Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado Rapids
April 21, 2018; Rio Tinto Stadium
7:00 p.m. MT; KMYU, KSL.com, KSL app
RSL (2-3-1, 7 points); COL (2-1-2, 8 points)
Player to Watch – Dominque Badji is the top scorer for Colorado with four goals and one assist through the first five matches of the season. He is well on his way to surpassing his career-best numbers from last season when the 2015 MLS SuperDraft selection totaled nine goals and six assists. RSL has managed to bottle him up in seven career appearances, limiting to just three shots and no goals.
Matchup to Watch – Nick Rimando vs. Tim Howard. The two likely won’t come within 90 yards of each other during the match, but the longtime friends and U.S. National Team cohorts will certainly ensure that there are no easy goals scored on Saturday. They were teammates and roommates at national team camps at seemingly every level, but for 90 minutes on Saturday they will put that friendship aside in the spirit of competition.
All-Time Record – Real Salt Lake is 17-13-10 all-time against the Rapids in MLS play and 17-15-10 across all competitions. That includes an unbeaten mark of 9-0-4 in 13 matches at Rio Tinto Stadium. Since the RioT opened in 2008, RSL has scored 25 goals at home in the Rocky Mountain Cup while allowing just six. RSL has won the season series and lifted the Rocky Mountain Cup in nine of the last 11 seasons, including wins in the last two seasons.
Last 5 Head-to-Head – RSL is 3-2-0 in the last five meetings in the Rocky Mountain Cup, outscoring the Rapids 8-4. Two Colorado wins bookend three RSL wins in the latest installments in the series.
Last 5 Overall – After losing the first match of the season, Colorado is unbeaten at 2-0-2 in the last four matches. That includes a 2-0 win last week over a diminished Toronto FC side that had its focus turned toward a midweek CONCACAF Champions League final appearance.
