Real Salt Lake will kick off the 2026 regular season on Saturday against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Head coach Pablo Mastroni told reporters this week that the season opener in Vancouver will set the tone for the rest of the season, describing Vancouver as “not an easy place to play.”
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“My thought is, if we get a good result there, I think that will set us up for a good start to the season,” he said.
Mastroni said that’s because the team learned lessons from last season.
“It’s going to bring challenges, but I feel like our experience last year should really be reflected in how to manage games, how to win, and then bring in these new guys and get excited about our potential as a team.”
Guard Justin Grad told reporters he thinks the team is ready for the start of the regular season.
“I think the team is in a good position. Every game is a test so this will be our first test and we are all looking forward to it,” he said.
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Glide added that it’s exciting for the players to finish preseason and “get down to the real stuff.”
“That’s what we’re waiting for. What we train for every week is to compete in real games,” he said.
Real Madrid is coming off a 12-17-5 season. The club finished ninth in the Western Conference and clinched a playoff spot, but ultimately lost to the Portland Timbers in the wild-card round.
Real Salt Lake has made the playoffs in 18 of the past 21 years, but president of football operations Jason Kreis told the Deseret News in January that he had higher expectations for the club in 2026.
“The level of success is good and puts us in a position to compete for a championship through the playoffs. But we’re going to move forward and have a clear goal of doing better as a team this year than just making the playoffs. We really think we should be in the next few rounds,” he said.
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How the RSL hopes to improve in 2026
Real Madrid scored 35 goals in 2025, their lowest season goal tally since the 2020 season was shortened to 23 goals and a 44% decrease from the 63 goals scored last season.
Mastroni realized the team needed to increase that number this season, so the team focused on a more vertical game.
“It doesn’t mean kicking the ball down the field,” he said. “That means more runners out to the ball so when we have the ball out wide we have more players in the box, so that’s a big focus in pre-season.”
Mastroni noted that RSL scored three goals in a 3-3 draw with the LA Galaxy in the preseason final.
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“Things are starting to look really good with (Zavier) Gozo playing in a relatively new wing position and scoring goals in the last few games,” he said.
“He looks very smart, so I’m very optimistic about this team and how we’re going to perform this year.”
Mastroni was later asked how his young star Gozo has grown in his second season.
“I think it’s really about taking advantage of opportunities in front of the goal,” Mastroni said. “I think he gets into really good positions because of his speed and now it’s about technique and timing to finish those chances. Like I said, the last two games, he’s scored. Really, really good goals.”
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Mastroni added: “I think the trajectory of this player is unbelievable, considering where he started last year and where he is today, and how confident he is playing with. I’m happy for him.”
Mastroni also talked about Diego Luna, who emerged as a rising star with the national team last year, and where he can improve this season. Luna’s leadership is one of them.
“I think he realizes the impact he has on the team, both on the ball and emotionally, and we saw that last weekend against Los Angeles,” Mastroni said.
“He’s really smart. He’s really positive and the players really feed off of his energy. So, I think this year, it’s more about continued improvement, obviously from a football standpoint but also from a leadership standpoint.”
Real Salt Lake will take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in their first game of the season on Saturday at 5:30pm MT.