Real Salt Lake x Austin FC

Real Salt Lake continued their impressive winning streak with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Austin FC at America First Field on Saturday, June 1, 2024. This triumph, coinciding with Real Madrid's historic 15th UEFA Champions League title, solidified RSL's position atop the MLS Western Conference standings. The dynamic duo of Chicho Arango and Anderson Julio led the charge, propelling RSL to a 6-1-1 home record and 19 points from eight home games. Following a thrilling 5-3 comeback against Colorado and this dominant win, RSL has scored 10 goals in back-to-back home games for the first time in their 20 MLS seasons.

Captain Chicho Arango was the standout performer, delivering a stunning hat trick and demonstrating his skill and leadership. Arango opened the scoring with an audacious 63-yard effort, marking his 50th career regular-season goal. Anderson Julio then doubled RSL's lead in the 24th minute with a precise strike, and followed up with another goal just seven minutes later after a well-coordinated play with Andrés Gómez. Arango continued to shine, adding a powerful header before halftime and later completing his hat trick with a penalty kick, making him one of the fastest players to reach 25 goals and assists in a season.

RSL's dominant performance extended their lead in the Western Conference standings, now with 33 points from 17 games. This marks the best start in the club's history and their latest top position since August 2013. With this victory, RSL moved further clear atop the standings, setting a high bar for the rest of the season. The team will enjoy a bye week on June 8 before resuming their campaign with away games against Montreal and Kansas City, continuing their pursuit of the Western Conference title.

[Photography by Abram Iman]