With a Major League Soccer playoff spot already wrapped up, Real Salt Lake will spend the final weeks of the regular season battling for home-field advantage in the first round of the postseason.
But RSL let a road victory slip from its grasp on Saturday night, settling for a 2-2 draw with Austin FC.
After both teams went scoreless in the first half, RSL (14-7-10) took a 2-0 lead in the second half before giving up two late goals.
RSL’s Matt Crooks opened the scoring in the 48th minute. Braian Ojeda made a long pass to the right side of the field to Chicho Arango, who fired a shot that Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver deflected with his right foot. The rebound went right to Crooks, who drilled the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Diogo Gonçalves doubled the lead in the 65th minute with a penalty kick, after Austin was called for a handball in the box.
Sitting in second place in the Western Conference, RSL appeared to be headed for the win before Austin (9-13-9) struck back. Jader Obrian scored in the 82nd minute, and Guiherme Biro notched the equalizer in the 89th.
The draw — combined with LAFC’s 2-1 win over Cincinnati on Saturday — dropped RSL to third place in the West. The top four teams in each conference earn home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
RSL had a 20-19 advantage in shots against Austin, with each team having seven shots on goal.
Goalkeeper Zac MacMath made five saves for RSL, while Austin’s Stuver had four.
Real Salt Lake will return to action on Wednesday against Minnesota United FC at America First Field (7:30 p.m., Apple TV), before visiting the San Jose Earthquakes next Saturday.
RSL’s regular-season campaign ends with a home game against Vancouver on Oct. 19.
