Pablo Mastroeni expects Diego Luna to make a strong case for a United States World Cup place as Real Salt Lake host Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, with the midfielder using MLS minutes to impress Mauricio Pochettino after missing the national team’s March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal.
Real Salt Lake return from the international break with 10 points from five league games and four consecutive unbeaten outings, while Sporting Kansas City sit bottom of the Western Conference with four points and arrive in Utah after a heavy 4-1 defeat to the Colorado Rapids.
Mastroeni’s team opened the 2026 MLS campaign with a 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps but have since collected three wins and one draw, scoring at least twice in each of those
four fixtures, a scoring streak they last matched across five games in August and September 2017.
Real Salt Lake’s strong home history against Sporting Kansas City also shapes expectations, as they have recorded 13 regular-season wins, three draws and five defeats in this matchup at home, with only the Colorado Rapids and Seattle Sounders yielding more home victories for Real Salt Lake.
Sporting Kansas City’s recent away record underlines the challenge, since March’s win at the LA Galaxy was their first road victory in any competition since July 2025, and they have not secured back-to-back away successes in the regular season since a three-game sequence in 2021.
OPTA’s model highlights Real Salt Lake as clear favourites for this fixture, assigning Mastroeni’s side a 60.7% chance of victory, compared with 18.7% for Sporting Kansas City and a 20.6% probability of a draw, numbers that mirror both current form and long-term head-to-head trends.
Real Salt Lake have found attacking balance early in 2026, with multiple goals scored in four straight matches for the first time since May 2024, while Sporting Kansas City rely heavily on Dejan Joveljic’s scoring, supported by contributors such as Shapi Suleymanov in wide roles.
Luna is still working back to full fitness after missing Real Salt Lake’s first two league games with injury, yet the midfielder has already influenced matches from the bench, creating five chances in just 64 minutes across a 2-1 win over Austin FC and a 2-2 draw with San Diego FC.
Real Salt Lake’s substitutes provided only three goals during the entire previous MLS season, but the bench has already produced two this year, and Luna could again be used as an impact option, though Mastroeni may consider a starting role if match rhythm continues improving.
For Sporting Kansas City, Suleymanov offers one of the main supplementary goal threats, having scored against Colorado before the international break for a first strike of this campaign and third since the start of last season, with only Joveljic recording more goals for the club over that period with 21.
Real Salt Lake vs Sporting Kansas City: Mastroeni on Diego Luna and youth impact
Despite Luna’s omission from Pochettino’s recent United States squad, Mastroeni believes the midfielder should be in contention for the World Cup group, emphasising the player’s mindset and creativity as valuable in tournament conditions, regardless of whether Luna starts games or features as a substitute.
Asked if the USA needed Luna in their ranks, Mastroeni told KSL Sports: "I think so. I think the thing with Diego that is unique is, he's an attacking player that brings a spark. He brings a spark in the way he presses, but he also brings a spark in the attack. He's a guy that always plays with a chip on his shoulder. He doesn't care whether he's playing against Guatemala, Belgium or Portugal, he goes at players, he takes them on, and his mentality is that it's him against the world. I think in those situations, you want someone to start or come into a game who isn't overcome by the presence of opponents. "
Mastroeni also credits Real Salt Lake’s young group for lifting standards throughout the squad, suggesting that competition for minutes has helped drive the current run of results and ensured established players remain sharp during a demanding early-season schedule.
"It's lit a fire under all the experienced guys, and that's what really brings the group together," he said. "The level of training in these last few months has been better than I've seen in the last five years that I've been here. But we can't rest on our laurels. MLS is a crazy league. At the weekend we play SKC, and they lost their last home game but won away before that, against the LA Galaxy. "
Those comments reflect Mastroeni’s caution as Real Salt Lake prepare for a Sporting Kansas City side that, despite sitting last in the conference, recently showed away resilience at the LA Galaxy and can still trouble opponents if defensive errors allow space in transition.
Suleymanov’s recent strike against Colorado highlighted the need for more support around Joveljic, with Sporting Kansas City’s staff seeking additional scoring contributors from midfield and wide areas to avoid relying too heavily on one forward, especially in difficult road environments like Real Salt Lake’s home stadium.
The following table summarises the OPTA win probability figures for Real Salt Lake vs Sporting Kansas City, offering a numerical snapshot of expected outcomes based on performance data and recent trends.
Back in action on Saturday pic.twitter.com/ADtNZ4tJdgSporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) April 1, 2026
Real Salt Lake enter the match in stronger form, with an effective attack, home advantage and an unbeaten run since the opening loss to Vancouver, while Sporting Kansas City must respond after the Colorado defeat and seek improved support for Joveljic and Suleymanov to challenge the OPTA prediction of a home win.
