Real Salt Lake vs Minnesota United preview

United States flag 2026 Major League Soccer, United States
America First Field Sun, 16 Aug - 1:30 AM
Major League Soccer
KICKOFF : Sun, 16 Aug - 1:30 AM
Regular Season

CONTEXT

Real Salt Lake welcomes Minnesota United to America First Field for a Major League Soccer regular season encounter in 2026. The home side sits sixth in the domestic standings while the visitors occupy tenth place. Power ratings show a narrow edge for the away team at 66.13 compared to 65.11 for the hosts. Recent form favors Real Salt Lake with a score of 21.78 against Minnesota United's 8.83. Both clubs enter the fixture with limited additional metrics available on efficiency or set-piece execution. The match represents a standard league fixture without knockout implications. Minnesota United carries a slight overall power advantage of one point. Venue conditions at America First Field may influence proceedings as the teams prepare to meet.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Real Salt Lake occupies sixth place domestically while Minnesota United sits tenth.
  • Form: Real Salt Lake holds a form score of 21.78 compared to Minnesota United's 8.83.
  • Squad: No detailed squad composition metrics appear in the provided data.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency figures remain unavailable for both teams ahead of the match.
  • Transition: Transition play statistics are not supplied in current records.
  • Set pieces: Set piece data shows low confidence with proxy values applied for both sides.
  • xVariable: Minnesota United holds a power rating of 66.13 against Real Salt Lake's 65.11.
  • Market: Real Salt Lake 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Minnesota United 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Real Salt Lake P. Mastroeni
P. Mastroeni
VS
Minnesota United C. Knowles
C. Knowles
1.59
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.33
1.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
St. Louis City Rank: 66 D
Portland Timbers Rank: 62 L
Los Angeles FC Rank: 71 L
Minnesota United Rank: 66 D
Colorado Rapids Rank: 63 W
Houston Dynamo Rank: 67 W
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
0.5 i
Last 6 Opponents
San Diego Rank: 68 D
Vancouver Whitecaps Rank: 73 D
Sporting KC Rank: 51 L
Real Salt Lake Rank: 65 D
New England Rank: 62 L
Colorado Rapids Rank: 63 L
0
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
0 - 5 - 2
2
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
65.11
66.13
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Real Salt Lake
Minnesota United
Power Score
65.11
66.13
League Position
6
10
Global Rank
441
403

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

vs
Real Salt Lake Opponent-weighted form score
Minnesota United Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Real Salt Lake Minnesota United

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 7 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Real Salt Lake RSL Home
7 matches
Minnesota United MIN Away
Match Record
0
Wins
2
5
Draws
5
2
Losses
0
Goals
4
Goals Scored
8
8
Goals Conceded
4
-4
Goal Difference
+4
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-08-13T00:20:28+00:00

STARTING XI - EXPECTED

Match Formation 3-2-4-1
Match Formation 3-4-2-1

General Information

Date & Time
Aug 16, 2026, 01:30 AM
Competition
2026 Major League Soccer, United States · Regular Season
Stadium
America First Field
Capacity
20213
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Expected Lineup

Starting XI

1
Rafael Cabral
Rafael Cabral Goalkeeper
6.78
22
Sergi Solans
Sergi Solans Centre Forward
6.93
92
Noel Caliskan
Noel Caliskan Defensive Midfield
7.15
21
Juan Jose Arias
Juan Jose Arias Centre Back
6.58
4
Lukas Engel
Lukas Engel Left Back
6.86
98
Alexandros Katranis
6.69
2
DeAndre Yedlin
DeAndre Yedlin Right Back
6.74
6
Stijn Spierings
Stijn Spierings Defensive Midfield
7.04
23
Zach Booth
Zach Booth Right Wing
6.72
10
Diego Luna
Diego Luna Attacking Midfield
7.36
9
Morgan Guilavogui
Morgan Guilavogui Attacking Midfield
7.3

Starting XI

1
Alec Smir
Alec Smir Goalkeeper
6.42
13
Anthony Markanich Jr.
7.07
26
Joaquín Pereyra
Joaquín Pereyra Midfielder
7.4
21
Bongokuhle Hlongwane
6.5
8
Tomás Chancalay
Tomás Chancalay Midfielder
6.94
9
Kelvin Yeboah
Kelvin Yeboah Centre Forward
6.85
67
Carlos Harvey
Carlos Harvey Right Back
6.41
30
Owen Gene
Owen Gene Central Midfield
6.8
23
Morris Duggan
Morris Duggan Left Back
6.75
20
Wil Trapp
Wil Trapp Central Midfield
6.72
15
Michael Boxall
Michael Boxall Centre Back
6.61

CONCLUSION

The upcoming clash at America First Field pits two mid-table sides against each other in the 2026 Major League Soccer campaign. Real Salt Lake enjoys superior recent form yet faces a visitor with marginally higher power metrics. League positions reflect a competitive balance between sixth and tenth place. Limited data on efficiency and set pieces leaves certain tactical elements open to interpretation. Minnesota United's narrow power advantage suggests a closely contested encounter. Both teams will look to exploit available strengths in open play. The fixture promises an engaging regular season battle under domestic rules.