Real Salt Lake vs New York City FC
New York City FC cruise past Real Salt Lake
A composed double strike from N. Fernández Mercau and Luighi Hanri secures a comfortable away win.
New York City FC silenced the home crowd with a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake, thanks to goals from N. Fernández Mercau just before half-time and Luighi Hanri after the break. Despite Fipster's high-confidence prediction favouring a 3-1 win for Real Salt Lake, the visitors controlled the match and claimed all three points with a solid performance.
Outcome probability
Real Salt Lake and New York City FC face off in a regular season MLS clash where the home side looks poised to take control early and maintain their advantage.
Match factors
Real Salt Lake's home scoring streak
Real Salt Lake has scored in all last 5 home games, showing strong attacking form at home.
Nicolás Fernández Mercau's scoring prowess
N. Fernández Mercau leads with 14 goals this season, significantly above league average for attackers.
Morgan Guilavogui's doubtful status
Guilavogui is doubtful with a knee injury, capping his scoring and assist probability at 0.50 and 0.40 respectively.
Sergi Solans' consistent scoring form
S. Solans has scored 3 goals in last 10 games with strong home scoring rate, boosting confidence for this match.
Zavier Gozo's dual threat
Z. Gozo contributes both goals (6) and assists (4), providing midfield creativity and scoring threat.
The context
Real Salt Lake currently sit 10th in the league with 29 points from 22 games, showing a mixed but competitive form. New York City FC, meanwhile, rely heavily on their leading scorer Nicolás Fernández Mercau, who has netted 14 goals this season. The match promises to be a test of Real Salt Lake's home scoring streak against New York City's attacking threat.
Key insights
S. Solans
Real Salt Lake
Top scorer with 8 goals and strong home scoring rate, making him a key threat in this match.
Major League Soccer 26/278 goals in 20 apps, 0.5 goals per game in last 5 home matches
Z. Gozo
Real Salt Lake
Provides both goals and assists, contributing significantly to the team's attacking creativity.
Major League Soccer 26/276 goals and 4 assists in 16 apps
N. Fernández Mercau
New York City FC
Leading scorer with 14 goals and strong away form, posing a serious threat despite team struggles.
Major League Soccer 26/2714 goals in 22 apps, 0.33 goals per game in last 5 away matches
- M
M. Guilavogui
New York City FC
Doubtful with a knee injury, which may limit New York City's attacking options and impact their performance.
Major League Soccer 26/27High yellow card rate and injury status uncertain
Analysis
Real Salt Lake have scored in all of their last five home games, demonstrating a reliable attacking presence on familiar turf. Sergi Solans, their top scorer with 8 goals, has been particularly effective at home, averaging 0.5 goals per game in recent matches. Midfielder Zavier Gozo adds creativity and goal threat with 6 goals and 4 assists this season. On the other side, New York City FC's Nicolás Fernández Mercau leads the line with 14 goals and has shown strong away form, but the doubtful status of Morgan Guilavogui due to a knee injury may limit their attacking options. The prediction leans towards a Real Salt Lake win, with a halftime lead of 2-0 and a final score of 3-1, supported by their consistent home performances and key player contributions.
Key facts
- 1.Real Salt Lake are 10th in the league with 29 points from 22 games (W8 D5 L9).
- 2.Real Salt Lake have scored in all of their last 5 home games.
- 3.Sergi Solans is Real Salt Lake's top scorer with 8 goals this season.
- 4.Zavier Gozo has contributed 6 goals and 4 assists for Real Salt Lake.
- 5.Nicolás Fernández Mercau leads New York City FC with 14 goals this season.
- 6.Morgan Guilavogui is doubtful with a knee injury, affecting New York City's attacking options.
- 7.Predicted halftime score is 2-0 in favour of Real Salt Lake.
- 8.Predicted fulltime score is 3-1 to Real Salt Lake.
