Thursday's meeting between the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake had "first" written all over it. There was a battle for first place. It was the first clash between the regional rivals in the Rocky Mountain Cup. And it was the first matchup of the two teams since last year's season finale, when Salt Lake crushed Colorado's playoff hopes with a 1-0 blanking in front of Colorado's hometown fans.
"There was a little extra motivation, because they knocked us out of the playoffs last year," said Herculez Gomez, who made his first start of the season Thursday. "We were one game away from being in the playoffs, and they had a big part in it. To be honest, they kind of acted like punks about it last year. They kind of rubbed it in our faces. Deservedly so. The spoils go to the victor, and they had it last year. But I tell you what, I'd rather take the MLS Cup any year than the Rocky Mountain Cup."
Gomez played his part in advancing Colorado's goals on all fronts, assisting on Omar Cummings' game-winning goal in the 65th minute and launching the Rapids into sole possession of first place in the Western Conference as they await FC Dallas' match on Sunday with the Los Angeles Galaxy to see if their three-point lead will hold up through the weekend.
Having spent the first eight weeks of the season in first or within striking distance of it, the Rapids have recalibrated their focus since last season. The taste of success has them hungry for more, and they are not satisfied simply to dominate both sides of the Continental Divide.
"Salt Lake puts a lot more emphasis on the rivalry than we do," head coach Fernando Clavijo said after the victory. "Our goals are a little bit bigger. We're not looking for the Rocky Mountain Cup; we're looking for the championship. On the way, if we can defeat Real Salt Lake, absolutely, more power to us."
Ultimately, Colorado showed more power throughout the match, dominating Salt Lake with an increasingly aggressive attack, building momentum throughout the game and never letting up on the intensity and energy. Salt Lake got off to a quicker start, but Colorado adapted well, rising to the level of their hungry rivals.
"This game against Salt Lake is always interesting," said veteran midfielder Pablo Mastroeni. "There's a lot of speculation, a lot of emotion. The team who's going to impose their will on the other usually has a good play. In the first half it was kind of both ways. In the second half we just made a commitment to really get after it."
Adding to the rivalry was the fact that Salt Lake's new captain, midfielder Kyle Beckerman, played for the Rapids from 2002 through 2007, sharing the captain duties with Mastroeni up until his midseason trade last year. Real defenders Chris Wingert and Nat Borchers also played for the Rapids from 2006-2007 and 2003-2005, respectively.
"Playing against a guy like Kyle Beckerman, who was here for five or six years and has a lot of pent-up emotions about the move, that's just going to bring a lot of emotion to their team, him being the captain, Wingert being there," Mastroeni said. "There's a few guys on that team that have a lot to prove, so it was important for us to match the energy. In terms of it being a bigger game, these were the guys that knocked us out of the playoffs. Whatever it takes to motivate you, every game is important. Salt Lake's a good team this year. They're a dangerous team at home and on the road. It was good to get a result against a good team."
Beckerman established enough goodwill during his tenure in Colorado that it's hard for his former teammates and coaches to view him with anything but respect, and Clavijo couldn't keep from singing his praises.
"Kyle Beckerman played a very good game today," Clavijo said, noting the midfielder's key role in slowing the game down early, establishing a controlled attack and trying to disrupt Colorado's rhythm at home. "We only wish him well. Hopefully he realizes we have given him an opportunity to flourish with Real Salt Lake and on an international level. Here, his time was going to be limited, because he was a shadow to Pablo Mastroeni. More power for him. I hope he keeps growing as a player like he's growing."
Beckerman and Wingert had the unique distinction of not having lost a Rocky Mountain Cup match last year, helping to pace the Rapids and Real to their respective wins before and after the trade. For his part, Beckerman downplayed the significance of the matchup - an understandable interpretation after being handed a clean sheet in the first meeting of the rivals in 2008.
"It was just two average teams, and it got to a point where the first team to score was going to win the game," Beckerman said. "They got it. They were sharp at the start of the second half, and they got rewarded for it."
Coming up short in the quest for the spoils certainly took some of the flavor out it for Beckerman, who has relished the opportunity to come out victorious from either side of the rivalry in the past. Wingert echoed his sentiment, expressing the mixed emotion of returning to Colorado for the first time this season.
"Right now it doesn't feel good, but it felt good to come back," Wingert conceded. "I always enjoy seeing the guys and playing in a nice stadium like this on a great field. It was an exciting game for me and guys like Kyle and Nat, guys who played here, but unfortunately at the end of the night it was a bit of a disappointment."
Don't blame the Rapids if they couldn't muster much sympathy for Real Salt Lake. The blow Real handed them to end their season prematurely last season still stings, but the memory of their elongated offseason has given them even greater thirst to position themselves for success this season.
"There was a lot riding on this game, a lot of implications," Mastroeni said. "First place in the West, the Rocky Mountain Cup, they knocked us out of the playoffs last year - whatever you need to motivate yourself with."
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
