RSL fights for playoff spot in the 'wild west' of MLS play

SANDY — Real Salt Lake got its second win this season over perennial Western Conference rivals and contenders Seattle Sounders last weekend. In a normal season, that might mean RSL was contending for the top spot in the conference, but things out west are a little crazier in 2022.

With nine games remaining in the season, 7 points separate spots 4-11 in the Western Conference, and just 2 points separate 6-11. RSL — currently sitting in fifth place — was able to create some separation from the playoff elimination line with the win at Seattle, but the team is still just 4 points clear of eighth-place Nashville, who is the first team out at the moment.

"The west is wild," head coach Pablo Mastroeni said when asked about his team's place within the Western Conference standings.

Wild indeed. Traditional powers like Seattle and the Portland Timbers find themselves just outside the playoff picture in spots nine and 10 ahead of the season's final stretch, while three of the conference's top four teams joined MLS within the last five years.

LAFC, who stunned RSL with its star power in a 4-1 win in Sandy two weeks ago, is running away with the Supporters Shield and No. 1 seed with 57 points — 9 points ahead of second-place Austin FC. Austin, who is playing just its second season in MLS, is 6 points clear of third-place FC Dallas with 48 points, thanks in large part to league-leading goal scorer and MVP favorite Sebastian Driussi.

The final spot in the top four — all of which get home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs — goes to Minnesota United, though RSL is quickly gaining ground and is just 1 point out of the top four with 37 points.

The final two playoff spots in the west belong to the LA Galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps — tied at 33 points with Nashville and Portland but ahead on total wins, which serve as the first tiebreaker. Vancouver defeated the 11th-place Colorado Rapids 2-1 Wednesday and will come to Sandy on Saturday to face RSL in a crucial battle for points.

But really, every game from here on out is a crucial battle for points in the "wild, wild west."

"Keeping your eye on the next game is critical," Mastroeni said on his approach to the standings and playoff spots. "I think when you start to think about the next three or four, for me, is losing sight of your next opponent, who's Vancouver and has been a good team on the road this year."

We're not on the team, though, so we can look ahead to the next three or four –or nine – for RSL, and it only gets more wild from here.

Six of RSL's final nine games of the season are against the other six teams currently occupying playoff spots in the Western Conference standings, and the Claret and Cobalt face all four of the teams ahead of them in the standings in the next six games. The final game of the season is against the Timbers, who need every win they can get to break the tie at the elimination line and crash the playoff race.

There will be no sneaking into the playoffs this year. By the time Decision Day — the final day of the MLS season — draws to a close on the evening of Oct. 9, RSL will know exactly where it belongs in the Western Conference pecking order.

If RSL allows Vancouver, Portland and the LA Galaxy to get 3 points against them, things could start to get very crowded in the race for the final three spots. But if the Claret and Cobalt continue to grind out wins, including a pivotal home match against Minnesota at the end of this month, they could find themselves with home-field advantage in the first round.

"(The way to) alleviate the pressure of where you're going to finish at the end of the year is to focus and give all your energy to the next game," Mastroeni said. "I think we deserve to be wherever we end up at the end of the year, and that's why the next game is the most important focal point for us."

Kickoff for RSL vs. Vancouver is set for 8 p.m. MDT on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium.

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