Looking to redeem themselves after a 7-1 annihilation at the hands of Chicago Fire last weekend, DC United will travel to Utah to take on Real Salt Lake at America First Field on Sunday in their MLS game week 18 encounter.

Seeking to end a seven-game winless run, the Claret and Cobalt will go out in search of their first league victory since April 2025, while the visitors will be aiming to get back to winning ways after a crushing defeat.

Match preview

It was another woeful performance for Real Salt Lake in their last outing, suffering a 2-0 loss to basement side Los Angeles Galaxy.

That result meant that RSL are without a win in seven league fixtures, a situation that will surely be a source of worry for Pablo Mastroeni.

Indeed, it has been a poor campaign for the home side, managing only four wins across 17 league fixtures in 2025, a situation which is a stark contrast to the 2024 season, when they were top of the Western Conference after nine victories at this stage.

Now out of sorts, the hosts will be hoping they can stem the rot when DC United come calling, but with only two triumphs in seven matches in front of their fans this term, the RSL faithful will be less hopeful.

That said, Mastroeni’s men are unbeaten in their last two head-to-head meetings against Sunday’s opponents, and that could be a source of inspiration for the Utah-based side.

Elsewhere, DC United are coming off a crushing 7-1 defeat against Chicago Fire last weekend.

The Black and Red Eagles were unbeaten in the first four fixtures of the campaign, but inconsistency has been their bane so far, recording three wins, three draws and eight losses since then.

Defensively, the visitors have also not been at their very best, having been breached 36 times already this term - a record that is the worst in the Western Conference, and the joint worst in the entire league.

Although they claimed a win in their last league fixture on the road, they have been struggling away from home, winning only two of their eight away fixtures in 2025.

However, they have a chance to claim successive victories away from their stomping ground for the first time this season.

Real Salt Lake form MLS Form:

DC United form MLS Form:

Team News

Defender Javain Brown has not played for the home side since he was substituted in the 70th minute against San Diego FC earlier in the season.

Diego Luna was away on international duty for the United States youth team, but it remains to be seen if he will feature in this contest.

Goalkeeper Zac MacMath is a long-term absentee, and as such, he is not expected to be a part of the squad.

Meanwhile, Justen Glad will undergo a late fitness test to ascertain his readiness for this fixture.

As for the visiting side, there are questions on a few players ahead of this weekend’s clash.

Christian Benteke is doubtful for this fixture due to an ankle injury, while Jackson Hopkins (hip), Lucas MacNaughton (thigh) and Peglow (groin) are ruled out of the weekend clash.

Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:

Cabral; Caliskan, Vera, Quinton, Junqua; Marczuk, Gozo, Ojeda, Russell, Palacio; Agada

DC United possible starting lineup:

Barraza; Tubbs, Schnegg, Bartlett, Antley; Kijima, Pirani, Zouhir-Takedam, Servania, Stroud; Murrell

We say: Real Salt Lake 1-1 DC United

Both sides head into this fixture with unimpressive form; however, they are evenly matched, given their respective results so far. Therefore, we predict a 1-1 draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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