backline of Kobi, Phil and Luc helped us be dangerous on both ends." — RSL Head coach Pablo Mastroeni

While the home side opened up the match with pressure, earning scoring chances early, it was the visiting side that struck first, heading the ball into the net off a corner kick in the 21st minute. Although the Royals surged throughout the remainder of the first half in hopes of an equalizer, the mounting calls in favor of the Current, along with a 1v1 shot against URFC 'keeper Mandy McGlynn to nearly double the lead, left the home side down 1-0 heading into the break.

As the second half began the Royals continued in its pursuit of a goal with Cece Delzer narrowly missing a header just left of the goal before recently acquired forward Jameese Joseph entered the match in the 62nd minute immediately forcing the Kansas City keeper to make two saves off powerful shots just outside the box. In the 91st minute the visitors were able to double the lead after two prior goals were disallowed due to offside. Although URFC was unable to find the back of the net the home side continued to battle with grit and energy until the final minute of the match.

The lightning-fast start for RSL put a RSL side in dire need of earning points in front with a 2-0 lead just 14 minutes into the match. The goals by Guilavogui and Solans showcased a team working as one as each score had a beautiful buildup that multiple players were involved in to seamlessly work the ball up the pitch and throughout the offensive end to lift its attackers to two early scores.

Although the visitors took an early 2-0 lead, some defensive confusion led Sporting Kansas City to earn one back in the 26th minute. After the heroics of Henry in the 53rd minute RSL was able to ease the defensive pressure with Saba Lobjanidze bringing the ball up the pitch for 2026 World Cup standout JuanMa Sanabria, whose shot from the center of the box was stopped by the SKC keeper.

The second-half goal by Guilavogui not only showcased his precise shooting abilities, but, the goal line run and slot back by Caliskan was one of beauty, helping to give RSL more breathing room, with a 3-1 lead.

Utah Royals FC remain at home next Friday, Oct. 23 to face the Seattle Reign for its final regular season match of the 2026 NWSL season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MDT with tickets available on the Utah Royals website.

Real Salt Lake will round out the weekend of home matches for Utah soccer, welcoming St. Louis City SC to the Wasatch Front on Saturday, Oct. 24, with kickoff also at 7:30 p.m. MDT and tickets for that match are also available for purchase on the RSL website.