Rocky Mountain Cup

Last updated
Rocky Mountain Cup
NewRockyMountainCupLogo.jpg
First meetingApril 16, 2005
MLS regular season
RSL 1–0 COL
Latest meetingJuly 20, 2024
MLS regular season
COL 3–2 RSL
Stadiums
Statistics
Meetings total62 (competitive)
All-time seriesRSL 30–13–19 COL (competitive only)
Largest victoryCOL 0–6 RSL
MLS regular season
(August 25, 2018)

The Rocky Mountain Cup is a soccer trophy contested between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids. The cup is awarded by the Committee of 10, [1] a group of bi-partisan fans who run the competition, to the team with the most points in games played between the two. The teams are awarded 3 points for each win and 1 point for each tie in regular season MLS games against each other. The Cup is awarded at the conclusion of the deciding game of the series between the two teams.

Contents

If the teams end the season in a points tie, the team with the most goals on aggregate will win (for a two-team competition, this is equivalent to goal differential). If the teams are tied on aggregate goals, the current holders retain the Cup for another year.

The cup was created in 2005, the first year of play for Real Salt Lake.

History

When it was officially announced that Salt Lake City would be awarded an MLS expansion club, fans from Utah and Colorado founded the bi-partisan Committee of 10 (5 supporters from each club) and began to outline the official rules of the competition. The contest was named the Rocky Mountain Cup after a vote from the fans, and a trophy was acquired. [2]

The Rocky Mountain Cup began on April 16, 2005 at Real Salt Lake's inaugural home game, in which Real earned their first-ever win with a 1–0 victory. Colorado eventually won the trophy in 2005 after besting Real in the three subsequent matches that season, officially clinching the Cup at their final meeting of the year at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Prior to the 2006 MLS season, the two clubs swapped players in a trade, exchanging forward Jeff Cunningham and midfielder Clint Mathis. The repercussions of the trade surfaced in an August 10 match in which RSL humiliated Colorado 4–1 at INVESCO Field, punctuated by a stellar performance by Cunningham in which he earned two goals and an assist.

The Rapids would have their revenge later that year during a very heated match in Salt Lake City on September 2. The affair saw numerous hard fouls and seven yellow cards. Fans showered the field with debris and missiles throughout the game. [3] Colorado would grind out a 1–0 victory and secure the Rocky Mountain Cup for the second consecutive year. A myriad of controversy erupted after the game as the Rapids celebrated with the trophy. Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni removed his shirt, stuffed it down his shorts, and began making gestures at the Salt Lake fans. RSL owner Dave Checketts then came on to the field and confronted Mastroeni in an angry verbal exchange which was later broken up by players and officials.[ citation needed ] Much to the ire of Real fans, the League did not take action for Mastroeni's controversial behavior.

The 2007 competition kicked off with the Rapids earning a comfortable 2–0 win on the road. After the match, Colorado midfielder Kyle Beckerman made remarks towards RSL supporters and their reaction towards the controversy of the previous September: "It definitely comes from their fans. They run their mouths the whole game. If they don't want us to celebrate, win the game." [4]

The next meeting between the teams, a 1-1 draw on May 10, finished with a bizarre distinction of being the only draw in MLS history in which only own goals were scored. Later that year, on July 16, the two clubs exchanged Kyle Beckerman and Mehdi Ballouchy. This trade proved particularly controversial for Rapids supports and further deteriorated their relationship with Colorado head coach Fernando Clavijo.

Real Salt Lake would then even the 2007 series in September, forcing the deciding match in Colorado a month later on the final game of the season. Both teams were all but mathematically ruled out of the MLS Cup Playoffs, leaving the October 20 contest largely a match for pride. The Rapids needed only a draw to secure the cup for a third year, but Real grabbed a late win when Robbie Findley scored in the 87th minute. The victory for Real Salt Lake won the club their first Rocky Mountain Cup, and also brought a painful end to one of Colorado's worst-ever seasons.

