Real Salt Lake: Relishing Rocky Mountain Cup glory | OneFootball

By J. Sam Jones

“I'm gonna be real honest with you. I have a hard time even remembering what happened five years ago,” Pablo Mastroeni told MLSsoccer.com. “I only recall the incident with myself and Mr. Checketts.”

The Rocky Mountain Cup, the yearly trophy competition between the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake, has been running for 20 years now. Mastroeni, a Rapids legend and the current RSL head coach, has been involved in 18 of them in some way or another. But in two decades' worth of rivalry, one moment sticks out: A 1-0 Rapids road win that put Mastroeni face-to-face with former RSL owner Dave Checketts.

“We were playing at Rice-Eccles [Stadium], I think it was 2006, and I was just getting crushed by the fans. And it got a little edgy with some of the stuff that they were saying,” Mastroeni said. “We ended up winning the game in Rice-Eccles. And I took off my shirt and started waving it around. And obviously, the fans and Mr. Checketts didn't take well to it. And so there was a little bust-up off the field with some of their players, some of our players, and Mr. Checketts.

“I think it encapsulated what the future of this thing was going to look like, and how much it meant to both teams.”

Rivalry runs deep

Sometimes, it’s not entirely clear if true rivalries will develop as new teams enter the league. But Mastroeni helped pour the proper amount of gasoline on the fire. You know a sports beef has the juice when teams release formal public statements about how annoying the other side is.

“I am both outraged and embarrassed that players in this league – especially a World Cup star like Pablo Mastroeni – would engage in obscene behavior towards our fans,” a release from Checketts said. “And am dismayed that no one from the Colorado organization was present to discourage such boorish behavior.”

Mastroeni and Checketts have since talked it out. All is well. Nowadays, Mastroeni is even a regular guest on “The Drive”, a local radio show hosted by Spence Checketts.

“That was one of the first questions Spence asked me when I came over,” Mastroeni said. He's like, ‘Do you remember getting in a fight with my dad in 2006?’ And I was like, it wasn't so much a fight. I think we exchanged words. Because if it was a fight, your dad would have crushed me. He was huge. I was just a little guy.”

Salt Lake supremacy

Even if he would have lost that fight, the Rapids and Mastroeni won the battle that day. But, since then, RSL have been winning the war. RSL got their revenge in dramatic fashion for three consecutive years after 2006.

RSL and Colorado faced off on Decision Day in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Each time, RSL won the match, won the Rocky Mountain Cup and, maybe most importantly, eliminated the Rapids from playoff contention.

That three-year streak turned into a six-year streak. And there were a few more streaks for RSL after that. The Rapids haven’t won back-to-back Rocky Mountain Cups since winning the first two editions. RSL have 14 Cups to Colorado’s 6 and an all-time series record of 30W-13D-18L.

They’ve even won over Mastroeni. After being fired as head coach of the Rapids in 2017, Mastroeni rejoined the rivalry in 2021. First, as an assistant for RSL. Then as head coach.

“I just feel like the club that's bringing you in is the club that believes in you, right?” he said. “So that's really it. And, you know, I was let go in Colorado, and it was like, okay, so all that history is there. I mean, it's almost like nostalgic in a way. But it's not relevant to what's happening.

“It’s almost compartmentalizing the player and the coach that I was in Colorado versus the person and the coach that I am now in Salt Lake. And I think those are different, you know? And so for me, it wasn't that hard for me. It was because they believed in me. They trusted me. So they brought me on board. I only ever want to be in a place where I'm wanted. So for me, the transition was very easy for me. There were no hang-ups. There was never a doubt.”

All on the line

There is still doubt, however, about both the status of the Rocky Mountain Cup and of each team’s playoff hopes. Heading into this weekend’s matchup, the Rapids are holding onto a 1-0 aggregate lead in this year’s competition. RSL will need to win by two on Saturday night to deny Colorado a second-straight Rocky Mountain Cup.

Both sides need a win if they want to make the postseason. RSL are entering this one in 11th place with 37 points after 31 games. Colorado are in eighth place with 40 points after 32 games. It’s not quite 2007-2009. But it could very well be a win-or-go-home matchup for both sides in the end. Pair that with the stakes of a rivalry and you could have something special.

“I just feel like there's a chip on both teams' shoulders. And I think when both of us play, it's like a battle of relevancy in the Rocky Mountains, you know? Like, we want to be the premier team in this region and along with the premier team in the West,” Mastroeni said.

“I just feel like both teams have something to prove. And I think in this case, the Rocky Mountain title is on the line. It’s two teams that are vying to get in the playoffs and two teams that are in position to knock each other out with this win, get the title for the Rocky Mountain Cup and get closer to advancing to the playoffs.”

It should be contentious. We’ll see if everyone can keep their shirt on.