Austin FC vs. Real Salt Lake 10/16/22 - Major League Soccer Picks & Predictions

On Sunday, Austin FC hosts Real Salt Lake in round one of the MLS Cup playoffs. Austin finished second in the Western Conference at 16-8-10 on 56 points with a goal difference of +16. Austin struggled over the final 14 matches of the regular-season winning only four, with four draws and six losses. Austin won only one of its final seven regular-season matches, but that was a 3-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on September 14.

Austin has been very successful this season scoring off of corners with a league high 11 goals after last season scoring just once off a corner. One of the 11 goals off a corner this season for Austin was against Real Salt Lake in September. Sebastian Driussi finished the regular season as the leading goal scorer for Austin with 21, while Maximiliano Urruti finished second with nine goals.

Real Salt Lake finished seventh in the conference table at 12-11-11 on 47 points with a goal difference of -2. Real Salt Lake has reached the playoffs 12 times in the past 15 seasons. Real Salt Lake was able to move up from the eighth spot in the conference table to the seventh and final spot on Decision Day for the second consecutive season by defeating Portland.

Prior to winning the final match of the regular season to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs, Real Salt Lake had been winless in each of its previous five matches with two draws and three losses. Real Salt Lake used headers to score 12 goals this season which was second in the MLS. Sergio Cordova was the leading goal scorer during the regular season for Real Salt Lake with nine and Jefferson Savarino was second with six.