Colorado boss Wells relishing Rocky Mountain Cup clash with RSL

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Colorado Rapids boss Matt Wells believes their upcoming clash with Real Salt Lake for the Rocky Mountain Cup is a “massive game”.

The Rapids and RSL contest for the trophy every year, with the winner decided by whichever team wins the most MLS games between the two sides in a single season. If the wins are tied, the aggregate scoreline will determine the victor, while a draw on that decider means the holder retains the trophy.

Colorado are the current holders after both sides won 1-0 at home across two matchups last year, though RSL hold the advantage this time around following a 2-1 win in May.

Both sides are level on 28 points in the Western Conference, with the Rapids one place above in seventh, though they have played one game more.

“It’s a massive game. Rocky Mountain Cup – doesn’t get any bigger than this,” said Wells.

“This is technically the second leg. Obviously, it was a massive game away at their place.

“We didn’t perform how we wanted to perform. As a result, we didn’t get the result we wanted.

“We have to be a much-improved version of ourselves. The good news is we are a lot better team now. We’re a lot further down the process.

“It was not great against San Diego [3-0 loss], but we know our home form has been excellent. We have a really good feeling here.

“There’s a great buzz and excitement amongst the group. It’s going to be a tough game, but one were well prepared for.”

— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) August 26, 2026

Colorado saw a three-game winning run end against San Diego FC last time out, while RSL have failed to win any of their six league games since returning from the World Cup break.

RSL were also knocked out of the Leagues Cup by Leon in the quarter-finals, losing 3-0 on Tuesday.

In the loss to San Diego, Rob Holding recorded 114 touches, five interceptions and four tackles won.

Prior to Holding, the last MLS player to reach those three marks in a single MLS regular-season match was the LA Galaxy’s Jonathan dos Santos in July 2018 against Orlando City.

Both Samuel Junqua and Alexandros Katranis recorded assists for Real Salt Lake’s lone goal against Orlando, as each of the club’s last 19 MLS goals (excluding own goals) have been assisted.

That is RSL’s longest such run over the last 15 seasons.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLORADO RAPIDS WIN

RSL defeated Colorado 2-1 at home earlier in the season, marking their 22nd victory over the Rapids since the start of the 2014 season (D4 L8). No other team has more than 18 regular-season wins against a single opponent over that time.

However, RSL are in the midst of a seven-game winless streak in MLS play (D3 L4), despite scoring at least one goal in each match.

The longest single-season streak of a team scoring but not winning in MLS history is eight straight matches (Toronto FC in 2026 and the Chicago Fire in 2014).

Colorado suffered their largest margin of defeat in 2026 with a 3–0 road loss to San Diego on Saturday. The Rapids’ 12 regular-season losses by three or more goals between 2023 and 2025 were tied for the second-most by any MLS team in that time.

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