MLS Footnotes: Real Salt Lake, NYCFC hoping to keep the upsets rolling in MLS playoffs

By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

Editor's Note: Footnotes, FOX Sports’ MLS column, takes you inside the major talking points around the league and across American soccer.

And then there were four.

The MLS Cup playoff semifinals are set, following Tuesday’s thriller between the New England Revolution and New York City FC, who upset the regular-season champs on penalty kicks to advance to Sunday’s Eastern Conference finale against the Philadelphia Union.

On the other half of the bracket, Real Salt Lake and the Portland Timbers will meet Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app) with a trip to the Dec. 11 title match on the line.

Tuesday’s result was a surprise, but it was no shocker. NYC have been one of the most consistent teams in MLS for years now; the Pigeons have the best record in the league since debuting as an expansion squad six seasons ago. Philly, last year’s Supporters' Shield winner, has long been on the come-up, too.

Salt Lake? Not so much. Perhaps the most dysfunctional club in MLS in recent years, once-proud RSL hit rock-bottom in 2020 when then-owner Dell Loy Hansen was forced to relinquish control of the team (plus the stadium, USL affiliate and National Women’s Soccer League side Utah Royals) to the league following revelations of his racist comments and the toxic and sexist work environment allowed to take root within the organization.

The hits kept coming in 2021. The team was a consensus pick to finish at or near the bottom of the conference. When head coach Freddy Juarez quit in August — the third midseason coaching change in five years — to take a job as an assistant in Seattle, another playoff miss seemed inevitable. Then former Colorado Rapids boss Pablo Mastroeni replaced Juarez as interim manager, and immediately things began to change.

"Pablo has been amazing," RSL goalkeeper David Ochoa told FOX Sports on Tuesday. "His passion was what we needed. He’s a good coach and a good person, and we’re lucky to have him."

"The whole team is ready to run through a wall for this guy," defender Justin Glad added. "His belief in us motivates us. It almost feels like he’s out there on the pitch with us, ready to battle."

RSL must be ready to battle in Portland. The Timbers are the odds-on favorites, and winning three straight on the road in MLS is never an easy feat. Staying loose might be their best bet.

"One of the things I’ve stressed from the beginning is to not put pressure on the guys and to allow them to express themselves in a way that feels right for them," Mastroeni said in an interview. "It does feel like we’re playing with house money. But with that comes the belief that by getting ourselves to this position, we’ve done a lot of good things.

"We’ve earned the right to be here."

MLS FOOTNOTES

1. Rocky road

It’s weird to see Mastroeni, a Rapids legend as a player before he became coach, at the helm of Colorado’s biggest rival. The two-time U.S. World Cup veteran didn’t see it coming, either — "at least anytime soon," he said. 

Mastroeni was enjoying being behind the scenes after jumping straight into the Rapids' hot seat after retiring in 2013. Before accepting an offer from Juarez this season, he had been Tab Ramos’ right-hand man for two years in Houston. 

"I wanted to be an assistant coach because I wanted to backfill the void that was there, having gone straight from playing to managing," he said. "I was really enjoying it. So it is a little surreal to find myself front and center leading this group."

What has he learned from being on the other side of the Rocky Mountain rivalry?

"I’m shocked at how deep the roots run in the city," he said. "People at the grocery store recognized me as an assistant coach, and that doesn’t happen most places in MLS. It’s a small market, but when the stadium is packed with 20,000 people, it feels like a big market. It’s a great soccer town, and it has high expectations for the team. The fans here care."

2. Home alone 

RSL won’t play at home again this fall. As the lowest remaining seed, Salt Lake are the only semifinalist that can’t host MLS Cup. That doesn’t mean they can’t win it, though: When the club captured their only title in 2009, Real finished fifth in the West. 

With the Revs eliminated, Portland are the front-runners to stage the decider. A victory Saturday would guarantee that the Timbers play for the trophy in the Rose City for the first time; their previous MLS Cup trips, in 2015 and ’18, were to Columbus and Atlanta. 

Should RSL pull off another stunner, the championship will be held in New York or Chester, Pennsylvania, depending on who wins the East.

3. Bronx jeer 

NYC’s win guaranteed Philly another match at Subaru Park. "At least we don’t have to go to Boston and play on turf," Union captain Alejandro Bedoya told FOX on Wednesday.

Still, NYCFC presents a formidable challenge, even with Golden Boot winner Valentín Castellanos suspended for the match. After temporarily putting the visitors in front in extra time in Foxborough, the Argentine striker was shown a red card for picking up a second yellow. 

"Castellanos is a big loss for them, but they have quality players in every position," Bedoya said. "The way we play, it’s all about transition. We have to be wary of them when we lose the ball."

And yes, playing at home, as opposed to at Yankee Stadium, can’t hurt. "Not having to play in a baseball stadium is nice," Bedoya said.

If Portland or Philly advance to the final, league brass will be saying the same thing about MLS Cup.

4. All in the family  

Glad scored the winning penalty kick to beat the Sounders in Round 1, the first PK of his professional career. Afterward, video of his older sister, Jenna, celebrating after he converted went viral.

"I’ve probably watched that video 100 times already," Justen said of Jenna, who played soccer at the University of Colorado. "Seeing her excitement and happiness for me, it was incredible."

5. No shot

Much has been made of the fact that RSL beat Seattle without registering a single shot in the 120 minutes that preceded the tiebreaker. But Sounders fans can’t complain too much; in 2016, Seattle won their first MLS Cup, over Toronto, without putting a single effort on target.

The Sounders managed just three against RSL. "It’s not like they had a ton of opportunities, either," Glad said. 

6. Ochoa’s a keeper 

RSL backstop David Ochoa has embraced the role of villain during RSL’s run, even if his club doesn’t see it that way.

"I love the pressure. I love the full stadiums when fans are talking smack to me," the 20-year-old Ochoa said. "That kind of stuff fuels me and makes me play better." 

Mastroeni agreed. "He’s at his best when he’s operating from that place, and he’s been spectacular," he said. "I’d never want to change that unless it has a negative impact on the team. But from what I’ve seen, everyone feeds off the energy and sees the belief, and it gives everyone confidence."

Still, the coach made sure to remind Ochoa that if he picked up a yellow card last weekend against Sporting Kansas City, he’d be suspended Saturday — advice the keeper heeded in the 2-1 comeback win over SKC.

7. Taking care of No. 1

When Juarez left, Ochoa didn’t know what to expect. 

"Freddy’s the one that gave me my debut and put the trust in me to be the starting goalkeeper," said Ochoa who, like Glad, has known Juarez since his days in the club’s academy and who, like Glad, had only good things to say about him.

"I was a little scared that the new coach wouldn’t have the same trust in me because I’m young and still learning, and I make mistakes. I was lucky that Pablo took over. Since day one, he’s had full confidence in me."

8. Revolution’s evolution 

You have to feel for Revs fans, 25,000 of whom braved near-freezing temperatures to see the best team in the club’s 26-year history come back twice, only to lose by the slimmest margin possible. New England, of course, also dropped each of the five MLS Cups they’ve been to. 

Tuesday’s match also marked the final time the team’s original logo — the last one unchanged from MLS’s inaugural season in 1996 — will be used; the brand gets a fresh look starting next year.

Here’s hoping it comes back in some form one day. Revs owner Bob Kraft sure seemed a little nostalgic while rocking a hoodie with a huge "Crayon Flag" before the contest.

One of the most prominent soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams in more than a dozen countries, including multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports, the New York City native was a staff writer for Yahoo Sports and ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.