In a historic weekend at America First Field, the Utah Royals clinched playoffs for the first time in Club history with a 0-0 draw against the Seattle Reign on Friday night, its last home match of the regular season.
On Saturday night, Real Salt Lake secured a crucial 3-0 victory over St. Louis SC with a brace by RSL rookie Sergi Solans and a second-half goal from Polish wingback Dominik Marczuk .
Following a 0-2 loss to Kansas City last weekend, URFC Head coach Jimmy Coenraets made one positional and one personnel change to the starting lineup. NWSL veteran Cece Delzer returned to the right wing and Courtney Brown was added to the starting XI as she got her first start at home.
The first attempt from the home team came in the 6th minute when Royals' captain Paige Cronin sent a shot toward goal that bounced off the crossbar. In the 28th minute, Japanese international Narumi blasted an attempt through a crowded box that went right of the goalpost. The Reign responded with multiple shots of their own throughout the first half, but also were unable to convert, maintaining a level score.
In the 35th minute, Royals goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn made a critical save, preventing the visitors from finding the net. Minutes later, Spanish midfielder Ana Tejada unleashed an effort from the top of the box that hit the crossbar, leaving both sides scoreless headed into the second half.
The Royals returned with renewed determination, with URFC newcomer Jameese Joseph making a transition down the right side of the field and sending a shot rocketing toward the opponents keeper in the 75th minute that was deflected at the last second. In the 87th minute, McGlynn made another save after a Seattle transition in the midfield left her defenseless, once again preventing the rivals from finding the net, and leaving both sides scoreless when the full time whistle blew. With the draw, the Royals are now playoff bound, clinching for the first time in club history.
"The energy out there is amazing! I think the whole club is just ecstatic … I saw some tears out there too, especially from players that have been here since the very beginning. It's amazing, we're all pretty excited." — URFC forward Courtney Brown on clinching 2026 NWSL Playoffs
"This means everything, this is every team's dream. We put in really hard shifts the past two years and you could see the potential, but now we're living the potential, and I don't even have words to describe it. It's what the club deserves, it's what the girls deserve, and I just can't wait to take this as far as we can." — Royals goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn on clinching 2026 NWSL Playoffs
"We had the right mentality today against a really good team, and we played fantastic, but we don't have time to rest or celebrate. It's really about getting back to work, taking a day to recover, and then Monday getting back at it … But the guys are doing great, playing with wild belief, playing with a lot of quality." — RSL Head coach Pablo Maestroni
"This is a great spot to be in. Obviously, we'd like to be higher on the table, but we have everything to play for, and we have three games left now. Tonight was just about making sure we get the first win, and then we go from there … And honestly, that was just so fun. The team did an incredible job." — RSL defender Justen Glad
RSL Head coach Pablo Maestroni made no changes to the starting XI from last Saturday's dominant 3-1 victory over Kansas City, however, returning to the bench was veteran defender Justen Glad, who has been out with an injury since May.
St. Louis entered the match three days off winning the U.S. Open Cup final, and were determined to utilize the momentum, however, Real Salt Lake came out of the gate aggressive, maintaining majority possession and attempting multiple shots on goal throughout the first half. The closest attempt came in the 39th minute, when midfielder Noel Caliskan chipped a ball over the rival's keeper that was headed toward the net, when St. Louis defender Timo Baumgartl slid forward, deflecting the ball before it could cross the goal line.
Salt Lake found the net minutes later when midfielder Morgan Guilavogui slipped Solans a pass that the striker tapped in to give RSL a 1-0 lead in the 41st minute.
Just before the halftime whistle blew, St. Louis' Tomáš Ostrák was given a red card for a foul, leaving the visitors down for the final 45.
In the 52nd minute, Polish-midfielder Dominik Marczuk sent a shot toward goal that was punched away by the keeper. Seconds later, he ripped another attempt from distance into the upper right corner that converted, giving RSL a 2-0 lead on the visitors.
Five minutes later, Solans notched another, the rookie receiving the ball from RSL newcomer Saba Lobjanidze before rocketing the shot into the top of the net, securing his 14th goal and third MLS brace of the 2026 season.
In the 88th minute, St. Louis made a breakaway down the pitch, firing an attempt toward the net. Cabral caught the ball, making a save that preserved the club's clean sheet, snapped St. Louis' six-match scoring streak, and solidified the 3-0 victory in front of a home crowd.
The Royals head to Sports Illustrated Stadium to take on league-leading Gotham FC in its last match of the 2026 regular season. The teams will go head-to-head on Sunday, Nov. 1, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. MDT. Playoff matches will be determined on Nov. 1.
Real Salt Lake travels to Q2 Stadium to battle Austin FC on Wednesday, Oct. 28 (kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. MDT) before returning home to host St. Louis City SC on Saturday, Oct. 24 (kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. MDT.) Tickets for the match are available for purchase at RSL.com.
Morgan Guilavogui (9) before assisting Solans in the first goal of the match. | Real Salt Lake
Sergi Solans (22) celebrates after notching his third MLS brace and 14th goal of his rookie season. | Real Salt Lake
Royals goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn (1) sends the ball down the field after a critical save. | Utah Royals FC
Dominik Marczuk (11) scores his second goal this season. | Utah Royals FC
Utah-native Courtney Brown (16) makes her first home start at America First Field. | Utah Royals FC
