Rocky Mountain Cup
Encyclopedia
The Rocky Mountain Cup is a soccer
trophy awarded to the fans of the yearly winner of the rivalry between the Real Salt Lake
and Colorado Rapids
Major League Soccer
teams. The Cup is awarded by the Committee of 10, the fans who run the competition, to the team with the most points in games played between the two. The teams are awarded 3 points for each win and 1 point for each tie in regular season MLS games against each other. The Cup is then awarded at the conclusion of the season.
If the teams end the season in a points tie, the team with the most goals on aggregate will win. If the teams are tied on aggregate goals the current holders retain the Cup.
The cup was created in 2005, the first year of play for Real Salt Lake.
Tiebreakers: 1) Goal Differential, 2) Away Goals, 3) Previous Year Winners
expansion club, fans from Utah and Colorado founded the bi-partisan Committee of 10 (5 supporters from each club) and began to outline the official rules of the competition. The contest was named the Rocky Mountain Cup after a vote from the fans and a trophy was acquired.
The Rocky Mountain Cup began on April 16th, 2005 at Real Salt Lake's inaugural home game, in which Real earned their first ever win with a 1-0 victory. Colorado eventually won the trophy in 2005 after besting Real in the three subsequent matches that season, officially clinching the Cup at their final meeting of the year at Rice-Eccles Stadium
.
Prior to the 2006 MLS season, the two clubs swapped players in a trade, exchanging forward Jeff Cunningham
and midfielder Clint Mathis
. The repercussions of the trade surfaced in an August 10th match in which RSL humiliated Colorado 4-1 at INVESCO Field, punctuated by a stellar performance by Cunningham in which he earned two goals and an assist.
The Rapids would however have their revenge later that year on September 2nd during a very heated match in Salt Lake City. The affair saw numerous hard fouls and seven yellow cards. Fans showered the field with debris and missiles throughout the game. Colorado would grind out a 1-0 victory and secure the Rocky Mountain Cup for the second consecutive year. A myriad of controversy erupted after the game as the Rapids celebrated with the trophy. Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni
removed his shirt, stuffed it down his shorts, and began making gestures at the Salt Lake fans. RSL owner Dave Checketts
then came on to the field and confronted Mastroeni in an angry verbal exchange which was later broken up by players and officials. Much to the ire of Real fans, the League did not take action for Mastroeni's controversial behavior
The 2007 competition kicked off with the Rapids earning a comfortable 2-0 win on the road. After the match, Colorado midfielder Kyle Beckerman
made remarks towards RSL supporters and their reaction towards the controversy of the previous September: "It definitely comes from their fans. They run their mouths the whole game. If they don't want us to celebrate, win the game."
The next meeting between the teams finished with a bizarre distinction of being the only draw in MLS history in which only own-goals were scored. Later that year, on July 16th, the two clubs exchanged Kyle Beckerman and Mehdi Ballouchy
. This trade proved particularly controversial for Rapids supports and further deteriorated their relationship with Colorado head coach Fernando Clavijo
.
Real Salt Lake would then even the 2007 series in September, forcing the deciding match in Colorado a month later on the final game of the season. Both teams were all but mathematically ruled out of the MLS Cup Playoffs
, leaving the October 20th contest largely a match for pride. The Rapids only needed a draw to secure the cup for a third year, but Real grabbed a late win when Robbie Findley scored in the 87th minute. The win for Real Salt Lake won, the club, their first Rocky Mountain cup, and also made a painful end to one of Colorado's worst ever seasons.
2008 would play out in similar fashion to the previous year. The deciding match was again at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on the final day of the season. However, the stakes were higher with a win for either side guaranteeing a playoff spot along with the Rocky Mountain Cup (Real could also prevail with a draw). Colorado pulled ahead and held a 1-0 lead into the closing seconds of the game, but Yura Movsisyan
scored a clutch stoppage time goal to end the game with a 1-1 draw. The result was quite possibly RSL's greatest moment in club history: retaining the cup for a second year, clinching their first ever postseason berth, and also denying Rapids of the playoffs on their own turf. Salt Lake fans celebrated in classy style by throwing a number of smokebombs onto the pitch after the final whistle, adding insult to injury for the stunned Colorado supporters.
