Man, what in the world is there even to say about this one? Do you ever get that feeling when you are watching your team and everything that can go wrong does go wrong? That’s exactly what happened when Real Salt Lake took on LAFC last weekend. I have spent several years now watching MLS, and some games you just remember for all the wrong reasons.
The Build-Up Had Me Hopeful
Going into this clash on Sunday, September 21st, 2025, I really believed RSL had a shot at pulling off something special. Sure, they traveled to BMO Stadium in Southern California, which is LAFC’s stomping ground, but sometimes road games can surprise you. Real Salt Lake left BMO Stadium in South Los Angeles empty-handed after a 4-1 loss to LAFC, but the manner of defeat tells more of a story than the final scoreline. I can still remember how I bolted to my favorite spot on the couch, my chips ready, looking forward to a good game. Boy, was I in for a surprise. What I witnessed was less of a soccer match and more like watching a masterclass in how quickly momentum can shift in professional sports.
RSL Started Like They Meant Business
Here’s what I really took notice of in this game: Real Salt Lake actually scored first! Brayan Vera absolutely hit a screamer from a distance that found the top left corner. The type of goal that makes you leap off your couch and have to watch it three times just to believe what you saw. For half an hour or so, RSL dictated play at BMO Stadium. Rwan Cruz and Vera were making things happen, pushing the attack, pressing LAFC’s back line, and making it seem as if this could be their day. But then soccer went and did what soccer does; it turned the whole thing on its head. It all came down to two goals in first-half stoppage time. Denis Bouanga tied the game in the 91st minute, and two minutes later Son Heung-Min scored. Leading the game to trailing 2-1 at halftime, that’s MLS for you in a nutshell.
Bouanga’s Hat Trick Sealed the Deal
What impressed me most about this Real Salt Lake vs. LAFC encounter was not merely that they reversed the course, though they did; it was that Denis Bouanga took over the second half entirely. The dude scored three goals, including a gorgeous chip shot in the 73rd minute after Andrew Moran fed him a perfect through ball. Bouanga’s hat trick performance was just something else. Seven goals in his last three matches? That’s the kind of shape that wins championships. His third goal was the coup de grâce, albeit one that RSL goalkeeper Rafael Cabral got a hand on, the ball still trickled over the line. Son Heung- Min’s contribution in that first-half comeback was crucial too. That’s what separates good teams from great ones: the ability to take that swirl and, when all seems lost, flip it.
RSL Fought Hard But Couldn’t Sustain It
Now, I’m not here to just jump in and throw Real Salt Lake under the bus. In fact, they played pretty well for long stretches of this game. RSL took eight of the first ten shots in the second half! They came out swinging after that tough first-half ending and created genuine scoring chances. The issue was LAFC’s defence refusing to break when it counted most. It turned into “a block party at BMO Stadium”, as the KSL Sports report called it. It’s one of those things (where), sometimes in soccer you can do everything right and still not get the result that you want.” What killed RSL, however, was its inability to take advantage of that strong second-half beginning. On the road against a team like LAFC, those opportunities are absolutely paramount when you are playing catch-up. Miss them, and suddenly you’re chasing the game instead of controlling it.
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What This Means Moving Forward
That is the beauty of MLS: things can turn around in a hurry. One disappointing outcome does not make a season any more than one great performance guarantees future success. But games like this Real Salt Lake vs LAFC matchup do reveal important truths about where teams currently stand. For LAFC, a performance like this one proved that they’re peaking just when they need to. When they have players of the quality of Son and Bouanga playing like that, then they are going to be dangerous against anybody. They won’t lack confidence after a showing like this. Real Salt Lake, on the other hand, needs to regroup quickly. Home losses like that either inspire a team to bounce back stronger or send them into a tailspin. Typically, the outcome boils down to how the locker room reacts and if the coaching staff can make the proper adjustments.
The Bigger Picture
The most important lesson I learnt from this match was the stark contrast between MLS teams when they are performing well and when they are not. LAFC appeared a championship-caliber squad on all cylinders. RSL resembled a side still trying to find who it is. That’s not a critique so much as an observation of the nature of professional soccer. There are nights when everything just lines up the way it should. Other nights, you can’t do a damn thing right no matter what you do. The point is to learn from both kinds of experiences. But as MLS grows and adds more world-class talents like Son, performances like these start to feel like statements. They provide fans, players and other teams an idea of what’s possible when skill meets preparation and a little bit of luck. This Real Salt Lake vs LAFC result will linger for both teams, for different reasons. One was a kick in the gut, while the other provided a boost to confidence. That is soccer: beautiful, unpredictable and absolutely unforgiving when you’re not at your best.