Toronto FC look for first ever win vs. Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium

Toronto FC will try and make it three wins in a row on Saturday night when they travel to Utah to take on Real Salt Lake.

Toronto (2-1-2) is coming off a massive 2-1 win over the reigning MLS Cup Champions at BMO Field last weekend as they sit middle of the table heading into Saturday afternoon’s bout. With seven points through five matches, the team is in a really good place considering it took the club until July 12 last season to pick up seven points.

“It’s a game that we’re looking forward to,” said Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley at BMO Training Ground on Thursday. “We know that they’re a team that has started the season pretty well and so we’re excited to go and take our football and see if we can continue a good stretch for ourselves.”

Perhaps somewhat quietly, Real Salt Lake (3-2-1) have been one of the better teams in MLS since their heroic playoff run last season, qualifying as the seventh seed in the West and making it all the way to the conference finals where they were ousted by the Portland Timbers.

They’ve carried that momentum into this season, losing just one of their first six games so far and come into Saturday’s match on the heels of a 1-1 come-from-behind draw in Denver against the Colorado Rapids.

A lot of their success can be attributed to head coach Pablo Mastroeni. The 45-year-old former U.S. international assumed the role of interim manager in late August last season, posting an 8-8-1 mark in the regular season before a strong playoff run, and was named permanent head coach this offseason.

"Pablo’s ability to build a culture and instill belief within the Club has resulted in the most tight-knit locker room seen in years,” RSL General Manager Elliot Fall this offseason. “We are excited for him to instill that throughout our entire organization.”

Oddly enough, while with the U.S. men’s national team in the mid 2000s, Mastroeni was coached by Toronto FC manager Bob Bradley, who had nothing but positive things to say about his counterpart this weekend.

“He’s done a very good job,” said the TFC Head Coach and Sporting Director. “I did coach Pablo, it was a little bit at the back end of his career, but when I started with the national team, his presence within the group was still very, very important … He’s passionate about the game, he’s committed, he wants guys that give you everything and that’s how he played and that’s certainly what you see with his teams.”

Historically, Toronto FC have struggled at Rio Tinto Stadium. In eight matches dating back to 2009, the Reds have lost seven times and drawn once – a 0-0 result at the beginning of the 2017 season.

The two teams last met in May of 2019, with RSL coming away with a statement 3-0 victory.

And their form under Mastroeni at home will make it even tougher for the Reds to come away with a result. Since his appointment, RSL are 7W-2L-0D at Rio Tinto Stadium, including a pair of wins over the Seattle Sounders and Nashville SC this season.

“It’s never an easy place to go,” said Michael Bradley. “You deal a little bit with the altitude and it’s a team that regardless of how they’re doing, the fans come to the stadium and create a good atmosphere.”

Predicted Toronto FC Starting XI

Bono; MacNaughton, Salcedo, O’Neill; Thompson, Bradley, Osorio, Shaffelburg; Pozuelo, Jiménez, Petrasso

Injury Report

Toronto FC: Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty (OUT), Ayo Akinola (OUT), Ralph Priso (OUT)

Real Salt Lake: Zack Farnsworth (OUT), Justen Glad (OUT), Bret Halsey (OUT), Erik Holt (OUT), Johan Kappelhof (OUT), Jonathan Menendez (OUT), Nick Besler (QUESTIONABLE), Aaron Herrera (QUESTIONABLE), Jasper Löffelsend (QUESTIONABLE), David Ochoa (QUESTIONABLE), Bobby Wood (QUESTIONABLE)

Betting Lines

Toronto FC (+280) | Real Salt Lake (-118) | Draw (+300)

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