The 2010 edition of the Rocky Mountain Cup played out as close and exciting as the previous 3 seasons. In the first leg, held Sept. 27 at RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium, Real Salt Lake fielded a squad of mostly reserves in the middle of a busy stretch of their schedule including 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League
group stage matches. Coach Jason Kreis rested most of the starters in anticipation of an opportunity to clinch a berth in the CCL knockout round three days later. Conor Casey
gave Colorado a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute. The result looked like it would hold until former Rapids defender Nat Borchers
headed in a service from Andy Williams
in the 93rd minute for the 1-1 draw. The second leg would finish in an even more exciting (and heart breaking) fashion. The teams returned to Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the final match of the regular season on Oct. 23. Both teams had already clinched playoff spots. RSL needed a win or tie to have a chance at winning the Supporter's Shield. Colorado appeared to dash those hopes with a 16th minute goal by Omar Cummings
and a 51st minute header by Conor Casey
. Rapids fans were ready to celebrate their first Rocky Mountain Cup in 4 years while carrying a 2-0 lead into stoppage time. RSL forward Alvaro Saborio
scored twice in stoppage time - first on a blocked clearance from Colorado keeper Matt Pickens
in the 91st minute and the second on a penalty in the 95th minute after Drew Moor
pulled RSL defender Jamison Olave
down in the box on an RSL free kick. The resulting 2-2 draw gave RSL the Rocky Mountain Cup for the 4th consecutive season due to being the previous year winner. Scenes after the match proved ugly when several RSL players made obscene gestures towards the Colorado supporter's terrace and were consequently showered with beer cups and other projectiles. The draw would prove to be beneficial for Colorado, as it put them in the easier Eastern Conference bracket for the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs in which Colorado won it's first ever MLS Cup.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
trophy awarded to the fans of the yearly winner of the rivalry between the Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...
and Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league...
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
teams. The Cup is awarded by the Committee of 10, the fans who run the competition, to the team with the most points in games played between the two. The teams are awarded 3 points for each win and 1 point for each tie in regular season MLS games against each other. The Cup is then awarded at the conclusion of the season.
If the teams end the season in a points tie, the team with the most goals on aggregate will win. If the teams are tied on aggregate goals the current holders retain the Cup.
The cup was created in 2005, the first year of play for Real Salt Lake.
Winners
| Year | Winner | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Colorado | 9:3 |
| 2006 | Colorado | 7:4 |
| 2007 | Salt Lake | 7:4 |
| 2008 | Salt Lake | 4:4 (goals agg. 3:3) (away goals 1:0) |
| 2009 | Salt Lake | 4:4 (goals agg. 4:3) |
| 2010 | Salt Lake | 2:2 (goals agg. 3:3) (Previous Year Winner) |
| 2011 | Salt Lake | 4:1 (goals agg. 1:0) |
Tiebreakers: 1) Goal Differential, 2) Away Goals, 3) Previous Year Winners
History
When it was officially announced that Salt Lake City would be awarded an MLSMajor League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
expansion club, fans from Utah and Colorado founded the bi-partisan Committee of 10 (5 supporters from each club) and began to outline the official rules of the competition. The contest was named the Rocky Mountain Cup after a vote from the fans and a trophy was acquired.
The Rocky Mountain Cup began on April 16th, 2005 at Real Salt Lake's inaugural home game, in which Real earned their first ever win with a 1-0 victory. Colorado eventually won the trophy in 2005 after besting Real in the three subsequent matches that season, officially clinching the Cup at their final meeting of the year at Rice-Eccles Stadium
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Rice-Eccles Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the campus of the University of Utah. It is the home field of the Utah Utes of the Pacific-12 Conference...
.
Prior to the 2006 MLS season, the two clubs swapped players in a trade, exchanging forward Jeff Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham is a Jamaican-born American soccer player who played on multiple Major League Soccer teams. He is the MLS all-time leader in goals scored with 134.-College:...
and midfielder Clint Mathis
Clint Mathis
Clint Mathis is a retired American soccer player.-Youth and college:Mathis played club soccer at a young age for Rockdale Youth Soccer Association, and then for AFC Lightning, a Georgia powerhouse producing players such as current U.S. international Ricardo Clark, in Fayetteville...
. The repercussions of the trade surfaced in an August 10th match in which RSL humiliated Colorado 4-1 at INVESCO Field, punctuated by a stellar performance by Cunningham in which he earned two goals and an assist.