Prediction
Expect Real Salt Lake to start strongly and establish a 2-0 lead by halftime. New York City FC will pull one back, but the home side's attacking momentum and solid midfield control should see them secure a 3-1 victory.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Real Salt Lake
Away — New York City FC
The verdict
Real Salt Lake's home form and attacking players like Solans and Gozo give them the edge in this encounter. New York City FC will need to overcome injury doubts and find a way to contain the home side's early pressure to avoid defeat.
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Fernández Mercau
Assist: Ojeda
Arias
Moisa
Luighi Hanri
Assist: Ojeda
Katránis
Yellow Card
Solans
Quinton
Rodrigues
Yellow Card
Luighi Hanri
Guilavogui
Cavallo
Shore
O'Toole
Yellow Card
Wolf
Freese
Yellow Card
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vancouver Whitecaps | 24 | 14 | 4 | 6 | +30 | 46 |
| 10 |  Los Angeles Galaxy | 26 | 7 | 9 | 10 | -9 | 30 |
| 11 |  Real Salt Lake | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | -2 | 29 |
| 12 |  Minnesota United FC | 25 | 7 | 8 | 10 | -6 | 29 |
Match Statistics
Real Salt Lake
3-4-3Starting XI
- 1Rafael CabralG
- 2D. YedlinD
- 8J. SanabriaM
- 9M. GuilavoguiF
- 12S. LobzhanidzeF
- 21J. AriasD
- 22S. SolansF
- 26P. QuintonD
- 34L. MoisaM
- 92N. CaliskanM
- 98A. KatránisM
Substitutes
- 3K. HenryD
- 13Jason ShokalookF
- 14E. EneliM
- 18T. BoothF
- 25Colin GuskeM
- 31M. StajduharG
- 39A. HezarkhaniF
- 70Lineker RodriguesF
- 77R. MesallesD
New York City FC
4-3-3Starting XI
- 2Nico CavalloD
- 6J. SandsD
- 7N. Fernández MercauM
- 8A. PereaM
- 13Thiago MartinsD
- 17H. WolfF
- 20Luighi HanriF
- 24T. GrayD
- 26A. OjedaF
- 32J. ShoreM
- 49M. FreeseG
Substitutes
- 9B. TraoréF
- 16A. MartínezF
- 21A. O'NeillM
- 22K. O'TooleD
- 23Maxwell MurrayD
- 30T. RomeroG
- 34Raul GustavoD
- 35M. IleničD
- 88M. JonesF
Real Salt Lake
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Solans | F | 67 | 6.8 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0/1 |
| A. Hezarkhani | F | 23 | 6.7 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 0/1 |
| K. Henry | D | 33 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| J. Arias | D | 57 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| N. Caliskan | M | 90 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| M. Guilavogui | F | 76 | 6.5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0/1 |
| S. Lobzhanidze | F | 90 | 6.5 | — | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0/2 |
| J. Sanabria | M | 90 | 6.4 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0/1 |
| D. Yedlin | D | 90 | 6.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Lineker Rodrigues | F | 23 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| T. Booth | F | 14 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| P. Quinton | D | 67 | 6.1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| L. Moisa | M | 57 | 6.0 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| Rafael Cabral | G | 90 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. Katránis | M | 90 | 5.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Colin Guske | M | 33 | 5.8 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| E. Eneli | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jason Shokalook | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| R. Mesalles | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| M. Stajduhar | G | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
New York City FC
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N. Fernández Mercau | M | 90 | 8.2 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1/3 |
| M. Freese | G | 90 | 8.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Luighi Hanri | F | 72 | 7.6 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1/3 |
| J. Sands | D | 90 | 7.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. Ojeda | F | 90 | 7.3 | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2/2 |
| T. Gray | D | 90 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Nico Cavallo | D | 80 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Thiago Martins | D | 90 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. O'Neill | M | 10 | 6.8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. Perea | M | 90 | 6.8 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| B. Traoré | F | 18 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/1 |
| J. Shore | M | 80 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 0/2 |
| K. O'Toole | D | 10 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. Martínez | F | 2 | 6.5 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 0/1 |
| H. Wolf | F | 88 | 6.4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Maxwell Murray | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Raul Gustavo | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| M. Jones | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| M. Ilenič | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| T. Romero | G | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |