Real Salt Lake retained the Rocky Mountain Cup and kept their playoff hoped alive with a 4-1 smash-and-grab over Colorado Rapids.
Joao Plata scored the opener in the 42nd minute, cutting inside from the left flank in a perfectly crafted counterattacking play, with Tony Beltran dispossessing Colorado and Albert Rusnak feeding Plata a perfect ball. Plata’s low finish under Tim Howard at the near post left nothing in doubt.
Minutes later, during first-half stoppage time, Rusnak nearly doubled the lead, with a timely clearance the only difference between a goal and an extended lead. Then, from a corner, Justen Glad had a golden opportunity from a corner kick, putting the ball at Howard just before the halftime whistle sounded.