Rocky Mountain Cup Eve: 3 Storylines to Watch this Weekend
Welcome to Storylines.
It’s almost time for the 20th edition of the Rocky Mountain Cup, and at Real Salt Lake there’s a sense that supporters, players and staff are holding two contrasting emotions in their hearts.
On one hand, the snow has finally melted away at America First Field following RSL’s emphatic 3-0 win against LAFC last weekend. In a blizzard that saw Claret-and-Cobalt forward Andrés Gómez put in his best-ever Major League Soccer performance, Diego Luna notched his first two assists of the season and the heart of the Club and state took center stage for a worldwide audience. It was a potentially tone-setting victory that the Club hoped to springboard its season, and help define its mentality.
On the other hand, three days after the Club’s win against LAFC, midfield metronome Pablo Ruiz suffered a serious knee injury in training, just months after recovering from a previous meniscus tear in his other knee.
As RSL defender Justen Glad said in a Club-wide letter penned to the lynchpin midfielder, “There was a collective feeling of the air going out of the room. No one could believe it.”
The focus of the week ahead of the Rocky Mountain Cup changed in an instant, from looking to harness the momentum built the last two weekends to suddenly and shockingly taking a second to wrap the Club’s collective arms around its injured brother, then finding a way to regroup.
Now on the eve before RSL’s biggest rivalry match, there are plenty of questions, but also a resolute optimism along the Wasatch Range .
Instilling the positives from the LAFC match and the courage of Ruiz, RSL will look to defend the Riot again this weekend and get an early advantage in the Cup.
Let’s write the story.
Storylines:
- There have been plenty of under-the-radar quality performers for RSL so far this season, and with Ojeda and Ruiz out against the Rapids, who will step up in their absence?
- Andrés Gómez emerged from the weather last weekend with an MLS Team of the Week appearance and an all-timer of a performance in front of the Riot.
We analyzed his performance and then spoke to him about how his childhood in Colombia helped prepare him to play in the snow for the first time, and how the weather ignited the same joy he felt as a boy playing in Quibdo.
3. The Rocky Mountain Cup is a unique matchup for plenty of reasons, so we spoke to RSL Supporter Liaison, Zac Barnes, and RSL striker Chicho Arango about their favorite rivalry moments and what they’re looking forward to this weekend.
Where to Watch:
You can catch RSL vs Colorado on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass right here, or join in on the legendary America First Field atmosphere by getting your tickets today, here.
Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, Match 9.
The Deep Dive:
- There have been plenty of quality performers for RSL so far this season, and with Ojeda and Ruiz out against the Rapids, who will step up in their absence?
Before we talk about who will step up against the Rapids, a word for those who stepped up against LAFC.
Throughout preseason in Portugal and Santa Barbara, RSL boss Pablo Mastroeni preached about how high-intensity defense creates offensive opportunities. It’s safe to say three goals in RSL’s game against LAFC will be included in Mastroeni’s textbook. Let’s breakdown all three really quick and take a look at the patterns:
First off, a massive shout out to Beehive Soccer Report for pointing out Marcelo Silva’s involvement in the first and third goals. This is pretty much the crux of how RSL beat LAFC.
All three of RSL’s goals happened within 26 seconds of RSL recovering possession.
Whether it’s through a great tackle in the defending third, or a ball recovery in the final third, RSL’s defensive intensity won them the game last Saturday.
We can talk about tactical nuances until our faces are redder than the fans in the stands on Saturday. Even in the snow, you could see the continued build of Mastroeni’s 3-2-4-1 possession-based build-up, but sometimes it also just comes down to, dare we say it, the collective ‘xDAWG’ mentality and who wants it more, and that’s precisely what RSL demonstrated.
For the first goal, the veteran Silva - starting in place of an injured Brayan Vera - makes a wonderful tackle by muscling the sprinting attacker off the ball, and then quickly turning upfield and finding Braian Ojeda waiting right above the RSL 18.