The Rapids would however have their revenge later that year on September 2nd during a very heated match in Salt Lake City. The affair saw numerous hard fouls and seven yellow cards. Fans showered the field with debris and missiles throughout the game. Colorado would grind out a 1-0 victory and secure the Rocky Mountain Cup for the second consecutive year. A myriad of controversy erupted after the game as the Rapids celebrated with the trophy. Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni
Pablo Mastroeni
Pablo Mastroeni is an Argentine-born American soccer player who currently plays for Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer, and for the United States national soccer team.-Youth:...
removed his shirt, stuffed it down his shorts, and began making gestures at the Salt Lake fans. RSL owner Dave Checketts
Dave Checketts
David W. Checketts is an American businessman, founder and chairman SCP Worldwide, sits on the board of JetBlue Airways, and is the owner of the soccer club Real Salt Lake.- Career :...
then came on to the field and confronted Mastroeni in an angry verbal exchange which was later broken up by players and officials. Much to the ire of Real fans, the League did not take action for Mastroeni's controversial behavior
The 2007 competition kicked off with the Rapids earning a comfortable 2-0 win on the road. After the match, Colorado midfielder Kyle Beckerman
Kyle Beckerman
Kyle Beckerman is an American soccer player who currently plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer and the United States national team. He is a holding midfielder and also serves as team captain for Real Salt Lake.-Youth:Beckerman began his career participating in various youth leagues in...
made remarks towards RSL supporters and their reaction towards the controversy of the previous September: "It definitely comes from their fans. They run their mouths the whole game. If they don't want us to celebrate, win the game."
The next meeting between the teams finished with a bizarre distinction of being the only draw in MLS history in which only own-goals were scored. Later that year, on July 16th, the two clubs exchanged Kyle Beckerman and Mehdi Ballouchy
Mehdi Ballouchy
Mehdi Ballouchy is a Moroccan footballer. He currently plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
. This trade proved particularly controversial for Rapids supports and further deteriorated their relationship with Colorado head coach Fernando Clavijo
Fernando Clavijo
Fernando Clavijo is a retired American soccer football defender and former head coach of the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. He played three seasons in the American Soccer League, two in the North American Soccer League and ten in the Major Indoor Soccer League...
.
Real Salt Lake would then even the 2007 series in September, forcing the deciding match in Colorado a month later on the final game of the season. Both teams were all but mathematically ruled out of the MLS Cup Playoffs
MLS Cup Playoffs
The MLS Cup Playoffs is the postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer held at the end of the regular season en route to the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. 10 teams in total from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference qualify for the tournament based on regular-season...
, leaving the October 20th contest largely a match for pride. The Rapids only needed a draw to secure the cup for a third year, but Real grabbed a late win when Robbie Findley scored in the 87th minute. The win for Real Salt Lake won, the club, their first Rocky Mountain cup, and also made a painful end to one of Colorado's worst ever seasons.
2008 would play out in similar fashion to the previous year. The deciding match was again at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on the final day of the season. However, the stakes were higher with a win for either side guaranteeing a playoff spot along with the Rocky Mountain Cup (Real could also prevail with a draw). Colorado pulled ahead and held a 1-0 lead into the closing seconds of the game, but Yura Movsisyan
Yura Movsisyan
Yura Movsisyan is an Armenian-American footballer who currently plays for the Armenian national football team and Krasnodar in the Russian Premier League. Yura Movsisyan is the cousin of former Real Salt Lake player Artur Aghasyan....
scored a clutch stoppage time goal to end the game with a 1-1 draw. The result was quite possibly RSL's greatest moment in club history: retaining the cup for a second year, clinching their first ever postseason berth, and also denying Rapids of the playoffs on their own turf. Salt Lake fans celebrated in classy style by throwing a number of smokebombs onto the pitch after the final whistle, adding insult to injury for the stunned Colorado supporters.
The 2010 edition of the Rocky Mountain Cup played out as close and exciting as the previous 3 seasons. In the first leg, held Sept. 27 at RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium, Real Salt Lake fielded a squad of mostly reserves in the middle of a busy stretch of their schedule including 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League
2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League was the 3rd edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format. The tournament began on July 27, 2010 and ended on April 27, 2011. Monterrey of Mexico won their first title, defeating Real Salt Lake of the United States 3-2 on aggregate in the...
group stage matches. Coach Jason Kreis rested most of the starters in anticipation of an opportunity to clinch a berth in the CCL knockout round three days later. Conor Casey
Conor Casey
Conor Casey is an American soccer player who currently plays for the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
gave Colorado a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute. The result looked like it would hold until former Rapids defender Nat Borchers
Nat Borchers
Nat Borchers is an American soccer player who currently plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
headed in a service from Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
in the 93rd minute for the 1-1 draw. The second leg would finish in an even more exciting (and heart breaking) fashion. The teams returned to Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the final match of the regular season on Oct. 23. Both teams had already clinched playoff spots. RSL needed a win or tie to have a chance at winning the Supporter's Shield. Colorado appeared to dash those hopes with a 16th minute goal by Omar Cummings
Omar Cummings
Omar Cummings is a Jamaican international footballer who plays professionally for the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer, as a forward.-Youth and amateur:...
