- RSL form: Real Salt Lake have won two, tied one and lost two of their last five games across all competitions.
- Dallas form: FC Dallas have won two, tied two and lost one of their last five matches and come into this game on the back of a two-game winning streak in all competitions.
- Standings: Real Salt Lake are 9th on 27 points from 17 games in MLS 2026, just one place above Dallas in 10th on 27 points from 18.
Dallas can make a game of it at America First Field
Odds and betting
Real Salt Lake are the 1.9 favorites to beat FC Dallas at America First Field on Thursday, with the visitors available at 3.5 and the draw at 3.9. Three months into MLS 2026, RSL sit 9th on 27 points from 17 games, while Dallas are one place behind in tenth on 27 from 18.
Tactical approach
And while the home side have been playing much better since the World Cup break, the Texans are just as good with plenty to play for in this close game. Pablo Mastroeni has done a fantastic job with RSL since taking charge in August 2021 as his 3-5-2 has turned this club into a high-energy side that presses teams into submission in their own half and transition very quickly to create verticality up the other end.
Solans is RSL’s talisman
His Dallas counterpart, Eric Quill, appointed in November 2024, has done a similar job with his team playing bold and aggressive too – building from a flexible back-three and pressing high to try to catch opponents off guard.
Key players
So a bet on Solans to score anytime at 13/5 seems worth the risk.
There is little to split these two sides on paper with RSL having won one, Dallas two and two drawn in the previous five head-to-head meetings. Mastroeni's men have the home edge in this one, but they will have to beat a very good away record that has seen Dallas win four, draw two and lose three on the road in MLS 2026.
- Sergi Solans, a real danger man for RSL in this fixture, has scored seven MLS 2026 goals in 17 games and five of his side's 13 in the last five.
- Petar Musa is Dallas' talisman with 13 goals in 16 MLS 2026 games and they have that ruthless edge at the pointy end of the field.
Dallas can win ugly
FC Dallas have conceded just nine away goals at a rate of 1.00 per game in 2026 and they arrive on the back of two impressive results that saw them beat Queretaro 2-0 at home and Chivas Guadalajara 1-0 away in the CONCACAF Leagues Cup. Dallas have it in them to travel to Utah and win this game.
Real Salt Lake are a tough team to oppose at home as they have won seven and lost just one of their eight matches in MLS 2026, scoring an average of 2.25 goals per game and conceding just 1.00.
Their recent record reads 1-1 draw with Tigres UANL, penalty heartbreak in the CONCACAF Leagues Cup, 4-0 home win over Atlante and 3-0 home win over FC Juarez.
The odds make RSL a slight favorite and this does look a close game, but with the hosts' home record and the way both clubs play, we are going to take RSL to edge out a win in a lively game. Over 2.5 goals looks a tasty alternative to the moneyline at 1.5 and Both Teams To Score is also very strong at 1.45.
