Real Salt Lake has certainly fielded much more dominant teams, like the one that won the MLS Cup in 2009 or the 2013 side that nearly won it all. But the 2021 iteration of RSL showed some serious grit. Going 14-14-6 in the regular season, they barely claimed the West’s seventh and final playoff spot. Their head coach to start the season – Freddy Juarez – bolted for an assistant coaching job with the Seattle Sounders in the middle of the season. But interim head coach Pablo Mastroeni and Salt Lake found another gear come playoff time, advancing to the Western Conference Final against the Portland Timbers, who ended SLC’s improbable run. Here’s a look back at one of the most memorable seasons in Real Salt Lake history.
An Epic Playoff Run
Salt Lake was a world-beater in the playoffs, knocking off the second-seeded Sounders on penalties in the first round (yep, Juarez’s Sounders) and then taking down third-seeded Sporting Kansas City in the Western Conference semifinal. Real did all that as the No. 7 seed!
A Masterful Coaching Performance
It’s hard to overstate how remarkably Mastroeni performed in his role as interim coach. Thanks in large part to Real’s improbable playoff, he deservedly shed the interim tag earlier this month. We’ll see if Mastroeni and Salt Lake can build on 2021’s playoff success.
The Stat Leaders
Midfielder Damir Kreilach’s 16 goals led RSL. It’s familiar territory for the 32-year-old Croatian, who’s been the team’s top scorer in three of the past four seasons. Albert Rusnak, a 27-year-old midfielder from Slovakia, was the only other Real player with a double-digit goal count, netting 11. Aaron Herrera led the way on defense and won the team’s defensive player of the year award with a 76.6 duels won percentage, 24 interceptions, and 53 successful tackles.
What’s Next?
Real Salt Lake opens the 2022 season at the Houston Dynamo on Feb. 27, followed by RSL’s home opener at Rio Tinto Stadium against the Sounders on March 5.
Keep up with all things South Jordan, Utah, and Salt Lake at the Olympus at the District blog.