2008 would play out in similar fashion to the previous year. The deciding match was again at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on the final day of the season. However, the stakes were higher, with a win for either side guaranteeing a playoff spot along with the Rocky Mountain Cup (Real could also prevail with a draw). Colorado pulled ahead and held a 1–0 lead into the closing seconds of the game, but Yura Movsisyan scored a clutch stoppage-time goal to end the game with a 1–1 draw. The result was quite possibly RSL's greatest moment in club history: retaining the Cup for a second year, clinching their first-ever postseason berth, and denying Rapids of the playoffs on their own turf. Salt Lake fans celebrated by throwing a number of smoke bombs onto the pitch after the final whistle, adding insult to injury for the stunned Colorado supporters.

The 2010 edition of the Rocky Mountain Cup played out as close and exciting as the previous three seasons. In the first leg, held September 27 at RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium, Real Salt Lake fielded a squad of mostly reserves in the middle of a busy stretch of their schedule including 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League group stage matches. Coach Jason Kreis rested most of the starters in anticipation of an opportunity to clinch a berth in the CCL knockout round three days later. Conor Casey gave Colorado a 1–0 lead in the 36th minute. The result looked like it would hold until former Rapids defender Nat Borchers headed in a service from Andy Williams in the 93rd minute for the 1–1 draw. The second leg would finish in an even more exciting fashion. The teams returned to Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the final match of the regular season on October 23. Both teams had already clinched playoff spots. RSL needed a win or tie to have a chance at winning the Supporters' Shield. Colorado appeared to dash those hopes with a 16th-minute goal by Omar Cummings and a 51st-minute header by Conor Casey. Rapids fans were ready to celebrate their first Rocky Mountain Cup in 4 years while carrying a 2–0 lead into stoppage time. RSL forward Alvaro Saborio scored twice in stoppage time – first on a blocked clearance from Colorado keeper Matt Pickens in the 91st minute, and second on a penalty in the 95th minute after Drew Moor pulled RSL defender Jamison Olave down in the box on an RSL free kick. The resulting 2–2 draw gave RSL the Rocky Mountain Cup for the 4th consecutive season due to being the previous year's winner. Conditions after the match became ugly when several RSL players made obscene gestures towards the Colorado supporters' terrace and were consequently showered with beer cups and other projectiles. The draw would prove to be beneficial for Colorado, as it put them in the easier Eastern Conference bracket for the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs in which Colorado won its first ever MLS Cup.

Winners

Tiebreakers: 1. goal differential; 2. away goals (prior to 2008, when teams played an equal number of home games; never used); 3. holders retain cup.

YearWinnerPointsLoserNotesSeries
2005 Colorado Rapids9–3Real Salt LakeCOL 1–0
2006 Colorado Rapids7–4Real Salt LakeCOL 2–0
2007 Real Salt Lake7–4Colorado RapidsCOL 2–1
2008 Real Salt Lake4–4Colorado RapidsRSL retained as holdersTied 2–2
2009 Real Salt Lake4–4Colorado RapidsRSL won on goal differentialRSL 3–2
2010 Real Salt Lake2–2Colorado RapidsRSL retained as holdersRSL 4–2
2011 Real Salt Lake4–1Colorado RapidsRSL 5–2
2012 Real Salt Lake6–3Colorado RapidsRSL 6–2
2013 Colorado Rapids5–2Real Salt LakeRSL 6–3
2014 Real Salt Lake9–0Colorado RapidsRSL 7–3
2015 Colorado Rapids4–4Real Salt LakeRapids won on goal differentialRSL 7–4
2016 Real Salt Lake6–3Colorado RapidsRSL 8–4
2017 Real Salt Lake6–3Colorado RapidsRSL 9–4
2018 Real Salt Lake7–1Colorado RapidsRSL 10–4
2019 Real Salt Lake6–0Colorado RapidsRSL 11–4
2020 Colorado Rapids3–3Real Salt LakeRapids won on goal differential as MLS is Back Tournament game was not countedRSL 11–5
2021 Real Salt Lake6–3Colorado RapidsRSL 12–5
2022 Real Salt Lake2–2Colorado RapidsRSL retained as holdersRSL 13–5
2023 Real Salt Lake9–0Colorado RapidsRSL 14–5
2024 Colorado Rapids6–3Real Salt LakeRSL 14–6

