LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake: Mastroeni Confident in Team's Resilience

Pablo Mastroeni remains unwavering in his belief that Real Salt Lake can recover from their recent defeat to Inter Miami as they prepare to face the LA Galaxy.

Salt Lake suffered only their second MLS loss of the season on Wednesday, falling 2-0 to Lionel Messi’s Miami. Conceding goals in the 82nd and 83rd minutes marked the first time RSL has allowed back-to-back goals in a regular-season match since June 2019 against the New York Red Bulls. The defeat ended a six-game unbeaten streak, forcing the team to regroup ahead of their clash with Western Conference rivals, the Galaxy.

Mastroeni emphasized that his primary focus is on his team’s physical readiness rather than their mental resilience.

“Like I’ve said all year, nothing’s changed—the mindset and character of this group is elite,” he stated. “The most important thing is we recover. We’ve had some bye weeks, and I think that didn’t contribute to the fitness we need to stay sharp in multiple games. It’s crucial we field a fresher squad—a lot depends on how the players recover. We’re ensuring they’re healthy and fit to play our style. As for bouncing back mentally, there’s no doubt we’ll be ready. We’ll take lessons from previous games to secure a result in LA.”

The Galaxy, meanwhile, are coming off a loss to the Columbus Crew, following a draw against FC Dallas and a victory over Austin FC during their recent Texas trip.

**Players to Watch**

**LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec** Pec scored his first goal of the season in Wednesday’s loss to Columbus after netting seven MLS goals in 2025. His strike against the Crew was his first right-footed goal in an MLS match (regular season or playoffs) since the 2024 Western Conference semi-final against Minnesota United.

**Real Salt Lake – Sergi Solans** Solans leads RSL in scoring this season with five MLS goals, averaging a goal every 99 minutes in 2026.

**Match Prediction: LA Galaxy Win** The Galaxy have lost just one of their last 15 home matches against RSL across all competitions since November 2014 (W10 D4), including a nine-game unbeaten streak (W5 D4). Three of the last four meetings in Carson have ended in draws.

In their loss to Columbus, the Galaxy scored on their only shot on target—their fewest in a regular-season match since May 2025 against San Diego FC—ending a 16-game streak of at least four shots on target. RSL, however, have not gone consecutive matches without scoring since May 2025 against Portland and Colorado.

**Opta Win Probability** LA Galaxy – 42.5% Draw – 26.7% RSL – 30.8%