SALT LAKE CITY — To kick off the campaign, the Colorado Rapids (5-8-1, 16pts.,10th West) continued their road streak Saturday night, facing off against Western Conference competitor Real Salt Lake (8-4-1, 21st., 3rd West) for the first of two Rocky Mountain Cup matches.
After securing an early goal in the seventh minute, the Rapids were unable to find the net again to defeat the scoring margin. With a dominant Salt Lake offensive pressure, the home team took all three points, defeating Colorado 2:1.
Entering the evening matchup, Salt Lake held the statistical advantage. Led by Rapids club icon Pablo Mastoeni, the Utah team had won seven of their first 12 matches and earned 22 points, ranking fourth in the Western Conference. The Rapids were five places behind, securing ninth, totaling 16 points and winning five of their first 13 prior to the loss.
Despite the ranking difference, the teams were expected to showcase an even matchup. Colorado had previously maintained the edge in the rivalry, holding a 3-2-0 record over the last two seasons while outscoring Salt Lake 9-6 in that span. Each club secured a hometown 1-0 win last season. Due to the overall record and goal differential, the Rapids won the Rocky Mountain Cup for the second consecutive year last season, for the first time since 2005-06.
In hopes to bring the trophy back to Colorado for the third consecutive year, the Rapids looked to continue momentum. On Wednesday a 1:0 shutout over Minnesota United FC, led by Designated Player Rafael Navarro, allowed the Rapids to leave with all three points.
The mid-week match showcased the continuous All-Star potential of Navarro, with both his and Defenseman Lucas Herrington’s names being heavily guided towards Charlotte for the 2026 MLS All-Star Game July 29.
As expected, 26-year-old Navarro continued to dominate. By securing the single goal of Wednesday night’s match, he marked his 12th goal contribution of the 2026 MLS season (8g, 4a), the third most of any player in the league so far.
On the opposite side of the pitch, 18-year-old Herrington continues to impress. While winning Team of the Matchday for the third time this season, he generated 60 passes with an 82% pass rate, logging another 90 minutes, continuing his stretch as the youngest player in the MLS to appear in every minute of every match.
As the regular season has continued, Rapids players continue to produce both individual and team records. Goalkeeper Nico Hansen recorded his first clean sheet of the season Wednesday, reclaiming his spot in goal due to the continued absence of senior captain Zack Steffen.
Hansen returned to the starting XI Saturday, totaling six saves by end of match. Rapids head coach Matt Wells has continued to praise the defensive depth of the young team as Steffen remains out for the fifth match this season.
With Steffen battling a recurring upper body injury, he joined Ted Ku-Dieptro on injury reserve. Alex Harris was unavailable for the match due to illness, while Josh Atencio was marked questionable but saw minutes on the pitch during the second half.
Changes in Salt Lake Roster were predominantly caused by limited availability. Of five players on this week’s report, three were marked out and two remained questionable. The most notable being Emeka Eneli and Justen Glad who each started 31 matches for Utah last season.
Despite concerns, 29-year-old Glad was featured in the home team’s starting lineup, directly facing off with Navarro and the competitive Colorado front line.
In his first season with the team, Georgi Minoungou and 22-year-old Paxton Aaronson have created an intriguing pairing. Utilizing a 4-3-3 lineup for the entirety of the match, the Rapids starting XI included many familiar names that were quick to show out.
Just seven minutes into the game Connor Ronan delivered a steady pass to Aaronson who produced a quick turnaround to Wayne Frederick as they approached the box, with Frederick securing a goal to give Colorado the advantage from early on.
The achievement marks the 21-year-old midfielder’s second goal of the season, Aaronson’s fourth assist and the first contribution of the team’s 2026 Rocky Mountain Cup campaign.
“It was a good way to start the game. It was something we worked on all week, to deliver it back post, and then see if I could finish it first time in that situation. I just thought it was too far of a distance, so I took the touch and took the guy one-v-one and credit to Wayne [Frederick],” Aaronson said. “I saw many other guys even behind him, so if Wayne didn’t put it in, I knew Rafa [Navarro] was there. Just put it in a good area, and credit to them for being there.”
As the match progressed, the Rapids attempted to maintain steady energy, eager to keep mid-week momentum. Physicality was showcased early with a yellow card given to Hamzat Ojediran in the 34th minute. Additional yellows were given to Atencio and Reggie Cannon later in the match, totaling three cards for the team.
Though the team produced numerous scoring opportunities as the first half continued, an energized home team appearance pulled through to end the first half. A successful goal from Salt Lakes Zavier Gozo left the match 1:1 entering halftime.
A change of pace was showcased as the clubs entered the second half. The Rapids showcased similar energy to their starting success, with Navarro leading scoring attempts and a variation of players taking the pitch.
Minutes into the final half, Rob Holding and Atencio marked the club’s first match substitutions, hoping the changes could lead to offensive success. Later in the match, Canon, Yapi and Alexis Manyoma entered the pitch in place of starting Rapids.
“Just tactical. The Jackson [Travis] one, we were getting locked in on the left-hand side in the first half, and that continued at the outset of the second half as well. So it was just a tactical one. Also, to Rob’s [Holding] experience, to get Rob into the game and then to shuffle Miggy [Miguel Navarro] to the left, who I thought was having a very good game,” Wells said.
“Trying to do everything to get back into the game and make sure we didn’t lose. But obviously, in the end, we didn’t. So in the end, we came up a little bit short despite the attacking quality that we had on the pitch.”
Despite the Rapids best efforts, Salt Lakes Sergi Solans found the net for the teams second goal of the match. A successful header in the 68th minute brought the home team in the lead.
For the remainder of the match, the Rapids attempted to equalize, though unable to successfully convert, leaving a 2:1 score deficit on the pitch.
Following the conclusion of the match, another edition of the Rocky Mountain Cup was played, with the Colorado and Salt Lake Unified Teams matching up against each other at America First Field.
The Rapids will continue their busy campaign this upcoming week. Returning to DICK’S Sporting Goods Park Wednesday, the team will prepare to face off against San Jose for the quarterfinal round of the teams Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup. Directly following, the Rapids will host FC Dallas for the regular season play Saturday, May 23.
“I told the guys that MLS doesn’t exist. There is no MLS. We have a different trophy to play for on Wednesday. We can’t think any further ahead than good recovery now and getting prepared for a huge game for the football club and a huge opportunity for us. It’s an opportunity we’ve earned,” Wells said.
Wednesday night’s match up is expected to showcase roster names that don’t typically see many pitch minutes during regular season matches. What’s likely to be a highly competitive matchup, will allow the Rapids to emphasize their mentality, preparation and intensity
“We put ourselves in this position by progressing to a level of the cup that typically the Colorado Rapids don’t reach, but no one should be satisfied with that. If we get eliminated on Wednesday, then okay, it was brilliant that we got to the quarterfinals, but all the focus now is on doing everything we can to prepare for that game, prepare the tactics, prepare the players, and make sure we come out on the right end of what will be another very close game, just the same way this evening was. In terms of my experience of this as a first leg, as I said before in the buildup to the game,” Wells said.
