Colorado Rapids versus Real Salt Lake in the second leg of the Rocky Mountain Cup

The Colorado Rapids enter the second leg of the Rocky Mountain Cup against Real Salt Lake needing a win in Commerce City on Saturday to secure the trophy of the rivalry that has lasted since 2005.

first leg result

In the first match, held on May 16, Real Salt Lake won 2-1. The opening goal for the Rapids, scored by Wayne Frederick in the seventh minute, was equalized by Zavier Gozo in the 36th, while the decisive goal for Real Salt Lake came from Sergi Solans, 32 minutes later.

real salt lake's defensive focus

Coach Pablo Mastroeni pointed out that the defensive structure will be the priority in the match. He stated that the team needs to “be more aggressive when defending, have more bite in the game” and that, in their last seven-game stretch, Real Salt Lake has earned only 0 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses.

rapids' confidence for the match

Defender Reggie Cannon, who is unconcerned about the opponent's possible “back eight” strategy, said that “I don’t care if they play with eight defenders. We’re going to play our football and beat them.”

rapids' home form

The Colorado Rapids maintain a four-game winning streak at home and have outscored visitors 5-0 during this period. Coach Matt Wells emphasized that the team “knows their home form is excellent” and that this will be leveraged in the match.

schedule conflict and preparation

Due to the packed schedule between MLS and the Leagues Cup, Real Salt Lake spent most of the past month studying video. Mastroeni commented that “over the last three weeks we did all our training work on video, we didn't touch the grass, to get into the detail of what the defense feels.”

With information from The Lufkin Daily News.