Reggie Cannon couldn’t care less
“I couldn’t care less if they line up with eight men behind the ball.”
Reggie Cannon didn’t mince his words. The Colorado defender knows Real Salt Lake can afford a draw on Saturday night in Commerce City and still take back the Rocky Mountain Cup. The Rapids, on the other hand, have to win. No maths, no margin, no escape route.
“We’re going out there, playing our football and beating them,” the American added.
The trophy has been around since 2005. Colorado have held it for the past two seasons. The first meeting in 2026 went the wrong way: 2-1 to RSL on 16 May in Salt Lake. Wayne Frederick struck first in the seventh minute for the Rapids. Zavier Gozo levelled in the 36th, and Sergi Solans settled it 32 minutes later.
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Four teams, 28 points, one line
The two clubs are locked on 28 points. So are Portland. So are Minnesota. Four teams on the same total, all bunched up around the Western playoff line. One result on Saturday and the whole picture shifts.
Colorado are 9 wins, 11 defeats, 1 draw. Salt Lake are 8-8-4. The real difference is at home: the Rapids are on a four-match winning run on their own patch, and they haven’t conceded a goal across that stretch, outscoring opponents 5-0.
“We know our home form has been excellent,” said Colorado coach Matt Wells. “It’s something we’ll lean on.”
RSL haven’t even touched the grass
No wins in Salt Lake’s last seven league games. Three draws, four defeats. Last Saturday, they blew a 2-1 lead at Orlando after shipping two second-half goals.
Pablo Mastroeni has put his finger on the problem. His side can’t defend properly, and he hasn’t had the time to fix it on the pitch.
“Structure only matters if the duels inside that structure are won, in attack and in defence,” said the RSL coach. “We’ve got one defensive action and no second one. That’s the hardest part. We need to be more aggressive when we defend, put more bite into our game.”
The packed schedule between MLS and Leagues Cup has left preparation stuck in the video room. “Over the last three weeks to a month, all our work has been on video. We haven’t been on the grass to get into the detail of what defending actually means.”
Kickoff is Saturday night. Whatever Mastroeni has not managed to drill into his defenders by then, they will be finding out in real time.
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