and give them the Rocky Mountain Cup for the second consecutive season. The Rapids come into the game on a four-game winless streak, but they face an RSL side that has yet to win - or score - away from Rio Tinto Stadium this season.
REFEREE: Edvin Jurisevic. SAR (bench): C.J. Morgante; JAR (opposite): Eric Boria; 4th: Landis Wiley MLS Career: 4 games; FC/gm: 24.0; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 0; pens: 0
INJURY REPORT: COLORADO RAPIDS - QUESTIONABLE: DF Ty Harden (hamstring), DF Cory Gibbs (R groin) ... REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: DF Ian Joy (L hamstring strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Javier Morales
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: COL: Cory Gibbs
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (15 meetings): Rapids 7 wins, 16 goals ... Real Salt Lake 5 wins, 14 goals ... Ties 3
AT COLORADO (8 meetings): Rapids 4 wins, 10 goals ... Real 2 wins, 8 goals ... Ties 2
RETURN MATCHES:
6/6: Colorado Rapids at Real Salt Lake, 8 p.m. MT; 10/24: Colorado Rapids at Real Salt Lake, 7 p.m. MT
LAST YEAR (MLS):
5/15: COL 2, RSL 0 (Cummings 65; C. Gomez 83)
8/29: RSL 2, COL 0 (Espindola 23, 59)
10/25: COL 1, RSL 1 (Casey 19 - Movsisyan 90)
• The teams play for the Rocky Mountain Cup, awarded to the winner of the season series by supporters' groups from both clubs.
• Real maintained their hold on the cup last season in the most dramatic of circumstances - a Yura Movsisyan goal in the 90th minute of the season finale at Dick's Sporting Goods gave RSL a 1-1 draw, leveling the season series - and sending Real into the MLS Cup Playoffs ahead of their regional rivals.
• Colorado won the Rocky Mountain Cup the first two years it was on offer before RSL took it in 2007, claiming the trophy in a 1-0 win in the regular season finale at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
• Colorado has won just one of the last five league meetings between the teams at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. RSL won for the first time on the Rapids' home ground in a 4-1 victory Aug. 9, 2006 at Invesco Field at Mile High, starting a four-game unbeaten streak (2-0-2) which was snapped in the first meeting last year.
• After going winless in four regular-season home games against Colorado (five in all competitions), Real have now won the last two at home against Colorado. The clubs have yet to meet at Rio Tinto Stadium.
• Coaches record: Gary Smith v RSL: P2 W0 L1 D1 ... Jason Kreis vs. COL: P6 W3 L1 D2
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids saw their winless run reach four games in their first game back at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the LA Galaxy hitting for a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw Saturday evening. The Rapids have eight points from six matches on the season, sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference, now eight points in back of leaders Chivas USA.
LAST MATCH
• The Rapids were back home after going 1-1-1 in league play on an extended road swing, while the Galaxy were looking for a first victory after three wins and a loss in four games to kick off the season.
• The Rapids finally broke through on the hour mark. Omar Cummings went haring forward on a dribbling run and found Colin Clark in the area. He made a neat turn to his left and curled home a shot inside the left-hand post for his first tally on the season.
• But eight minutes from the end, the Galaxy pulled level. Edson Buddle, making his first appearance of the season, fired a shot that brought a save out of Preston Burpo. Chris Klein was able to gather the rebound on the right and put a crossing pass back in front of goal where Landon Donovan redirected it home, his third goal on the season.
• Rapids head coach Gary Smith made one change to the team that lost 1-0 to the Houston Dynamo the previous week to conclude a three-game road swing. Terry Cooke made his first start of the season, coming in on the right of midfield in place of Nick LaBrocca.
• Here's Smith's team (4-1-3-2): Preston Burpo - Kosuke Kimura (Nick LaBrocca 44), Scott Palguta, Ugo Ihemelu, Jordan Harvey - Pablo Mastroeni - Terry Cooke (Jacob Peterson 72), Mehdi Ballouchy, Colin Clark - Conor Casey, Omar Cummings. Substitutes Not Used: Greg Dalby, Ivan Guerrero, Michael Holody, Matt Pickens, Ross Schunk
• "I thought (our) goal came at a good time. But, sadly, from the goal on we didn't really manage the game that well. L.A. started to get a tad more possession and look a little bit more threatening," Smith said. "I would never criticize another coach for their set up or how they choose to come in and play, but L.A. played with little ambition. To go down 1-0, they had to change. And the goal was a gift, I felt."
TEAM NEWS
• After back-to-back wins against Kansas City and Los Angeles, the Rapids have now been held to two points from their last three matches and have scored just two goals in that time, after hitting for six total in their first three games.
• "We had opportunities again (Saturday). I was a little disappointed a little with Conor's goal-threat (Saturday) after he bagged a hat trick against them the last time we played," Smith said. "I told the players we are a group at the moment that's moving forward. There is some real positive things. But we also are a group that will be fighting until the last game of the season because we can't kill teams off. And, at the moment, we're offering too many opportunities off of nothing."
• Already with thin defensive depth, Smith was forced into another change on his backline just before halftime when Kosuke Kimura had to be substituted for after a collision with goalkeeper Preston Burpo. Cory Gibbs was ruled out of the contest with a groin injury, as was reserve Ty Harden to a hamstring strain.