and a 51st minute header by Conor Casey
Conor Casey
Conor Casey is an American soccer player who currently plays for the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
. Rapids fans were ready to celebrate their first Rocky Mountain Cup in 4 years while carrying a 2-0 lead into stoppage time. RSL forward Alvaro Saborio
Álvaro Saborío
Álvaro Alberto Saborío Chacón is a Costa Rican footballer, who currently plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer and the Costa Rica national football team.-Deportivo Saprissa:...
scored twice in stoppage time - first on a blocked clearance from Colorado keeper Matt Pickens
Matt Pickens
Matt Pickens is an American soccer player who currently plays for Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer.-Youth and Amateur:...
in the 91st minute and the second on a penalty in the 95th minute after Drew Moor
Drew Moor
Drew Moor is an American soccer player who currently plays for Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer. He is consistently ranked by major publications as one of the top defenders in the league.-College:...
pulled RSL defender Jamison Olave
Jámison Olave
Jámison Olave is a Colombian footballer who currently plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.-Career:Olave played for a multitude of clubs in his native Colombia, before returning to his first club, Deportivo Cali...
down in the box on an RSL free kick. The resulting 2-2 draw gave RSL the Rocky Mountain Cup for the 4th consecutive season due to being the previous year winner. Scenes after the match proved ugly when several RSL players made obscene gestures towards the Colorado supporter's terrace and were consequently showered with beer cups and other projectiles. The draw would prove to be beneficial for Colorado, as it put them in the easier Eastern Conference bracket for the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs in which Colorado won it's first ever MLS Cup.
2005 Series Results
| Venue | Date | Colorado Score | Salt Lake Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice-Eccles Stadium Rice-Eccles Stadium Rice-Eccles Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the campus of the University of Utah. It is the home field of the Utah Utes of the Pacific-12 Conference... |
16 Apr | 0 | 1 |
| Invesco Field at Mile High INVESCO Field at Mile High Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001... |
21 Sep | 2 | 0 |
| Invesco Field at Mile High | 1 Oct | 2 | 1 |
| Rice-Eccles Stadium | 12 Oct | 1 | 0 |
2006 Series Results
| Venue | Date | Colorado Score | Salt Lake Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice-Eccles Stadium Rice-Eccles Stadium Rice-Eccles Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the campus of the University of Utah. It is the home field of the Utah Utes of the Pacific-12 Conference... |
27 May | 2 | 2 |
| Invesco Field at Mile High INVESCO Field at Mile High Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001... |
9 Jun | 1 | 0 |
| Invesco Field at Mile High | 9 Aug | 1 | 4 |
| Rice-Eccles Stadium | 2 Sep | 1 | 0 |
2007 Series Results
| Venue | Date | Colorado Score | Salt Lake Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice-Eccles Stadium Rice-Eccles Stadium Rice-Eccles Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the campus of the University of Utah. It is the home field of the Utah Utes of the Pacific-12 Conference... |
30 Apr | 2 | 0 |
| Dick's Sporting Goods Park | 10 May | 1 | 1 |
| Rice-Eccles Stadium | 22 Sep | 0 | 1 |
| Dick's Sporting Goods Park | 20 Oct | 0 | 1 |
2008 Series Results
| Venue | Date | Colorado Score | Salt Lake Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dick's Sporting Goods Park | 15 May | 2 | 0 |
| Rice-Eccles Stadium Rice-Eccles Stadium Rice-Eccles Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the campus of the University of Utah. It is the home field of the Utah Utes of the Pacific-12 Conference... |
29 Aug | 0 | 2 |
| Dick's Sporting Goods Park | 25 Oct | 1 | 1 |
2009 Series Results
| Venue | Date | Colorado Score | Salt Lake Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dick's Sporting Goods Park | 2 May | 2 | 0 |
| Rio Tinto Stadium | 6 Jun | 1 | 1 |
| Rio Tinto Stadium | 24 Oct | 0 | 3 |
2010 Series Results
| Venue | Date | Colorado Score | Salt Lake Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Tinto Stadium | 25 Sep | 1 | 1 |
| Dick's Sporting Goods Park | 23 Oct | 2 | 2 |
2011 Series Results
| Venue | Date | Colorado Score | Salt Lake Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Tinto Stadium | 13 Apr | 0 | 1 |
| Dick's Sporting Goods Park | 14 Oct | 0 | 0 |