Both teams will be short-handed when Real Salt Lake visit the Seattle Sounders on Saturday night with an eye toward joining the hosts in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs.

That said, RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni knows his team is in no position to complain.

Late in a lackluster season, the Claret-and-Cobalt have won back-to-back games to head into their penultimate fixture in control of their postseason destiny after others faltered.

Salt Lake (12-16-4, 40 points) enters the weekend holding the ninth and final Western Conference playoff spot. In the East, they'd have been long eliminated and 11 points beneath the current playoff line.

That good fortune should override any gripes about playing such a big match during the October FIFA international window, when team scoring leader Diego Luna and

See Full Page