Real Salt Lake vs FC Dallas Prediction: Expect a Cagey affair

A pivotal Western Conference showdown has Real Salt Lake hosting FC Dallas on September 19, 2024, with playoff spots between the two teams. Currently 4th in the Western Conference, Salt Lake aims to secure its top 4 spot, while FC Dallas stands at 10th place and is fighting its way into the playoff spots. Both teams have been inconsistent in recent form, adding an element of intrigue to this match. Salt Lake is coming off a heavy 4-1 loss to Houston, while FC Dallas ground out a 0-0 draw against Vancouver in their last match. With just a few matches remaining in the regular season every point will be critical to take for both sides.

The Salt Lake team is sitting in 4th place and has had a good season, although lately, they have had it tough, losing three of their last five games. They do have an attack that has been fairly reliable this season, although they do tend to leak goals, having conceded first in four of their last five games. That defeat to Houston exposed a team that still struggled to cope with the high-pressure moments, with only 43% of possession and no big chance created. Despite that defeat, their 13 wins-which showcased their capability of dominating games-are especially created at home. With no clear-cut chances and reliance on long balls and crosses in the last outing, they might require a bit of a more elaborate plan when facing Dallas.

Salt Lake generally adopt a 4-2-3-1 shape that allows them to control midfield with width provided through full-backs who push up; however, the most recent game exposed some concerns, especially in defensive transitions and creating chances. Without a big creation against Houston, maybe Salt Lake needs to reconsider its offense buildup. Given Dallas's defense tendencies, maybe Salt Lake should be more direct and quick in transition to catch them off guard. Moreover, the team depended very much on crosses-47% of play-and long balls-53%-during its last match, something that might prove less efficient, especially given Dallas' aerial capabilities, which would make it such that Salt Lake will have to be more dependent on short passes and intricate play between midfield and forwards. Maintaining possession while preventing turnovers negates the chances of Dallas getting any opportunity on counter-attacks.

FC Dallas is a team in 10th place with troubles of its own: only one win in their last five matches, desperate for points to hang in playoff contention. In the recent match against Vancouver, it was back to their old struggles; in a 0-0 draw which showed defensive solidity but struggled again at creating chances, managing just two shots on target and only one corner. Dallas has struggled with inconsistency throughout this campaign, sometimes failing to sustain pressure at the opponents' goal. But in terms of recent head-to-head results, things favor Dallas against Salt Lake; they have not lost in the last five matches against Salt Lake, which includes a pulsating 3-3 draw back in May of 2024.

Dallas will most probably utilize their 3-4-2-1 - a solid base at the back while still providing an outlet for transitioning up the pitch in lightning-fast fashion. Their last outing against Vancouver showed how compact they were, giving very few chances to score. Their lack of creativity upfront with only two shots on target says much about a worry. Dallas can get the best out of themselves when they have the ability to score first, and that's what their head-to-head record indicates, often scoring early in the game and taking control. With Salt Lake's recent habit of conceding first, Dallas may want to try and exploit the flanks, using their wingbacks to overload the wide areas, especially on counter-attacks. The fact that their duel success rate was 52% and the defending tackle win rate was 71% would indicate that they try to break up Salt Lake's rhythm with some aggressive defensive play in midfield and force them to give the ball away cheaply.

It is also slightly favoring Dallas for the recent years in head-to-head records, as out of the 20 encounters between the teams, Dallas comes on top with 9 victories to Salt Lake's mere 4, while 7 matches between them have ended in draws.

The last time these two teams met was in May 2024 when a highly entertaining match finished 3-3 at the home of Dallas. Both teams were offensive-minded, and the game provided lots of drama along with goals.

Real Salt Lake's chief concerns are in their defensive setup and the manner of their recovery from early goals conceded. Of late, they have allowed the opposition to strike first on numerous occasions, forcing them to chase the game early. On the other side of things, an attack that created only a few big chances against Houston showed the team aren't having much issue converting possession into goal-scoring opportunities.

Meanwhile, Dallas has a solid defensive setup coming into this one, but they lack cutting-edge finishing. The balance between being solid at the back and committing numbers forward is something the team needs to find. Head-to-head dominance over Salt Lake in the recent past may keep Dallas confident psychologically, yet they need to solve their inconsistency in fashioning clear chances.

• GG (Yes) @ 1.6 Odds
• Draw FT @ 4.20 Odds
• Under 10 Corners @ 1.83 Odds