Series results

League matches

#DateVenueHome teamAway teamScoreSeries leader (W–L–T)
1April 16, 2005 Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City Real Salt LakeColorado Rapids1–0RSL 1–0
2September 21, 2005 Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver Colorado RapidsReal Salt Lake2–0Tied 1–1
3October 1, 2005Invesco Field at Mile HighColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake2–1COL 2–1
4October 12, 2005Rice-Eccles StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids0–1COL 3–1
5May 27, 2006Rice-Eccles StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–2COL 3–1–1
6June 9, 2006Invesco Field at Mile HighColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–0COL 4–1–1
7August 9, 2006Invesco Field at Mile HighColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–4COL 4–2–1
8September 2, 2006Rice-Eccles StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids0–1COL 5–2–1
9April 30, 2007Rice-Eccles StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids0–2COL 6–2–1
10May 10, 2007 Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City Colorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–1COL 6–2–2
11September 22, 2007Rice-Eccles StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids1–0COL 6–3–2
12October 20, 2007Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake0–1COL 6–4–2
13May 15, 2008Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake2–0COL 7–4–2
14August 29, 2008Rice-Eccles StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–0COL 7–5–2
15October 25, 2008Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–1COL 7–5–3
16May 2, 2009Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake2–0COL 8–5–3
17June 6, 2009 Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy Real Salt LakeColorado Rapids1–1COL 8–5–4
18October 24, 2009Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids3–0COL 8–6–4
19September 25, 2010Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids1–1COL 8–6–5
20October 23, 2010Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake2–2COL 8–6–6
21April 13, 2011Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids1–0COL 8–7–6
22October 14, 2011Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake0–0COL 8–7–7
23April 7, 2012Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–0Tied 8–8–7
24July 21, 2012Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–0RSL 9–8–7
25August 4, 2012Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–0Tied 9–9–7
26March 16, 2013Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids1–1Tied 9–9–8
27April 6, 2013Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–0COL 10–9–8
28August 3, 2013Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake2–2COL 10–9–9
29May 17, 2014Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–1Tied 10–10–9
30August 2, 2014Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake0–1RSL 11–10–9
31September 19, 2014Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids5–1RSL 12–10–9
32June 7, 2015Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids0–0RSL 12–10–10
33July 11, 2015Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake3–1RSL 12–11–10
34October 4, 2015Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–2RSL 13–11–10
35April 9, 2016Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids1–0RSL 14–11–10
36May 7, 2016Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–0RSL 14–12–10
37August 26, 2016Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–1RSL 15–12–10
38April 15, 2017Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–2RSL 16–12–10
39August 26, 2017Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids4–1RSL 17–12–10
40October 15, 2017Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–0RSL 17–13–10
41April 21, 2018Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids3–0RSL 18–13–10
42July 21, 2018Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–2RSL 18–13–11
43August 25, 2018Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake0–6RSL 19–13–11
44May 11, 2019Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake2–3RSL 20–13–11
45August 24, 2019Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–0RSL 21–13–11
46July 12, 2020*ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex*Real Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–0RSL 22–13–11
47August 22, 2020Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–4RSL 23–13–11
48September 12, 2020Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids0–5RSL 23–14–11
49July 24, 2021Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids3–0RSL 24–14–11
50August 21, 2021Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake2–1RSL 24–15–11
51October 16, 2021Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids3-1RSL 25–15–11
52April 2, 2022Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–1RSL 25–15–12
53July 9, 2022Rio Tinto StadiumReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–2RSL 25–15–13
54May 20, 2023Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake2–3RSL 26–15–13
55September 2, 2023 America First Field Real Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–0RSL 27–15–13
56October 21, 2023Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake0–1RSL 28–15–13
57March 9, 2024America First FieldReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids1–2RSL 28–16–13
58May 18, 2024America First FieldReal Salt LakeColorado Rapids5–3RSL 29–16–13
59July 20, 2024Dick's Sporting Goods ParkColorado RapidsReal Salt Lake3–2RSL 29–17–13

