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Real Salt Lake could be without star striker in L.A.

Forward Chicho Arango left Saturday’s game in the first half with a hamstring injury.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Real Salt Lake forward Chicho Arango (9) during the first half of a Leagues Cup soccer matchup against the Seattle Sounders Saturday, July 22, 2023, in Sandy, Utah.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Real Salt Lake forward Chicho Arango (9) during the first half of a Leagues Cup soccer matchup against the Seattle Sounders Saturday, July 22, 2023, in Sandy, Utah.

Real Salt Lake’s weekend might have gone from bad to worse.

After losing to rival Sporting Kansas City — a 3-2 defeat in which defender Justen Glad was shown a red card in the game’s third minute — RSL could missing star striker Chicho Arango heading into the season’s final stretch.

Arango left the weekend’s match in the 28th minute with a hamstring injury.

“No update,” RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni said afterward, “other than any time anyone comes out with a hamstring, it’s probably not good.”

Arango has scored six goals and delivered one assist for RSL since arriving as the biggest transfer in club history in June.

Real Salt Lake travels to L.A. to play the Galaxy on Saturday, a game that had to be rescheduled in August because of the threat of Hurricane Hilary.

Mastroeni said he believed Arango would “more than likely” miss that match.

RSL also expects to be without winger Jefferson Savarino, striker Rubio Rubin, midfielder Braian Ojeda, among others, due to the international window.

“But we’ve been in situations this year where we’ve been down men and we’ve been able to win games,” Mastroeni said. “We’ll put our best foot forward with the group that we have.”

RSL’s final match of the regular season is Oct. 21 at Colorado.

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