Real Salt Lake ended its match on Saturday afternoon in a 1-1 stalemate against the Portland Tibers at Providence Park, earning an important point on the road before the nearly two-month MLS game hiatus.
Utah Royals FC secured a fourth straight home win in front of a crowd of 19,274 people against expansion side Denver Summit FC at America First Field on Saturday afternoon. The result brings URFC to a nine-game unbeaten streak and fiercely in the fight for the number one spot in the NWSL.
Booth (RSL) and Palacios (URFC) find the net for first goals since joining clubs
The Claret-and-Cobalt continued to showcase its form from the 2-1 home victory last Saturday against rival-side Colorado Rapids, opening the match with a goal in the 22nd minute by Utah native Zach Booth, earning his first career MLS score and putting the home side ahead early. The visitors closed out the first half ahead 1-0 after two disallowed Portland goals due to offside.
As Real Salt Lake continued to battle in the second 45 minutes, Brazilian midfielder Lineker Rodrigues entered the match, making his RSL and MLS debut. The pressure from Portland ultimately proved too much, in the third minute of stoppage time the home side found the equalizer off a free kick, sending RSL into the 2026 FIFA World Cup break with just one point instead of the desired three.
The Utah Royals entered the late afternoon matchup against Denver looking to continue its hot streak of 8-straight unbeaten matches. After battling to pressure the visiting sides defense, URFC broke through in the 20th minute with a left footed rocket by Kiana Palacios, marking her first goal as a Royal and the 8th different player to score for Utah this season.
Denver was able to find a response in the 45th minute, bringing the score to 1-1 as both sides headed into the locker room. After being awarded a penalty in the 68th minute, Japanese forward Mina Tanaka sent the ball into the back of the net with power and confidence to retake the lead. After working as a unit to thwart any scoring opportunities, the Royals secured its fourth straight home win, marking the longest home winning streak in club history.
Quotable:
“I think (Booth) had a fantastic game,” RSL Head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “He has been really fast to adapt, defensively in particular and then of course with being an attacking player for most of his life, his change of speed, decision-making with the ball and then obviously the finish today was just fantastic. These young guys continue to impress.”
“We had an incredible crowd today and they were electric throughout the whole match. I think we’re super proud of how we’ve been playing and are happy people are talking about it because what we’re doing this season is special,” URFC forward Cloé Lacasse said. “I think the fans that have been turning out since day one, are also such a big part in this and they should feel that pride just as much as we do.”
Game summary
Real Salt Lake started the match with confidence, maintaining steady possession through the first twenty minutes and earning tangible scoring opportunities. After a goal for Portland was called back due to an offside player, RSL countered with Uruguayan DF JuanMa Sanabria working alongside 19-year-old Zavier Gozo to move the ball into the attacking third before Booth ultimately buried it into the back of the net.
The assist by Gozo and score by Booth, marks the club’s first ever Utah-born goal/assist combo in its 697-game club history. While the second-half stoppage time goal by Minnesota ended the match in a stalemate, the result has positive takeaways as Real Salt Lake has struggled to earn points on the road in 2026, now with an away record of 1-3-2.
The highly anticipated matchup against rival side Denver Summit FC got off to a quick start as both teams traded attacking opportunities before URFC found the net in the 20th minute. The goal from Palacios came after persistent pressure from Canadian forward Lacasse who poked the ball away from a Denver defender and into the box for the left-footed score.
With the score tied at 1-1 to start the second half, URFC came out with energy, taking charge and finding attacking opportunities just minutes in. With the 72nd minute penalty goal, Tanaka has now been involved in winning goals in five of Utah’s seven victories this season with three goals and two assists, tying Portland Thorns star attacker Olivia Moultrie. Even with the lead, the home side never let up, continuing to press the visitors defensive end and working as a well-oiled machine to keep the Denver side scoreless in the second half and close out the match with a win.
Up next:
The Utah Royals hit the road one last time before the 2026 FIFA World Cup break next Saturday, May 30 to take on the Portland Thorns. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MDT and will be streaming on ION.
Real Salt Lake is stepping into its two month MLS game hiatus due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Claret-and-Cobalt will resume MLS play on Wednesday, July 22 in Los Angeles to take on LAFC. Kickoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. MDT and will be streaming on FS1 and AppleTV.