Playoff matches

The two sides have yet to meet in the MLS Cup Playoffs

Open Cup matches

DateRoundVenueHome teamAway teamScoreSeries leader (W–L–T)
August 2, 2006Fourth round Rice-Eccles Stadium Real Salt LakeColorado Rapids0–1COL 1–0–0
May 23, 2007Qualification Dick's Sporting Goods Park Colorado RapidsReal Salt Lake2–1COL 2–0–0
May 24, 2023Round of 16 Dick's Sporting Goods Park Colorado RapidsReal Salt Lake0–1COL 2–1–0

Continental matches

The two sides have yet to meet in the CONCACAF Champions League or Leagues Cup

Friendly matches

DateEventVenueHome teamAway teamScoreSeries leader (W–L–T)
February 22, 2014 Desert Diamond Cup Kino North Stadium, Tucson Colorado RapidsReal Salt Lake1–0COL 1–0–0
February 28, 2015Desert Diamond Cup Kino North Stadium, Tucson Real Salt LakeColorado Rapids2–1Tied 1–1–0
April 3, 2021Visit Tucson Sun Cup Kino North Stadium, Tucson Real Salt LakeColorado Rapids3–0RSL 2–1–0

Statistics

Regular season

Legend
Active player for Colorado Rapids
Active player for Real Salt Lake
As of May 18, 2024

Crossing the Continental Divide

Despite the fierce rivalry between the two clubs, some players have played for both clubs during their careers, with direct transfers occurring on occasion. As of the 2024 season, 12 players have played for both teams in the Rocky Mountain Cup:

NationPlayerPositionColorado yearsRSL yearsNotes
Flag of Morocco.svg Mehdi Ballouchy Midfielder 2007–20102006–2007Trade (RSL-COL)
Flag of the United States.svg Kyle Beckerman Midfielder 2002–20072007–2020Trade (COL-RSL)
Flag of the United States.svg Nat Borchers Defender 2003–20052008–2014
Flag of Jamaica.svg Jeff Cunningham Forward 20052006–2007Trade (COL-RSL)
Flag of the United States.svg Luis Gil Midfielder 20172007–2015
Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg Atiba Harris Midfielder 20132006–2007
Flag of the United States.svg Richie Kotschau Defender 2001–20052007–2008
Flag of Germany.svg Jasper Löffelsend Midfielder 2024–present2022–2024Trade (RSL-COL)
Flag of the United States.svg Zac MacMath Goalkeeper 2015–20182020–present
Flag of the United States.svg Clint Mathis Forward 20062005; 2008–2009Trade (RSL-COL)
Flag of the United States.svg Collen Warner Midfielder 2020–20222010–2011
Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wingert Defender 2006–20072007–2014; 2016–2017Trade (COL-RSL)

In addition, two managers have played notable roles at both clubs:

NationCoachColorado positionColorado yearsRSL positionRSL yearsNotes
Flag of the United States.svg Robin Fraser Head coach2019–2023Assistant coach2007–2011
Flag of the United States.svg Pablo Mastroeni Head coach2014–2017Head coach2021–present

The Committee of 10

The Committee of 10, or C10, was initially formed through discussions between fans from both Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids on BigSoccer.com and on the now defunct fan forums at RealSaltLake.org. It was decided that each team's fans would be represented by five individuals per side. These representatives would be responsible for creating the guidelines, design, and ultimately raising the funds to create the Rocky Mountain Cup.

The Original Committee of 10

Real Salt LakeColorado Rapids
Gary HadleyMark Bodmer
Juliana MontgomeryBill Fisher
Eric RobertsJason Greene
Glenn WebbJason Maxwell*
Neil WylerJeremy Vanderlan

Sources

  1. How the Rocky Mountain Cup got a sponsor – and why fans didn't like it, July 12, 2018
  2. JasonMa (2018-08-22). "A History of the Rocky Mountain Cup". Burgundy Wave. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  3. Match Report, September 2, 2006
  4. Real Salt Lake still can't stop Colorado, May 1, 2007, archived from the original on July 15, 2011

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