• After making three substitute appearances in the first five matches, Terry Cooke was given his first start of the season.
• On the other flank, Colin Clark contributed his first goal of the season, after hitting for five last season.
• "I've said from the start - Colin should be chipping in with five or six goals and just as many or more assists," said Smith. "He's a work in progress. We're delighted with what we get from Colin. We would just like to see a little bit more composure. He's a hard-working lad and he has a bright future. But that end product will determine whether he is an international or not."
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake posted the biggest victory in club history - and sent the New England Revolution to their worst defeat - in a 6-0 triumph on Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL now have nine points from five matches, sitting in third place in the Western Conference, seven points in arrears of pace-setting Chivas USA.
LAST MATCH
• Real were back home after seeing their two-game winning streak put to an end at the New York Red Bulls the week before. The Revolution were still undefeated, with a pair of wins and a pair of draws following a 1-1 tie at D.C. United.
• Two goals in three minutes on corner kicks sent RSL on its way. First, Jamison Olave headed home a Javier Morales service in the 53rd minute. Then, Morales sent his restart beyond the far post, where Clint Mathis hammered a spectacular first-time volley into the near upper corner.
• Yura Movsisyan made it 3-0 in the 69th minute, sent into the area by Mathis and ripping an angled shot from the right past goalkeeper Brad Knighton and inside the far post.
• Real put the game into the record books with three goals in the final nine minutes. In the 81st, Luis Miguel Escalada finished off a counterattack with a clinical finish from the inside of the penalty area. In the 85th, Andy Williams struck a masterful free kick from outside the area on the left, hooking it over Knighton and under the crossbar for his first goal on the year. Then in the 89th minute, Robbie Findley capped off the victory when he slotted home a through ball from Williams.
• The six goals set a record for most goals scored in a game by RSL in club history, and marked the third time in MLS history a team scored six goals in a half. The 6-0 defeat was the heaviest suffered in a league match by the Revolution in their 14-year history. They had lost three previous league games by five goals, though they did suffer a 6-0 loss to Chicago in the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2000. The last time a game ended 6-0 in MLS, RSL was on the losing end, Aug. 26, 2006 when the New York Red Bulls also scored six goals in the second half.
• RSL head coach Jason Kreis made one change to the team that lost 2-0 to the New York Red Bulls on the road the week before. Jamison Olave returned to central defense, in place of David Horst.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Robbie Russell, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert - Will Johnson, Kyle Beckerman, Clint Mathis (Andy Williams 74) - Javier Morales (Ned Grabavoy 68) - Robbie Findley, Yura Movsisyan (Luis Miguel Escalada 72). Substitutes Not Used: Jean Alexandre, Tony Beltran, David Horst, Chris Seitz
• "I think it's very rare in a professional athlete's or a professional soccer player's life to be part of a match like that. Where really almost everything that happens on our end was flawless for our team," Kreis said. "It just doesn't happen often. We play so many games where we work so hard and you feel proud of what's out there and just don't get the result."
TEAM NEWS
• While the six-goal outburst certainly made the headlines, there was also a clean sheet at the other end - the first of the season for RSL. "The whole team played defense tonight, and that was a big thing. There were no mental mistakes. We should have had a couple goals in the first half, but came out of there with a zero. We came out in the second half and put the pressure on them," said goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
• Yura Movsisyan finally hit for his first goal of the season, just a few minutes before he came off for Luis Miguel Escalada, He had played every minute of every match to that point. "He looked like a guy under a lot of pressure to score," said Kreis. "He put himself into some fantastic positions, but then just looked a little confused when he got in around the goal, very indecisive."
• "It was a great game. It seemed like nobody could miss, except me! The way we controlled the middle was just unbelievable," Movsisyan said. "It builds confidence, it builds everything for us. To play the way we did, just the way we kept the ball, it was an unbelievable game. Like Jason said, it was almost a perfect game."
• The offensive explosion also gave RSL 12 goals for the season, tied for the Chicago Fire for the most in MLS, two more than Chivas USA.
• "We've kind of gone into things, for a while now, thinking we needed to open up defenses by playing it behind them," Kreis said. "I think we're a very good passing team. We can solve problems that are placed in front of us by passing ourselves out of it."
• At home, RSL is now 3-0 with 12 goals scored; on the road, Real are 0-2 with no goals scored. They have won just eight games all-time in 64 league games away from home. "We're going to have to, as a staff, consider whether we ought to think about changing our mentality on the road," Kreis said.
• On Tuesday, RSL's road woes continued as Seattle Sounders FC extended that club's success in the U.S. Open Cup, defeating Real 4-1 in a first-round play-in match at Starfire Sports Complex. Sebastian Le Toux converted a penalty kick in the 24th minute, then set up goals from Sanna Nyassi (26) and Stephen King (53), before finishing off the tie with his second of the match in the 55th. Will Johnson scored RSL's goal in the 32nd minute.
• Here's Kreis's team: Chris Seitz, Tony Beltran, David Horst, Jamison Olave (Nat Borchers 46), Robbie Russell, Ned Grabavoy, Kyle Beckerman (Jean Alexandre 66), Andy Williams, Will Johnson (Raphael Cox 71), Robbie Findley, Luis Miguel Escalada (Yura Movsisyan 57). Substitutes Not Used: Tino Nunez, Kyle Reynish, Chris Wingert.
