Rapids Claim 1-0 Victory in Rocky Mountain Cup First Leg Against Real Salt Lake

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MLS Colorado Rapids

Rapids Claim 1-0 Victory in Rocky Mountain Cup First Leg Against Real Salt Lake

May 18, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


The Colorado Rapids (5-5-4, 19 pts) claimed the first leg of the Rocky Mountain Cup with a 1-0 win over the MLS team in Utah (4-8-2, 14 pts) at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park on Saturday. The club returns home next Saturday, May 24, to host St. Louis CITY SC at 7:30 p.m. MT at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park.

As part of the doubleheader, Rapids Unified secured their third consecutive Rocky Mountain Cup title following a 0-0 draw with Real Salt Lake Unified. Per cup rules, the previous winner retains the trophy in the event of a draw.

View highlights & match summary >>

Notables:

- M Djordje Mihailovic scored his sixth goal of the season, marking his ninth goal contribution of 2025 (6g, 3a).

- M Cole Bassett recorded his second assist of the season on Mihailovic's goal.

o Bassett (4) surpassed Terry Cooke (3) for the most assists against RSL by a member of the Rapids.

o He becomes just the sixth player in club history to record 50 or more regular-season goal contributions as a member of the Rapids.

- GK Nicolas Hansen recorded both his first clean sheet and first win in his second career MLS start.

- Head Coach Chris Armas earned his 50th MLS regular season win.

Postgame Press Conference:

- Head Coach Chris Armas

- Rapids Midfielder Djordje Mihailovic

Select postgame quotes transcribed below.

COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH CHRIS ARMAS

On the match...

"Yeah, what a night, what a night. It feels like so much more than three points. I wish it was more points, but there's just so many little victories out there tonight. When we say this is a tough moment for us that we're trying to produce players and people that can really show up when things are tough. And for me, that's a big victory, the way those guys stepped on the field and showed real grit and quality at times. I think we beat a really good team tonight. So, that's a victory. You know, of course, in the standings, it's a big three points, halfway or certain amount of the way to retaining that Rocky Mountain Cup for our fans. The way our fans showed up and pushed our team, and the way our team pushed for our fans, amazing night for the numbers that showed up. Another victory and again, a shutout was big and to have to suffer is great. I love watching the team suffer but with some maturity. I think we showed that late in the game, we didn't crumble at all. We had structure and real belief. So many players played well. Nico Hansen finds out at 1 p.m. today he's playing, big victory there. So yeah, just really proud of the group. And yeah, we'll already be thinking of the next game next weekend, but really proud of the team. And lastly but certainly not least, right after this, I'm sprinting out to watch our Unified team play. It's one of my favorite things since I've gotten to this club, just to be part of what goes on there, and just in every little way supportive. They're with us. We're with them, and we'll celebrate them in a few minutes. They just kicked off."

On what it means to get the win tonight against Real Salt Lake...

"Results help. Players have belief. Performances help, and there were so many good things that happened on the night. Then there's the things we got to get better, but we'll focus so much on the good things that we've been working on. But think about for so many players tonight, what this game might have meant. Like Josh Atencio, he hasn't played in that game, battles through it. Oli Larraz, another one for him. These are young, youngish players. Jackson Travis, what does that game do for him? It's not for Chris Armas, what this does, it's for these players. Darren Yapi filling in for Rafa [Navarro] on the night. What does this do for our goalkeeper, Nico, to step in and do what he does on the night. For me, this was one of Reggie Cannon's best games in our in a uniform, Rapids uniform. What does it do for the back line? Come on, like some of the goals we've been giving up, to get a shutout. Djordje [Mihailovic], to wear the captain's armband, to get a goal. Cole Bassett had, for me, a really strong performance. For the whole group to push themselves to the limit and suffer physically and mentally. It does so much, or maybe it does so much for the group, but things like this can help guys inner belief and feel like, yeah, we're good enough."

On the formation change in tonight's match...

"Look, there's a lot that goes into Rapids ball. There is a lot in possession, there is the tempo and verticality and against the ball out of possession - we have some DNA there. You know, we want, to be a high pressing team. It's risky business at times, but I think we showed that we can force mistakes tonight, be really compact against a team that can - I don't know how often they go without scoring a goal, but what we did do, is we did change the formation tonight. We defended in the same structure, but we played in a 4-2-3-1, right. Djordje has been playing with Cole in the 4-2-2-2, we've been playing with two strikers. We had a plan tonight to play in a 4-2-3-1, the three meaning Cole, Djordje as a pure 10, and Kévin with Yapi. And we did that for a few reasons, but, even in possession, it gives us a little bit more, gives us a better ability to keep the ball at times, to overload some areas where we thought we can expose them. It puts some guys in there, I think the stronger position. But the 4-2-2-2 is very narrow and without Rafa, we thought, yeah, this is a chance to go with what we repped all of last year, the 4-2-3-1. We were trying to get certain guys going and I think it helped us breathe a little bit with the ball. We still are going to work on this, and we want to have tactical flexibility to do this. So, I think we can build on that bit."

COLORADO RAPIDS MIDFIELDER DJORDJE MIHAILOVIC

On Cole Bassett's impact...

"Cole [Bassett], he has an incredible engine on him. You can see that he's very active all over the field, he wants the ball and, you know, like I said about that goal, it's the patience in that box and the final third. And the box zone is the most difficult spot, because you feel like you have no time, and for him to have the composure, the awareness, to relax in that moment, see the extra pass - yeah, it's great. And maybe this season he's not getting the stats that he wants like he had last year, but I guess my words to him are to just keep going. You know, with that work, you're going to get rewarded. Karma is going to go in your favor with the goals and assists. But his selfless work is - honestly - you can't really ask for much more than that."

On his leadership role with the club...

"This role is something I've always thought I would be - not so soon I guess. It's a learning curve and I'm speaking to a lot of people about leadership roles and how to be a good leader and finding my way of leading the team. I'm honestly at a point in my career - it's a, seems like it's a growing point where I'm not really young guy anymore. I have to, have to start to lead by example, by communication, and I'm working on that all the time, especially now that I'm the captain. So, I think it's nice that we win, and I'm the captain."

On the club's mentality...

"I think there was a lot said after the game Wednesday. We knew that it was a tough performance Wednesday, but we also knew that in three days' time - to tonight-that this is the most important game of the year for us, for the locker room, for the fans, for the club. And we spoke about how, no matter what happened the past three weeks, this game can be a turning point. You know, flip the page, like I said, and that's exactly what it is. Yeah, when you concede so many goals before the half, I just try not to talk about it. I don't like to say that it's a constant thing, it's a regular thing - I guess it's a win now, two games in a row that we don't concede at the half. That's positive."

- ColoradoRapids.com | @ColoradoRapids -

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