Ojeda instantly looks forward and after a quick succession of one-twos between Ojeda, Emeka Eneli and Diego Luna, Luna lifts his head and plays a progressive pass to Chicho Arango, who in turn finds Andrés Gómez making a run, shielding his defender, keeping his feet and turning in on the ‘keeper. BOOM, 1-0 just like that.
Goal number two starts in the opposition's final third after a miscontrolled touch is recovered by Matt Crooks. Crooks quickly finds Andrew Brody in an advanced wide position, who then finds Arango just ahead of him.
Arango glances up and sees Luna one on one with a defender and making a darting run into the box. He crosses the ball into Moon Boy, as Luna brings the cross down brilliantly and lays it off to Gómez and once again BOOM, 2-0.
For the third, it’s another brilliant Silva tackle in RSL’s half as he plays another quick pass to Ojeda in midfield. This time, Ojeda quickly makes a line-breaking penetrative pass to Luna near the midfield line. Luna then finds Crooks nearby and darts forward, while the Englishman passes to Gómez on the wing.
Gómez sees Luna’s run, and the two play a simple passing triangle around the LAFC fullback and Gómez is off to the races again. All the while, Chicho is sprinting parallel to his Colombian counterpart in the middle of the field, never stopping to create the perfect position to receive and finish Gómez’s cross into the box. BOOM, 3-0 and ballgame, even prior to the halftime whistle.
Against Colorado, in a rivalry game that will see both teams desperate to capture points, the signs point to defensive intensity as another major factor in the outcome of the match.
Defenders Bode Hidalgo, Silva, Glad and Brody all deserve their flowers for their performance in the snow, especially Silva making his first start of the season. Braian Ojeda also played a brilliant game before his second yellow card, and so did Emeka Eneli for a second consecutive week in the pivot.
The question of who will pair with Eneli in the midfield shield ahead of the backline becomes the big question mark in RSL’s tactical plans this weekend.
With Ojeda out due to suspension and Ruiz due to injury, Mastroeni could roll out a midfield pivot like he did on Matchday 1 with U-22 Colombian Nelson Palacio, or one could even imagine the surprise inclusion of someone like Monarchs stalwart Noel Caliskan, who made his RSL debut in Miami. Whoever it is, replacing Ojeda’s quick passing will be important for the Claret-and-Cobalt to replicate their transitional success against Colorado.
Fire makes diamonds and whoever enters into the midfield for RSL, in a rivalry game no less, will have a chance to make a big impression on both the supporters and Mastroeni.
All eyes will be on the midfield at America First Field this weekend.
2. Andrés Gómez emerged from the weather last weekend with an **_MLS Team of the Week appearance_** and an all-timer of a performance in front of the Riot.
We analyzed his performance and then spoke to him about how his childhood in Colombia helped prepare him to play in the snow for the first time, and how the weather ignited the same joy he felt as a boy playing in Quibdo.
You could’ve never guessed it was Gómez’ first match ever played in the snow, the way the Colombian flew up and down the field last weekend. It was like watching oppositional players stuck in mud while the young winger flew by on skates.
No player on the field last Saturday had more progressive carries than Gómez (6) or successful take-ons (5). He ran riot at the Riot, putting on a show that dazzled fans that desperately needed their hearts and bodies warmed.
Speaking of needing their bodies warmed, Club Videographer Luis Marin, who was filming on the sideline all game (with no gloves) and created this week’s Xfinity Remix, was also new to the snow when he first moved to Utah after being born and raised in Venezuela.
As Colombia and Venezuela share a border, following the game, Marin hypothesized after watching Gómez fly up and down the flanks while others struggled, that the often muddy and imperfect pitches the Colombian played on in his home country specifically could’ve prepared him to play in the snow.
After speaking with Gómez on Thursday, Marin’s hypothesis was proven correct.
