SALT LAKE CITY – After an eventful midweek matchup yesterday against Minnesota United FC, the Colorado Rapids (5-7-1) will continue their road streak, facing Real Salt Lake Saturday evening for the battle of the Rocky Mountain Cup. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m MT at American First Field.
On Wednesday, Colorado secured all three points, dominating in a 1-0 shutout over Minnesota. The Western Conference matchup was expected to deliver a highly physical and competitive atmosphere.
In the clubs’ last regular-season meeting on September 25, 2025, the teams drew 1:1, a result the Rapids were determined not to repeat. The Rapids held a 7-8-3 all-time record against the Loons prior to the match.
Out of the gate Colorado presented a competitive roster that depended heavily on their MVP, All-Star and Golden Boot candidates.
“Rafa and Pax went to a different level tonight. They’ve proven they can play within the framework of our footbal…. But what they proved tonight is they can be a reference for the team, physically and mentally, and that’s much more important than them being able to play the football that we want to play,” Rapids head coach Matt Wells said. “If they start to combine those two things, then we’ve got two players that can really carry us on a successful season. It was a really special performance from the two guys.”
As expected, 26-year-old Designated Player and All-Star candidate Rafael Navarro secured the single goal of the match in the 26th minute. The low corner strike from inside the box was assisted by Paxten Aaronson and Connor Ronan, names that have repeatedly held highlight clips each week since Ronan has returned from injury.
“We’ve missed Connor [Ronan] so much. The quality that he brings and the energy that he brings in the midfield, it’s immense, and everyone can feel it,” starting goalkeeper Nico Hansen said. “Not just Connor’s performance, I mean everyone. You can go through the entire team. The shift that everyone put in, from second balls to not losing their man, everyone just fighting for the badge, running all over the pitch, not giving them any space to breathe.I thought we were excellent, every single person. I thought everyone played fantastic.”
Producing a clean sheet Wednesday, Hansen has secured the starting spot in goal for the last two matches in the continued absence of senior captain Zack Steffen. Steffen, who sustained a shoulder injury earlier in the season has been unavailable due to an “upper body” injury for the last week.
Additional shifts due to the injury included the May 12 call up and immediate release of Homegrown goalkeeper Adam Beaudry who had been loaned to Loudoun United FC. The USL Championship club originally obtained 20-year-old Beaudry ahead of the 2026 season. Beaudry acted as a substitute for Wednesday’s match but saw no minutes on the pitch.
Availability and persistent injuries that align with the team’s busy schedule have been a concern for the Rapids. After also losing Ted Ku-DiPietro to shoulder surgery earlier in the year, continuous setbacks have occurred. In addition to Steffen and Ku-DiPietro, senior midfielder Josh Atencio remains out due to a head injury, causing lessened depth in the midfield.
While battling injuries, the physicality of the team can be easily seen through the disciplinary summary. Four Rapids yellow cards were given Wednesday night. Ronan, Jackson Travis, Kosi Thompson and Navarro were given one each while Rob Holding and Hamzat Ojediran were not featured in the lineup due to suspension. Ojediran suspension comes from having accumulated five yellow cards so far this season.
Both Holding, Ojediran and likely Atencio are expected to return to the pitch Saturday, likely reclaiming starting roles and reestablishing momentum.
Despite physicality and the low scoring matchup, defenseman Lucas Herrington earned Team of the Matchday, totaling 90 minutes and 60 completed passes, the most of the entire match, while conceding zero goals..
In hopes of continuing momentum from the midweek win, club anticipation for this weekend’s matchup has been perisaint. The Rocky Mountain Cup Clash is infamous for producing an energetic atmosphere and intense rivalry match up, one the Rapids are prepared to enter.
“Huge game for us.I think it was important to build some momentum tonight. From a results perspective….. I think now that win is on the board, it sets us up perfectly. What a huge game on the weekend, a huge game because it’s the next game. It’s a huge game because of the opponent and it’s our rival, so we’re passionate about that, and it’s a huge game because it’s a huge game for our fans. So all of those things combined means it’s a huge game,” Wells said.
As the young team continued to focus on their recovery and training while battling a tight turnaround, training continued during the singular day of preparation, with focus on tactos and a game plan.
“Of course we’ll have some adaptations for the opponent, but we’ll be able to see a return completely to the system we usually play. We’re really looking forward to it. We’ve got an unbelievable week coming up. As I just said to the guys, what a game against our rivals at the weekend away from home. What a chance to build even more momentum then we have. So we’ve got a massive, massive weekend ahead of us where we can really do something special when all the guys are committed to trying to do that.”
