This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As Real Salt Lake seeks some sort of remedy to turn around its fortunes, lurking in the background is the Rocky Mountain Cup, bragging rights for either Salt Lake or the Colorado Rapids.The season-series winner between RSL and the Rapids holds onto the trophy. For the last few years, it has been Real's property. Friday's matchup, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2, is the decider for 2011. RSL defeated Colorado earlier this season."It adds motivation, for sure," RSL defender Nat Borchers said. "It's always a heated rivalry game. With the situation being what it is for us, we need points, we need to lock up third place and this a great opportunity for us."RSL coach Jason Kreis sees the game as a chance to add some more hardware to the team's trophy case."Why wouldn't we," he said. "It's a trophy. It means a lot to our fans and they mean a lot to us."