Real Salt Lake did what good playoff teams have to do on the road: absorb a punch, answer fast, and leave with the points.
Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium, RSL rallied past Austin FC 2-1 to grab a crucial away win in the Western Conference race. The result gave the Claret-and-Cobalt their third straight victory, stretched their unbeaten run to four matches, and marked the first time they’ve put together back-to-back away wins since April of 2024.
The comeback came in a six-minute burst after halftime. Austin jumped in front in the 52nd minute when Jorge Alastuey ripped a shot from long range into the right-side netting, a strike that came against the run of play.
But RSL didn’t let the moment settle. Saba Lobjanidze pulled the visitors level in the 55th with a curling right-footed finish into the top-right corner, then Morgan Guilavogui finished the turnaround in the 61st to complete the rally.
Lobjanidze’s goal was a statement moment - a clean, confident curler that made it 1-1 and pushed his season total to eight goal contributions, with four goals and four assists since joining the club in July. Guilavogui, meanwhile, kept his recent run rolling. The designated player scored for the third time in three games and recorded his fifth MLS goal of the season.
The assist on the winner came from Sergi Solans, whose rookie year keeps looking more and more remarkable. Selected by RSL in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft, the Spanish forward now has 14 goals, which is the second most by a SuperDraft pick in a debut MLS season in league history, along with four assists for 18 MLS goal contributions in 2026.
RSL had already been on the front foot for much of the night. Austin came out sharply and forced an early intervention from captain Rafael Cabral, who dove to deny Myrto Uzuni in the third minute.
But after the 10-minute mark, the visitors took over possession and began piling up chances. Guilavogui nearly put them ahead in the 32nd minute, hammering a long-range effort off the crossbar.
By halftime, the game was still scoreless, but the momentum had shifted toward RSL. The second half briefly swung Austin’s way with Alastuey’s blast, only for the visitors to answer immediately and seize control for good.
After the match, head coach Pablo Mastroeni pointed to the late-game resolve that carried his team through.
“The last 15, 20 minutes, it was just determination. I thought we could have made some better decisions in our final third, but overall, just super proud of the mentality and the way we approached the game. We created some really good opportunities, played some really good stuff, and I think we deserved the result.”
The win was especially important in the standings. Real Salt Lake now sits in ninth place in the Western Conference, holding the final MLS playoff spot with two games left to play.
It was also RSL’s first come-from-behind victory since May 16, when it beat Colorado 2-1. On this night, the response was even more valuable: quick, composed, and exactly the kind of finish that can define a season.
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