Real Salt Lake Secures MLS Western Playoff Spot with St. Louis Draw

In the final regular season MLS match, St. Louis City SC rallied with a late goal by João Klauss to secure a 2-2 draw against Real Salt Lake, allowing RSL to clinch the Western Conference's final postseason spot due to a tiebreaker advantage. Real Salt Lake will face the Portland Timbers in an away wild-card match, with the winner advancing to play top-seeded San Diego FC in a best-of-three series. St. Louis City, out of playoff contention, has shown recent improvement with three wins in their last four games, reflecting positive changes under head coach David Cricthley. Real Salt Lake, struggling on the road with only three wins in 16 away games, faces significant pressure to perform, though they have remained unbeaten in recent head-to-head clashes against St. Louis. Key players returning for RSL after international duty include playmaker Diego Luna and midfielder Braian Ojeda, whose contributions have been important this season. Despite St. Louis’s attacking efforts and recent successes, the match is expected to be tightly contested with Real Salt Lake needing at least a draw to maintain control over their playoff destiny.