Rocky Mountain Cup Rapids – RSL

Rapids – RSL Saturday Night

Last night the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake played in the 4ht and final meeting in the MLS this year. If the Rapids won, they won the Rocky Mountain Cup. If RSL won or tied, they won the Rocky Mountain Cup. Between this and the playoffs looming the game showed that these two teams have quite the rivalry brewing.

Ellinger Tinkers and Tinkers

Fans of the Rapids give their coach Fernando Clavijo a lot of stick over the player choices he makes. They like to say the ways of Fernando are an enigma. The fans of Real Salt Lake should be saying the same thing about John Ellinger. He can't seem to make up his mind on what to do with Ballouchy and Williams. Sometimes ones on the bench, sometimes ones on the left, and sometimes in the center. With the season nearly over he should have already figured out who he wants in the center.

The controversy in this game seems to first revolve around the Rapids goal. To be frank if confuses me. Ballouchy, stuck out left for this match, sticks his right leg out early for a tackle. He neither goes down for a sliding tackle nor stays up right and the Rapids player has no where to go and collides into Ballouchy. In watching replays of it if anything it would seem Ballouchy would be the one called for the foul if anyone. Ballouchy ends up staying down and Colorado makes 2 more passes and score the game winning goal.

I don't see the a case for anything wrong here. What I did see happen that was wrong was someone, most likely Scott Garlick, from RSL tried to strike Niko with the ball after the goal. They did hit another Rapids player with it. Whomever did that deserved a red card. Niko was on the sideline and they were clearly not sending the ball back to the center circle. Scott Garlick also pulled a Portugese Ronaldo and sprinted 25 yards to complain to the referee and also seemingly try to start a fight with Thiago Martins.

Dave Checketts : Sour Grapes Or Cleaning Things Up?

After the game there were more heated words after the game including Pablo Mastroeni and Dave Checketts squaring off. We're not clear on exactly what happened but the Rapids players may have been pointing at their crotches. Checketts seemed to be upset that the Rapids were excessively celebrating.

Checkets had this to say after the game :

"We at Real Salt Lake have spent nearly two years building a soccer culture here in Utah, one that characterizes the sport as a unifier of all cultures and holds sportsmanship and respect for the game in the highest regard," reads the opening of Checketts' statement. - from goal.com

The thing is, he doesn't seem to have cared that it was his organization that started the ball rolling down that slope.

"There's something that goes in a jock strap; I guess you've got to have that in order to play this game," Ellinger said. "Anyone that's been to both games, and most of you have been to both games, know that we should have four points minimum from the last two games."

Maybe it's not so bad when it's the coach commenting his own team needs to find some balls. But where does Dave Checketts think comments like this are going to lead to? It doesn't excuse Colorado's behavior but it does raise a bit of question in regards to Checketts complaints.

Past Real Salt Lake Antics

More interesting is what Checketts did last year after rather crude behavior by one of his own players. During the US Open Cup (USOC) match at Minnesota, Clint Mathis bent over and spread his butt checks in a gesture aimed directly at the Minnesota Thunder supporters. And as you can see with this and other news, nothing was done by Checketts, Pastorino or Ellinger in regards to this behavior. MLS article here.

Again, it doesn't excuse the Rapids actions. But if Checketts wants to see better behavior by the players, he should be demanding this from his own from the start. It's well within his right to complain about the Rapids behavior. But when he hasn't cracked down on it in the past, is seemingly unwilling to discipline his own players for their behavior during the game, it leaves people wondering what his true motivations are. Maybe he's trying to clean things up and just doesn't understand that striking a player with the ball should have been a red card for someone on his own team. Maybe his doesn't understand how he's not cracked down on this behavior by his own team in the past. Then again, maybe he's only complaining because his team lost.

Head To Head

In head to head games in league play, Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids have now played 8 times. The Rapids are 5-2-1. Including US Open Cup play, the Rapids are 6-2-1 against Real Salt Lake. Will the Rapids be able to conitnue this against Real Salt Lake Next Year?