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• Real Salt Lake v Austin FC: Mastroeni says fortune favours the brave

  Pablo Mastroeni believes Real Salt Lake's mindset has been the key to their long unbeaten run, which they will look to extend to 13 matches when they host Austin FC on Saturday.

  RSL made it 12 MLS games without defeat in dramatic circumstances on Wednesday, as Andres Gomez scored nine minutes into stoppage time in a 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders.

  Salt Lake remained two points clear of LA Galaxy at the top of the Western Conference with what was their third straight comeback, following a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rapids and a 3-3 draw at FC Dallas – who had led by three goals.

  "I think one of the things we pride ourselves on is being a team that shows a strong mindset," Mastroeni said this week.

  "You can use it in all aspects of life, it's five per cent what happens to you and 95 per cent how you react. 

  "Unfortunately, in the last few games, we've found ourselves on the wrong side of the scoreline, and it's really easy to put your head down when things aren't going your way.

  "There's this belief within the group that, regardless of what's happening, we're going to stay in it, we're going to keep our heads and not quit. Fortune favours the brave."

  Austin are seven points behind RSL in fifth, though their momentum has stalled in recent weeks.

  Since recording back-to-back wins over Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City, Josh Wolff's team have played out a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes and been beaten 2-0 by the Portland Timbers.

  To make matters worse, that latter match saw forward Sebastian Driussi suffer an injury that is expected to keep him out for several weeks. 

  PLAYERS TO WATCH 

  Real Salt Lake – Andres Gomez 

  Gomez has contributed to at least one goal in five straight league matches, becoming the second Real Salt Lake player to do so this year after Cristian Arango (six).

  This is the first time since 2016 (Joao Plata and Yura Movsisyan) that multiple RSL players have had a run of five or more games with a goal contribution in the same season.

  Austin FC – Gyasi Zardes

  Zardes' importance could be heightened after Driussi suffered a muscle injury during Austin's midweek loss.

  He is yet to score in 16 MLS appearances this season, though only three have been starts.

  MATCH PREDICTION – REAL SALT LAKE WIN

  The visiting side won both meetings between Real Salt Lake and Austin last season, including a 2-1 win for the Verde at America First Field in March. 

  The six regular-season meetings between the sides have been split evenly, with each team winning three times.

  However, RSL are favourites here, having gone unbeaten in 12 straight league games to equal the second-longest streak in their history.

  Since the start of 2019, the Sounders are the only MLS team to record a longer run, going 13 unbeaten to start the 2021 campaign. 

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Real Salt Lake – 60.3%

  Austin FC – 18.9%

  Draw – 20.8%

• New York City FC 5-1 San Jose Earthquakes: Martinez hat-trick maintains NYCFC winning streak

  Alonso Martinez scored a hat-trick as New York City FC maintained their impressive MLS form with a 5-1 rout of San Jose Earthquakes.

  Hannes Wolf and Santiago Rodriguez were also on target for Nick Cushing's side, who made it five wins on the bounce to move into third place in the Eastern Conference.

  After a goalless first half at Yankee Stadium, the hosts broke through within five minutes of the restart through Wolf. However, the lead only lasted three minutes, with Amahl Pellegrino levelling the contest.

  Rodriguez drove City back in front in the 80th minute before Martinez took centre stage late on. The Costa Rica international struck with five minutes remaining, while completing a quickfire treble with a further goals in stoppage time.

  Data Debrief: Martinez makes franchise history

  That was, indeed, a quickfire hat-trick from Martinez - in fact, it was the fastest registered by an NYCFC player in MLS history.

  The hosts have now won five successive matches for the first time since 2019, while their ninth win of the season matches their tally for the whole of last term.

• Starting again: Busby, Blackwood confident reunited Girlz will give good account against Brazil

  It’s a case of picking up where they left off –or at least Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz will try to do so against Brazil at the Arena de Pernambuco in Recife on Saturday at 3:00pm Jamaica time.

  While they held the South American powerhouse to a goalless stalemate at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia, the Girlz were on a more competitive war path back then with much to prove.

  The same cannot be said about the team on this occasion, as this encounter will mark the first assignment together for that World Cup core group in almost nine months. This, as they last played together in September last year when they lost to Canada in the Olympic qualifying playoff.

  Though their confidence is high, the 42nd-ranked Jamaicans will be up against a more youthful Brazilian outfit, as the number 10-ranked nation is gradually transitioning from its veterans Marta, Tamires and Cristiane, just to name a few. In fact, this two-match friendly series which is part of Brazil’s preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris, are expected to mark the official sendoff of the legendary Marta, into retirement.

  

  Still, Reggae Girlz defender Deneisha Blackwood is backing the team to give a good account in the Brazilians backyard.

  “Both countries are a lot similar in terms of physicality and technical abilities, so I feel it's a good game for us to bring back our team forward again. In terms of scoreline, I can't really predict what the score line will be, but I can promise that it's going to be a good game,” Blackwood said during a pre-game conference on Friday.

  “Our team is very good in terms of the camaraderie, so the moment we got back together, it's like we never left. Yes, we haven't been together for the last nine months, but you couldn't tell. I feel like our group is just so well put together. Obviously, every team has its challenges, but I feel like our mindset when we're together is always to be better, so whether we're apart for nine months or two months, it's just always been a good team environment,” she added.

  Meanwhile, Head coach Hubert Busby explained that while they will be seeking to build on their defensive fortitude that earned the historic draws against France and Brazil at last year’s showpiece, he is also hoping to execute a possession based tactic.

  “I think it (our defence) is a platform on which we built a lot of our success at last year’s World Cup, and even prior to that. So I think it's one of the things that we'll continue to do. The game is played in many different phases, but you always give yourself a good opportunity to be successful with a good defensive platform, and so that will continue as well because good defensive platform is needed against a very good technical Brazilian team,” Busby shared. 

  

  That said, Busby pointed out that Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw’s presence is certainly missed, but in the same breath he argued that the prolific Manchester City striker's absence also presents an opportunity for other players to step up and showcase the squad’s depth.

  “Injuries happen and unfortunately she [Shaw] is not able to be with us, but we have a really good depth and a really good squad and so we know another player will step up. We have more than enough players to come in and give us different qualities from what she [Shaw] gives us,” the former national goalkeeper reasoned.

  “But it is a team we've organized, we've known that she's going to be away for a couple of weeks now, so we've just kind of obviously looked to adapt in terms of how we look to play and what we're looking to do over a longer period of time. So really, the whole process for us is to keep building so that we can be back in this wonderful country in 2027 (for the World Cup),” Busby ended.