This is a low key fire matchup today in the MLS West. Real Salt Lake has been steadily climbing up the table and currently sits 3rd in the West. Salt Lake has been turning up the offensive production lately, only failing to score in one match since the 8th of May.
Dallas has had an electric offense all year, but they can't keep anyone out of the back of their own net. Simply put, Dallas sucks at defense. I don't expect that to change going on the road and dealing with RSL’s stadium elevation tonight. Despite the shortcomings on defense, Dallas currently sits 6th on the table in the West and holds a playoff spot.
Dallas has managed to net 31 goals this year and they have given up 25. Jesus Ferreira is currently tied for 3rd in the MLS for goals scored with 11. Paul Arriola is tied for 5th with 9 goals to his name. I definitely think one or both of these guys finds the back of the net tonight.
RSL is a really odd team. They play very tough defense and distribute the ball around very evenly for scoring opportunities. RSL has only scored 28 goals this year while conceding only 26 goals. This will be their 22nd match of the season. No player has more than 4 goals for RSL. They play great team football. In this heavyweight match for the West, I expect RSL to handle their business at home. I think they will be able to break Dallas relatively easily on the counter attack. From there it’s just a matter of who’s going to be finishing.