The Colorado Rapids (5-8-1, 16 pts., 10th West) fall on the road to Real Salt Lake (8-4-1, 21 pts., 3rd West) 2-1 at America First Field on Saturday night.
Tonight marked the start of the Rocky Mountain Cup campaigns for both Colorado and Salt Lake, with the Rapids starting their quest for three consecutive RMC titles. 2026 marks the 22nd year of the rivalry, with Saturday’s match being the 62nd contest all-time between these two clubs in MLS play.
The match started off in Colorado’s favor as the Rapids managed to create opportunities almost instantly after things kicked off. That pressure led to multiple corner kicks and set piece opportunities, where the club showed promise early.
That promise turned into results just seven minutes in, with Colorado getting on the board first. The play started off a corner kick, with Connor Ronan standing over the set piece ready for the delivery. The midfielder whipped in a perfect cross to an open Paxten Aaronson at the back post, who settled the ball looking to send the ball back into the middle. After making a slick move to the endline, the Designated Player played a quick pass to find Wayne Frederick, who tapped the ball home to give Colorado a 1-0 lead early.
The goal marked Frederick’s second of both the season and his MLS career. Aaronson’s assist was his fourth this season, with the midfielder now having recorded a helper in consecutive matches. Ronan also notched an assist on the goal, marking his first of the season and the 12th of his MLS career.
From there, the hosts looked to increase their attacking effort to try and equalize. The club created more chances than they had up to that point in the match, eventually leading to a goal in the 36th minute. After securing a counterattack opportunity, Salt Lake found a goal off the foot of Zavier Gozo to level things at one goal apiece.
That would be all the scoring for the first half, with these two sides playing to an even scoreline after the first 45 minutes.
Colorado came out of the break with some added energy, looking more like the side that opened up the match. Their efforts led to a great opportunity for Rafael Navarro, but his eventual shot was stopped by a strong save from the Salt Lake goalkeeper.
Despite their best efforts, it would be the hosts that struck next to take the lead. Salt Lake found their second off a headed shot from Sergi Solans to go up 2-1 in the 68th minute.
From there, the Rapids continued to push for an equalizer but would be unable to convert, leaving all three points for the hosts.
Colorado will shift their focus to their crucial Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, May 20. Kickoff at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park is set for 8:00 p.m. MT with coverage available on CBS Sports Network, Altitude Sports Radio, Tico Sports Spanish Radio, the Colorado Rapids app, and ColoradoRapids.com.
