Venue: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colorado
This is a neutral-site match. Neither team holds hosting rights under tournament rules for this quarterfinal (León as the top Liga MX seed and RSL as the fourth MLS seed).
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MT / 10:30 p.m. ET. Streamed on Apple TV.
Weather Forecast (Commerce City / Denver area)
Expect warm late-summer conditions with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s°F during the day and evening temperatures cooling into the mid-60s°F. Typical afternoon/evening thunderstorm chances exist in the Denver metro (around 40–80% in broader forecasts for the period), with possible brief showers or storms; winds light to moderate. Monitor for potential delays, as Colorado weather can shift quickly.
Current Rosters
Real Salt Lake (Manager: Pablo Mastroeni): Features GK Rafael Cabral (or Mason Stajduhar in recent starts); defenders Lukas Engel, Philip Quinton, Juan José Arias, Sam Junqua, Alexandros Katranis, Dominik Marczuk; midfielders Stijn Spierings, Pablo Ruiz, Juan Manuel Sanabria, Noel Caliskan, Diego Luna; attackers Morgan Guilavogui, Sergi Solans, Victor Olatunji, Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos, and others. Strong attacking depth shown in Leagues Cup.
Club León (La Fiera): Key names include GK Óscar García or Julio González; defenders Jhohan Romaña, Juan Guevara, Sebastián Vegas, Salvador Reyes; midfielders Jordi Cortizo, Fernando Beltrán, Nicolás Fonseca, Iván Rodríguez; attackers Daniel Arcila (tournament standout with multiple goals), Diber Cambindo, and supporting cast. Competitive and in strong form.
Injury Reports
Real Salt Lake: Justen Glad (adductor/groin, out); Emeka Eneli (knee, out); Ariath Piol (Achilles, out long-term); Zach Booth (hamstring, out); Griffin Dillon (foot, out/doubtful). Additional depth pieces may be limited.
Club León: Valentín Gauthier (ankle surgery, out); Ángel Estrada (leg, out). Core attackers and midfield largely available based on recent reports.
Key Player Matchups
- Diego Luna / Morgan Guilavogui (RSL) vs. León midfield/defense (Romaña/Guevara): Luna’s creativity and vision will test León’s structure; Guilavogui’s directness and finishing could exploit transitions.
- Daniel Arcila / Diber Cambindo (León) vs. RSL backline (Engel/Quinton/Arias): Arcila has been a Leagues Cup scoring threat (multiple goals in Phase One). RSL’s defensive organization will be key against León’s quick attacks.
- Stijn Spierings / Pablo Ruiz (RSL) vs. León’s central midfield (Cortizo/Beltrán/Fonseca): Control of the midfield battle will dictate tempo in a neutral venue.
- Wide areas: RSL wing-backs (Marczuk/Sanabria) against León’s overlapping fullbacks and wide threats.
- Goalkeeper duel: Cabral’s experience for RSL versus León’s shot-stoppers in a potentially open game.
RSL’s high-energy, transitional style under Mastroeni contrasts with León’s technical Liga MX possession and clinical finishing.
Recent Team Forms
Real Salt Lake: Advanced as MLS’s fourth seed with 7 points and a tournament-best +7 goal differential (outscoring opponents 8-1 in Phase One). Strong results included a 4-0 win over Atlante and solid showings against other Liga MX sides. In MLS, recent form mixed (e.g., 1-2 loss at Orlando City on Aug. 23 with Dominik Marczuk scoring). Defensive solidity and shared scoring have been strengths.
Club León: Perfect 3-0-0 (9 points, top Liga MX seed) in Phase One, including wins over Orlando City (2-1) and Inter Miami (3-2). Continued strong Liga MX Apertura form with recent victories (e.g., over Monterrey and Necaxa). High-scoring and resilient, with Arcila leading the attack.
León enters with the cleaner Phase One record; RSL brings the superior goal difference and home-region familiarity (even on neutral ground near Colorado).
Series History
The teams met once previously in the 2023 Leagues Cup (Round of 32), where Real Salt Lake won 3-1 at America First Field in a weather-delayed match (Danny Musovski brace and Cristian Arango goal after León took an early lead). Limited overall H2H; this is a rematch with elevated stakes.
MATCH ODDS
Real Salt Lake + 115
Club Leon + 210
Draw + 245
Over 2.5 – 150 Under 2.5 + 115
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, August 24, 2026
