COMMERCE CITY — The energy at Friday’s Colorado Rapids practice at Field 20 of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park matched the urgency of the moment.
The players were making sure their teammates knew precisely what the coaches were relaying to them with positioning, constantly (and loudly) communicating during attacking drills and were zeroed in from start to finish. Ring of Honor inductee Drew Moor spoke to the team before training.
It can mean only one thing: It’s Rocky Mountain Cup weekend.
The Rapids’ 7:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday at America First Field against Real Salt Lake will either put the final nail in the coffin of a miserable 2023 season in which they currently sit bottom of the MLS standings, or it’ll provide an unexpected spark for the remaining eight games.
One player who’s eager to be the spark plug again for Colorado (3-10-12, 19 points) is Littleton’s Cole Bassett. The 22-year-old has missed 11 games this season across all competitions, as he’s coming off of lingering adductor and pectineus muscle injuries, he confirmed to The Post on Friday. While it’s been a frustrating year, he’ll undoubtedly get up for his long-held disdain for that team from the Wasatch Range.
“It should be important for us. I know rivalries aren’t as old here as they are over in Europe, but this one means a lot to us,” Bassett said. “Especially me growing up (in Colorado), I’ve always hated Salt Lake, so I wanna go beat ‘em.”
That intensity was visible Friday, as Connor Ronan’s set-piece delivery looked particularly lethal. Diego Rubio was participating, as was Keegan Rosenberry (who also has spoken with fire about his dislike of RSL), both of whom missed the midweek 3-0 loss at Minnesota United.
Bassett believes no matter the tactics either head coach will try to employ for a game of this magnitude, it ultimately will go out the window and evolve into a gauntlet game. What matters is displaying a warrior mentality on the pitch.
“If you’re going to show up for one game this year, this is the game that you should show up for,” Bassett said. “If you have that type of (mindset), you can do well in this type of game.”
Colorado trails the 2023 edition (10-9-7, 37 points; 6th in the West) as Salt Lake won the first leg 3-2 in May and took three points. On Saturday, Colorado could either tie the series with a win (to make it 3-3) or extend the Cup competition to a decisive third leg already set for Decision Day if it can earn a tie (4-1 to RSL). However, if RSL wins, it would retain the Cup for a 14th time in 19 seasons.
“It’s obviously one of the biggest rivalries in the league,” Defender Andrew Gutman said Wednesday. “There’s a trophy at stake, so that’s something right there. To play for a trophy, to be able to win something this year, given (how) the season’s gone, is massive.”
However, it’s been one-way traffic as the Claret-and-Cobalt have won 17 MLS regular-season games against Colorado since 2014 — the most wins by one team in a matchup of any two MLS teams in a nine-year stretch, as the outlet Burgundy Wave confirmed in May. RSL has had a particularly potent offense and is second in the league in shots, shots on target and assists. Still, the message to the group is simple: Be fully invested in the fight.
“We know RSL is a very tough team at home, but there will be no shortage of reminders as to the importance of this game,” Rapids head coach Robin Fraser said.
For a player who’s gone through the ringer this season, Bassett will be ready. On Friday, he was adamant on seeing a Colorado mindset from every member of the Burgundy Boys.
“If we bring the right amount of energy (we can get three points),” Bassett said. “We really need to be in for a dog fight. It’s not gonna be an easy game. … We need to outmatch their energy.”
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