Colorado Rapids 0, Real Salt Lake 6 | 2018 MLS Match Recap

Real Salt Lake will keep the Rocky Mountain Cup for a fourth-straight year after routing the Colorado Rapids, 6-0, Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park as part of Heineken Rivalry Week. 

Things went from bad to worse for the home side in short order.

Needing to overcome a three-goal deficit in the season series in order to claim the Cup, Colorado conceded a 6th-minute goal to RSL's Damir Kreilach and then went down a man when Niki Jackson – making his first MLS start - was shown a red card three minutes later.

Jefferson Savarino doubled RSL's lead just past the half-hour mark, and Colorado lost yet another player when Nana Boateng was shown red for a reckless challenge just before the half. 

RSL showed no mercy, as Savarino, Joao Plata, Corey Baird and Albert Rusnak added four more after the break to claim the largest margin of victory in history of the series and hand Colorado its worst loss at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. 

RSL retain the Rocky Mountain Cup for the 10th time in the last 12 years. 

Goals

• 6' – RSL – Damir Kreilach WATCH
• 33' – RSL – Jefferson Savarino WATCH
• 58' – RSL – Jefferson Savarino WATCH
• 69' – RSL – Joao Plata WATCH
• 74' – RSL – Corey Baird WATCH
• 86' – RSL – Albert Rusnak WATCH

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE: RSL won a road match for the second straight week, in turn keeping pace – and staying above the playoff line – in the compacted Western Conference with seven games left. The six-goal swing in differential may also prove helpful. Colorado did themselves no favors with two reckless plays, and will be 14 points below the final playoff spot by the end of the weekend, with five of their final eight matches on the road. 

MOMENT OF THE MATCH:
 You could pick any goal - or either red card - as the game-changers. But this headed clearance by
Aaron Herrera
on
Kortne Ford
's header was also key - keeping the score 1-0 before things went wild:

MAN OF THE MATCH: Jefferson Savarino gets the nod by contributing to three of the six goals, tallying two of his own and assisting on Corey Baird's. 

Up Next

• Colorado: Saturday, Sept. 8 at Portland (10:30 p.m. ET | TV & streaming info)
• Salt Lake: Saturday, Sept. 1 vs LA Galaxy (10 p.m. ET | TV & streaming info)