2014 Review: Match 11--Rapids at Real Salt Lake

May 17 marked the first match in the 2014 edition of the Rocky Mountain Cup and for the first time in seven years, the Colorado Rapids were defending the cup.  However a 2-1 defeat to arch rivals Real Salt Lake in Sandy made things difficult for the Rapids as they tried to hold onto the RMC in 2014.  It was an interesting match to watch as the Rapids did get screwed by a very soft penalty kick to give RSL a 2-0 lead, but did have a few moments of quality.

This was also the second loss in a row for the Rapids and concluded a three game winless streak for the club.  After this loss the Burgundy Boys would go on a 9 game run where they would only lose twice.  Little did we know that the final match of that nine would be the last win of the year.

Here are the relevant stats for the match:

SOG: Shots on Goal.  BS:  Blocked Shots.  TP:  Total Passes.  PA:  Passing Accuracy.  POSS:  Possession

Record after 11 matches:  (4-4-3)  15 points

Hero of the Game: the Back Four.  Yes, the Rapids did give up two goals, but the second goal was a dive by RSL that led to a PK.  Marc Burch, Drew Moor, Marvell Wynne, and Chris Klute were very good on the night and limited RSL to 7 shots on goal and 4 on target.  It was a solid effort and the back four needed to be commended.

Goat of the Game: a Lack of Urgency. It is very disappointing that the Rapids have a tendency to not really show a lot of fight at the start of the match and the RSL was a perfect example of this.  The Rapids truly did not play in this match until they went down two goals and against a side as strong as RSL is not a recipe for a positive result.  I am not sure if this is players or coaching, but the Rapids simply must be ready to play a full 90 every match.  The Rapids were burned by this the week before against Chivas USA so you would think they would have learned.  But alas, they were let down by a lack of urgency and got burned by a superior team in Sandy.