Andrés, who grew up around Quibdó, which is the capital city of El Choćo in Colombia, is known for having some of the largest amounts of rainfall in the world. All that rain created muddy pitches which slowed down the ball in a very similar way to how the snow affected the America First Field pitch on Saturday.
Here’s what Gómez had to say:
Andrés Gómez:
“Since I was little in my town of Quibdo over in El Choćo, I always played with my teammates from my town in fields that weren’t in the best of conditions. You ended up playing a lot in the mud and I think that facilitated things for me more and that’s why I was able to come out strong (on Saturday)”
“I think I prefer playing in the snow. It's complicated obviously, especially with one's health to continuously watch out for in those conditions but it went well for me so maybe it’d be a good thing to have another snow storm like that.”
“A teammate that grew up with me posted an Instagram story after seeing my game. We played together a lot in the mud and he loved my performance and that’s why he posted that message about it.”
I think the mud is more difficult than snow because it’s way more slippery. It's ugly, you come out filthy, your legs are very heavy because of all the weight of the mud you’re carrying.
I think the body has muscle memory. Since I was little up until 19 years old I played there, in muddy fields and this game on Saturday was a reflection of that setting. I enjoyed it and it did remind me a lot when I used to play as a kid, and we ran in those conditions, happy, joyful and I did think of that.”
Happy and joyful is also a great way to describe how many RSL supporters felt after watching Gómez play his best game in Claret-and-Blue colors.
If you’d like to learn more about the young winger’s road to RSL, he told his whole story to RSL.com which you can read here.
3. The Rocky Mountain Cup is a unique matchup for plenty of reasons, so we spoke to RSL Supporter Liaison, Zac Barnes, and RSL striker Chicho Arango about their favorite rivalry moments and what they’re looking forward to this weekend.
One of RSL Supporter Liaison, Zac Barnes’ favorite aspects of the Rocky Mountain Cup is actually the cup itself.
“The trophy really is the fan’s trophy,” Barnes said. “It’s not locked away in a trophy cabinet, every year we win it, that Cup is at somebody's house and it makes its way around to all the fans throughout the year, and everyone gets to enjoy it. I think that’s also really key for us on game day as well, making sure people can take photos of the Cup, and see the Cup, and touch it, and hold it, because it’s theirs. It’s the people’s cup and we want the fans who are experiencing this rivalry to feel a part of it”
The Cup itself is awarded by a committee of fans who actually run the competition, and the winner of the Cup is determined following the match that decides the series. Usually it’s a best-of-three but it can depend on the year. RSL have won the cup 13 times while Colorado has won five times, with a draw occurring in 2008. (Club historian Trey Fitz-Gerald continues to dispute awarding the Cup to Colorado in 2020, a Covid-affected season that saw a bubble game in Orlando eliminated from consideration and a late-season game canceled due to an outbreak in the Rapids locker room).
The 20th edition of the fan-create Cup between the Rocky Mountain rivals should be as heated as ever. Former RSL midfielder Jasper Löffelsend will be making his first return to America First Field after crossing the continental divide to the Rapids this offseason, and Real Salt Lake will be keen to hold the cup in Utah for a fourth consecutive year.
It will also be Chicho Arango’s first time captaining the team during the Rocky Mountain Cup, and the Colombian striker is no stranger to big games. Arango credits the Millonarios vs Nacional match in Colombia and the LAFC vs Los Angeles Galaxy match as the two biggest rivalry matches he’s played in besides the Rocky Mountain Cup, but he’s looking forward to leading his side out against rivals on Saturday.
Arango has enjoyed a hot start to the season, with two goals and an assist through three games. While he’s enjoying personal successes at the beginning of the 2024 season, a team win and nothing less is what he’s looking for when he leads RSL out on the field this weekend against Colorado.
“I take this match with responsibility,” Arango said. “I take it with big responsibility and eagerness to win because Clasicos like that are not played, but they are won.”
