Rapids Start 2026 Rocky Mountain Cup Quest against Real Salt Lake
MLS Colorado Rapids

Rapids Start 2026 Rocky Mountain Cup Quest against Real Salt Lake

Published on May 15, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


The Colorado Rapids (5-7-1, 16 points, 9th West) will play their first of two matches this season against Rocky Mountain Cup rivals Real Salt Lake (7-4-1, 22 pts., 9th West) on Saturday, May 16. Kickoff at America First Field is set for 7:30 p.m. MT, with coverage available on Apple TV, Altitude Sports Radio, Tico Sports Spanish Radio, Coloradorapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.

This Saturday, Colorado will kick off their 2026 Rocky Mountain Cup campaign looking to hoist the annual trophy for the third consecutive year. Over the last two seasons, the Rapids have had the edge in the rivalry with a 3-2-0 record, outscoring Salt Lake 9-6 in that span.

The Rapids will look to build off their most recent result this past Wednesday, a gritty 1-0 victory on the road over Minnesota United FC. Designated Player Rafael Navarro continued his dominant run of form this season, logging his club-leading eighth goal of the season to give Colorado all three points. Also highlighting the match was goalkeeper Nico Hansen, who recorded his first clean sheet of the season and fourth of his MLS career. Contributing to the shutout was defender Lucas Herrington, who was named to MLS' Team of the Matchday for the third time this season at just 18-years-old..

In the win, Navarro and Herrington continued their roles as some of the most consistent players in all of MLS. Navarro's goal marked his 12th goal contribution of the MLS season (8g, 4a), marking the third most of any player in the league so far in 2026. Herrington logged another 90 minutes in the match, continuing his stretch as the youngest player in MLS this season to appear in every minute of every match.

Salt Lake enters Saturday off a midweek win of their own, having defeated Houston Dynamo FC 3-0 at home on Wednesday. A brace from Zavier Gozo and a Houston own goal gave the hosts all they needed to take all three points in the victory.

Colorado played evenly with Salt Lake last season with a win and a loss against the Utah side. Each match ended 1-0, with the home side in each contest earning the victory. Due to the record and goal differential being even between the two sides, the Rapids maintained the Rocky Mountain Cup for the second consecutive year for the first time since 2005-2006.

Following Saturday's match, there will be another edition of the Rocky Mountain Cup, with the Colorado and Salt Lake Unified Teams matching up against each other at America First Field. Colorado will look to continue their dominance against their rivals, as they hope to claim the RMC for the fourth consecutive season.

Matchup History:

Regular Season Record against RSL: 18-29-13 | Home: 13-10-6 | Away: 5-20-7

Last Regular Season Meeting: October 4, 2025: 1-0 loss at RSL

Milestones to Watch:

Rafael Navarro

One goal shy of tying John Spencer for fifth place on the club's all-time goals list.

One multi-goal game away from tying Paul Bravo for the most multi-goal games in club history.

Reggie Cannon

One start away from recording the 100th of his MLS career.

Team Connections:

RSL head coach and Rapids club icon Pablo Mastroeni spent 12 seasons as a player in Colorado (2002-13). Mastroeni leads the Rapids in all-time appearances (225) and games started (217), in addition to captaining the side to the 2010 MLS Cup. Mastroeni was later appointed Rapids head coach from 2014-17, helping the club reach the 2016 Western Conference Final while posting a then-club record 58 points in the regular season.

RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath spent four seasons with the Rapids from 2015-18, earning 10 clean sheets in 41 appearances across all competitions. Notably, MacMath was named Colorado's co-Most Valuable Player with Tim Howard in 2016, and was named the Rapids' Humanitarian of the Year for his work in the community in both 2017 and 2018.

Check out the Colorado Rapids Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from May 15, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central