The Rocky Mountain Cup: Dawn of a New Era or Continued Domination?

The Rocky Mountain Cup: It's gonna be feisty.

Cascadia gets all the rivalry attention from Major League Soccer, and let's face it, the atmosphere created around those matches is indeed quite the spectacle.  However, for my money, the most underrated rivalry in MLS will have it's final chapter for 2013 (at least in the regular season) written at Dicks Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado: The Rocky Mountain Cup.

It's quite true that the rivalry between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids has been rather one sided in terms of results over the last several years.  However, the matches are always super-competitive and can be nail-biting for the non neutral fan of other stripe.  It's physical, at times it's pretty ugly, but it's always unpredictable!

So who do I tip to raise the cup, or shall I say "drive the Suburu" come this weekend?  The inside track clearly goes to the Colorado Rapids.  They earned a great road result with a draw at Rio Tinto earlier this year and took all three from RSL in the first meeting at the Dick.  All they have to do is draw, and RSL's record at the Dick isn't really any better than Colorado's at the RioT.

RSL will also be missing some key players, especially on the back line, which has been the biggest vulnerability in recent weeks.  Chris Wingert will be out due to the extra game suspension he earned for laying out Sporting KC's Kei Kamara.  Tony Beltran will be back from Gold Cup duty, but will also be suspended for the red card he picked up in his last match for RSL.  Injuries further complicate things for the defense.  No Schuler, No Kwame, perhaps no Carlos Salcedo.  This leaves Borchers alongside either Aaron Maund, who is still very much a project, or newcomer Brandon McDonald.  Take a deep breath, RSL fans.  Also, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Yordany Alvarez pick up a suspension from the disciplinary committee for his challenge on Tim Cahill in New York.  If Kyle Beckerman picks up a knock in the All-Star Game, well, I don't even want to think about it.   Rapids fans have good reason to be hopeful.  They're going to get some chances, and RSL's defense is going to make some mistakes.

However, it's not all doom and gloom for the Claret and Cobalt and not all roses for the folks in Burgundy either.  The Rapids will be missing Hendry Thomas, who will be suspended due to yellow card accumulation.  In my mind he's been a key cog for them in front of their back line, which has also proven to be vulnerable at times this year.  With Alvaro Saborio back in the mix and others in RSL's rejuvenated attack, RSL will get some quality looks as well.  The other good news is that Nick Rimando is back in the fold for RSL.  Yes, he'll be at the All Star Game as well, but we can hope that he doesn't see action.  His heroics have been enough for RSL in the past, and they'll need him for this one.

Again, for the cup, all the Rapids need is a tie.  However, don't expect them to play for the tie.  They've been one of the more dynamic teams in MLS in recent weeks, and they have their eyes firmly fixed on the top of the table, where Real Salt Lake currently sit.  They want all three.  The Western Conference race is so tight right now that a point out of this match at home will clearly not be good enough for the Rapids.  They'll attack all out like Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg, and they should do so.  RSL's makeshift defense demands it.

This could leave RSL with some nice chances on the counter though.  I don't expect them to sit back and absorb pressure, they're not very good at it, but when the Rapids do get men forward, and they will, their defense could be left ripe for the picking as well, and RSL has showed it's ability to put up multiple goals on pretty much anybody.

So in my mind, this comes down to two things.  First, which defense makes the fewer mistakes, or avoids making the catastrophic mistake?  Second, which goalkeeper puts on the best show: Nick Rimando or Clint Irwin?  Irwin has been pretty much a rock for the Rapids, and he'll need another strong showing, as will Nick Rimando.

How do I see it unfolding right now?  I'm going with a 1-1, or maybe a 2-2 draw.  The result gives the Rapids the cup and hands them the battle.  However, that would keep RSL ahead in the war that is the standings, for now anyway.  Portland plays Vancouver at Jeld-Wen, so you probably tip them to win that one.  The standings could shuffle, but one thing is for sure, this weekend will be highly interesting.