This will be the fifth MLS meeting between Austin FC and Real Salt Lake, with each of the first four being won by the home team. In fact, the road team has led for just 31 minutes over the four games, wile Austin has never trailed at home against Real Salt Lake.
Real Salt Lake has won only five of its 41 MLS matches in Texas (D10 L26), though its done better recently, losing only two of its last 11 visits to the Lone Star State since the start of 2018 (W2 D7). Unfortunately for RSL, both losses in that time have been at Austin.
Austin slumped towards the finish line this year, winning just four of its last 14 games (D4 L6), including one of its last seven (3-0 vs RSL on September 14). The Verde, who were leading MLS with 59 goals through 27 games, scored more than once in just one of its final seven games of the season (6 total goals), though that was the 3-0- win over Real Salt Lake.
Real Salt Lake is in the playoffs for the 12th time in the last 15 seasons, and for the second straight year, they moved up from eighth place into the postseason on Decision Day. This year, RSL has gone winless in five straight games (D2 L3) before beating Portland, 3-1, on the final day of the season to replace them in the bracket.
After scoring once off a corner in 2021, Austin FC scored a league-high 11 goals from corners n 2022. Real Salt Lake conceded just three times off corners this season, with only three teams allowing fewer, though one of those was a Moussa Djitte goal for Austin in September.
Real Salt Lake scored 12 headed goals this season, second only to Nashville (14) with nine different RSL players scoring at least one headed goal. No team relied on headed goals more than RSL, with a league-high 27.9% of its 43 goals coming off headers.
