Minnesota United vs. Real Salt Lake – MLS, April 24, 2021

With 27 teams competing in MLS this year, Real Salt Lake was handed a bye last weekend, meaning the Utah outfit is the only side yet to play a game this season.

Freddy Juarez’s men kick off their 2021 campaign at Allianz Field against Minnesota United on Saturday, April 24, following a heavy 4-0 loss for the Loons on the opening weekend.

Keep reading to see my Minnesota United vs. Real Salt Lake prediction and pick.

When you look at the bookies’ odds for this matchup, you wouldn’t know that Minnesota (1.80) was thrashed by Seattle last weekend, would you?

There is no denying that Adrian Heath’s team deserves the favorite tag here, but RSL (4.15) will be confident of upsetting the odds, having seen the Loons suffer a humiliating defeat last time out.

Minnesota managed to keep the Sounders at bay for the entirety of the first half last weekend, with Heath’s men creating numerous goalscoring chances of their own. But after the break, the floodgates opened.

Seattle netted four goals in a rampant second-half spell, while the Loons failed to respond. Both sides chalked up 17 shots throughout the game, yet the Sounders were ultimately far more clinical than Minnesota.

Still, the Loons can take confidence from the fact that they have avoided defeat in each of their previous seven meetings with RSL. It is also worth pointing out that Minnesota has kept three straight clean sheets against the Claret & Cobalt.

Those kinds of statistics are definitely worth considering when it comes to making your Minnesota United vs. Real Salt Lake prediction.

It is no secret that 2020 was a massive failure for Juarez’s men, so much so that they finished second from bottom in the West. The Claret & Cobalt only managed to win five of their 22 games last season, registering seven draws and ten losses along the way.

Worse still, RSL was the lowest scorer in the West – netting just 25 goals in 2020. Damir Kreilach bagged nine goals from central midfield last term, although none of his teammates managed to score more than three.

When you consider those numbers, it is hardly surprising that RSL has failed to score against Minnesota since 2019.

Having sat out of the opening round, Juarez’s men will be well-rested, although I’m not so sure that missing last weekend’s action will work in their favor.

After playing a series of pre-season friendlies, RSL could struggle to deal with the game’s pace on Saturday.

Seattle completely outclassed Minnesota on the opening weekend. But let’s face it – RSL was nothing short of woeful last season.

Given that Heath’s men already have 90 minutes of competitive MLS action under the belts this year, I’m backing them to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing loss and see off an out-of-touch RSL team on Saturday.