LAFC vs Real Salt Lake predictions centre on two sides separated by a single point in the Western Conference. Los Angeles FC host Real Salt Lake in the early hours of Thursday 23rd July at BMO Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30am (UK time), and fourth can leapfrog third by full-time.
MLS is back after its World Cup pause, and this fixture carries immediate consequences. LAFC sit third in the Western Conference on 27 points from 16 games. RSL are fourth on 26 from just 14, holding two games in hand. The hosts shook off the rust in style with a 3-0 El Trafico win over LA Galaxy on Saturday. For RSL, this is a first competitive fixture in two months.
LAFC vs Real Salt Lake predictions & betting tips
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Son Heung-min to score anytime | 11/8 @ Sky Bet (42%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | The volume says the goals are coming. Son has taken 45 shots in MLS this season, more than any player on either side bar Denis Bouanga, yet has just one goal to show for it. His creativity has been elite regardless, with a team-leading eight assists. Against an RSL side who have conceded 19 goals in 14 games, and with LAFC scoring eight times across the two meetings last season, the shot count finally cashing in looks likely. The general market prices Son at 11/10, so Sky Bet’s 11/8 is a clear standout on a forward this involved in everything LAFC create. |
| Denis Bouanga to score first | 7/2 @ Ladbrokes (22%) | ⭐⭐ | Bouanga remains the tone-setter in this LAFC side. He leads the club with seven goals, has hit the target 22 times, and takes the penalties. No player in this fixture shoots more, with 49 attempts across his 15 starts. RSL have not kept a clean sheet in their last four away matches, and this fixture has been brutal to them recently, with LAFC winning both 2025 meetings 4-1. If the hosts strike first at BMO Stadium, their captain in all but name is the most likely man to do it, and 7/2 rewards the single-outcome risk. |
Odds correct at time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.
How both teams head into LAFC vs Real Salt Lake
LAFC
Saturday’s derby answered the biggest question about LAFC: how sharp would they be after the break? Very, was the response. Two goals up inside 45 minutes, they cruised to a 3-0 win over LA Galaxy that made light of a two-month pause.
It mattered, because their form before the World Cup had wobbled. Three consecutive defeats, including a 4-1 home loss to Houston Dynamo, were only partially repaired by a 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders in their final game before the shutdown.
Home form is the puzzle. LAFC have swung from a 6-0 demolition of Orlando City to conceding four at home twice this season. Bouanga’s seven goals lead the way, David Martinez has five, and Hugo Lloris continues as the last line behind a defence that has conceded 17 in 16 games.
Real Salt Lake
RSL enter cold but confident. Their last five games before the break brought three wins, a draw and one defeat, including a 3-0 dismissal of Houston and a 2-1 win over Colorado Rapids. The 1-1 draw at Minnesota United on 23rd May remains their most recent outing, two full months ago.
The attack has been shared around. Zavier Gozo has started every game and leads with six goals and four assists. Sergi Solans has matched the six goals from just 10 starts, hitting the target with 15 of his 32 shots. Diego Luna has four goals despite only nine appearances.
The concern is the road. RSL are winless in their last four away league matches, with two draws and two defeats. Rafael Cabral has played every minute in goal, but 19 conceded in 14 games is the softest defensive record in the top four of the conference.
LAFC team news
LAFC’s XI largely picks itself when everyone is available. Lloris has 13 starts in goal, Bouanga has started 15 of 16 matches, and Nkosi Tafari and Eddie Segura anchor the defence.
Son has featured in 14 of the 16 league games, and his partnership with Bouanga carries almost the entire attacking output. Mathieu Choiniere and Timothy Tillman compete for the final midfield spot.
Real Salt Lake team news
Cabral and Gozo have not missed a minute and a start respectively, so both are certainties if fit. The interest is further forward, where Luna is back in contention after a stop-start first half of the season.
Two months without a competitive fixture leaves match sharpness the unknown across the squad.
Head-to-Head
This fixture has become one-way traffic. LAFC have won seven of the last 10 meetings, scoring 23 goals to RSL’s 11, and swept both matches last season by an identical 4-1 scoreline inside four September days. RSL’s most recent win in the fixture came at home in March 2024, and they have not won at LAFC since October 2023. Few sides in MLS travel to BMO Stadium with a worse recent record.
Which side will climb the Western Conference?
LAFC are strong favourites at a best price of 8/11 with Matchbook, LeoVegas and Planet Sport Bet, with the general market at 4/6. RSL are 18/5 with Matchbook, while the draw is 16/5 with Betfair and Paddy Power. The market is siding with the team already up to speed, and so are we.
Son at 11/8 to score anytime is our headline bet. Forty-five shots and eight assists is remarkable output for a man with one goal, and the price with Sky Bet beats everything else on the market.
Bouanga to strike first at 7/2 completes the pair. He shoots more than anyone in this fixture, takes the penalties, and terrorised this opponent twice last September. Against cold, travel-weary opponents with no away win since April, LAFC’s main man setting the tone looks the value way in.
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