Tuesday night will live long in the Crew supporters’ memories as they watched their side advance on penalties in Mexico against Tigres UANL of Liga MX. While it was an incredible evening, the Crew quickly returns to business as they travel to Salt Lake City to face Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

The Black & Gold are without star Cucho Hernandez who was sent off last weekend due to a red card, and will have their depth and fitness tested after their excruciating 120-minute plus triumph on Tuesday. RSL are unbeaten in three matches and looks like a playoff team in the west. The Crew will be looking to get back to winning ways in the MLS to keep pace with the top teams in the league. Here’s what you need to know about RSL and how the Crew can snag their first road win (in MLS play) of 2024. 

Real Salt Lake at a Glance:

Record: 3-2-2, 11 points

League Form: D-W-W-L-W

Leading Scorer: Cristian (Chicho) Arango (6)

Assist Leader: Carlos Gomez (2)

Player to Watch: Cristian Arango

RSL’s record signing Cristian (Chicho) Arango has been on fire since arriving in Salt Lake from Mexican side Pachuca. Arango has 14 goals in 25 matches since suiting up for RSL. Part of Arango’s smooth transition is because he has been a target forward in the MLS with LAFC, where he had 35 goals in 57 matches.

In short, Arango is a goal machine with the ability to impact a match at any second. Arango’s movement is elite in MLS as he has the ability to drift and dart into space in the attacking third at a moment’s notice. Once he gets the ball in space he is lethal, with the ability to finish with almost every part of his body. Arango’s combination of movement in the attack and the attacking players around him make him incredibly difficult to mark for 90 minutes. The Crew backline have a tough task ahead of them on Saturday. 

How Real Salt Lake play: 

Pablo Mastroeni is in his third full season at the helm in Salt Lake after taking over in the summer of 2021. Mastroeni has slowly turned RSL into a playoff contender in the West and they look every bit like a contender again this year. Mastroeni’s teams have evolved over the years from hard-working defensive teams with the ability to strike in transition and on set pieces, into a more refined team with a better ability to keep possession of the ball and create chances from said possession. 

Mastroeni’s side almost always lines up in a 4-2-3-1 formation but has many rotations and wrinkles they throw in that are difficult for their opponents to deal with. In possession, RSL typically shifts into a 3-4-2-1, pretty similar to the Black & Gold. RSL does this by moving an outside back, typically their left back, into an advanced wide area and pushing a winger into the midfield. RSL’s goalkeeper will also be more active in possession than most as he will move further outside his box to help the backline circulate the ball. One of RSL’s main objectives in possession is to overload a certain side of the field to easily play through their opponents. If their opponents shift over to cover this overload, RSL will play diagonal switch passes to the opposite side to get in behind their opponents. 

When they don’t have the ball, RSL usually shifts from a 4-2-3-1 into a 4-1-4-1 shape. RSL will have two central midfielders matching up with the Crew’s central midfielders and a third midfielder will be responsible for covering any extra players in the midfield. RSL will vary their line of pressure from all the way up the field, down to a mid-block just in front of midfield. I expect them to defend a little lower, closer to midfield, in this matchup. 

How the Crew can win:

1. Be Efficient in the Final Third: Wilfried Nancy’s sides are always excellent at keeping possession and entering the final third of the field. Last year, the Crew were not only dangerous in the final third but often took their chances well. So far this year, the Crew have struggled a bit with the last pass or shot in the attack. While the possession play and danger haven’t subsided, the Crew need to regain a bit of their finishing form in front of goal. 
2. Defend Aerial Balls: The Crew has struggled to deal with crosses and big diagonal balls all year long. I expect RSL to utilize this a ton on Saturday. RSL will be happy to play a big diagonal pass to a 1v1 attacker with a chance to get in behind and they never hesitate to find Arango from wide areas. The Crew need to ensure they have good pressure on the ball in wide areas to prevent crosses and be tight to their marks inside the 18. 
3. Find the Free Player in Possession: The Crew will be up a man in the midfield area in possession. The Crew typically commit anywhere from 4-6 players to central areas of the field in possession. RSL typically only defends with three central players in midfield. This means the Crew will have a numerical advantage in these areas tonight. This advantage is only useful if the Crew can find this free player in possession. Look for the Crew backline, wingbacks, and even goalkeeper to try and find the free player in possession. If the Crew do this well, they’ll have chances to run at the RSL backline and put them under pressure often.