RSL made the postseason for a fifth-straight year. But, once again, goals were hard to find.
(Howard Lao | AP) Real Salt Lake defender Alexandros Katranis, right, shoots the ball against the Portland Timbers during the second half of an MLS soccer match Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Portland, Ore.
Real Salt Lake has some “tough decisions to make” in the weeks and months ahead, head coach Pablo Mastroeni said after his team’s season came to an end Wednesday night.
RSL lost its wild-card matchup with the Portland Timbers 3-1, a performance that encapsulated many of Salt Lake’s issues throughout the campaign.
It was a “microcosm of how our season’s been,” Mastroeni said. “We had 20-some-odd chances on goal and can’t seem to find the play that tips the scales.”
Portland striker Felipe Mora took advantage of a pair of rebounds to put the Timbers up 2-0 in the first half. Salt Lake defender Justen Glad made it 2-1 with a header just before intermission.
But RSL couldn’t find an equalizer despite taking control of the game for much of the second half and Portland’s Kamal Miller eventually made it 3-1 in the 82nd minute.
“Someone’s got to put the biscuit in the basket,” Mastroeni said. “We haven’t had a problem creating opportunities; it’s just finishing them.”
Salt Lake had more shots (18-7) and more shots on target (7-6), but came up short when it mattered most. Striker Victor Olatunji failed to stretch out a leg for a ball streaking across the face of the goal. Substitute Willy Agada’s bicycle kick effort smacked the crossbar. And midseason designated player acquisition Ryan Cruz nullified a free kick goal by trying to shove Portland’s defensive wall out of the way.
“That was a bad ad lib,” Mastroeni said of Cruz’s efforts, “especially when the ball hits the back of the net.”
RSL added Olatunji and Cruz during the summer window. The former scored four goals after arriving in Salt Lake. Cruz, however, struggled to make a mark on the score sheet.
“For me, Cruz has still been a question mark,” Mastroeni said, discussing his choice to bring the striker on in the second half. “He’s scored quite a few goals when he was in Europe. He’s had a stop-and-go type eight or nine games with us.”
And goal scoring will be a chief question for RSL’s leaders as they consider those “tough decisions” in the coming days.
“Guys that score goals. You can find them. They’re out there,” Mastroeni said.
After scoring 65 goals a season ago, RSL found the back of the net just 38 times this season. Only four teams in Major League Soccer scored fewer times.
“The biggest inference between last year and this year, we had guys that were prolific in front of goal,” Mastroeni said. “We’ll keep coaching it up, but it’s something we’ve got to look at and deal with moving forward.”
