EDITORIAL – The first leg of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Cup is this weekend. The match could see Jasper Löffelsend join 20 or so players to play for both Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake. Club and league legends have represented both sides of this rivalry. There’s also several deep cuts you’ll barely remember. Here is a comprehensive history of every player and staffer who ended up crossing the Rockies in MLS.
The RSL Originals:
Five (or six) former Rapids players were members of the inaugural Real Salt Lake team in 2005. Considering RSL took no Rapids players in their expansion draft, that’s impressive. Not that any of them had noteworthy careers outside of Clint Mathis.
Adolfo Gregorio: Colorado 2004*, RSL 2005
Gregorio played just six games in one MLS season but is one of the most consequential players connected to these two teams. The Rapids selected him 15th overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft but he chose to go to Europe. He never actually played for Colorado. So why is he at the top of this list?
After a year at Darlington in England, he returned to MLS. Salt Lake acquired his rights from Colorado for a permanent Youth International Slot (now a regular International Slot) and a first round pick in the 2007 Supplementary Draft, which turned into John DiRaimondo. Who remembers him?
One of the midfielder’s four starts was the second ever Rocky Mountain Cup match, a 2-0 Rapids win.
This is the most lopsided trade in MLS history. RSL got a player who lasted just one year in MLS and Colorado got a permanent INT Slot which to date has been worth more than $2 million in equivalent GAM. This is an MLS infinite money loop if I’ve seen one. This is a Rapids Math move Pádraig Smith could only dream of pulling off today. Hopefully MLS doesn’t say “yeah, we didn’t know what Youth International Slots would become, RSL gets this one back when the Sanna Nyassi trade condition expires in 2032.”
Seth Trembly: Colorado 2000-04, RSL 2005-06
Trembly was a part of the original 1999 class at Bradenton Academy. He was a Project 40 signee and was allocated to his hometown Rapids. The defensive midfielder spent five years in the Rapids organization, mostly as a backup. He was traded before the start of 2005 to Real and spent two years there. His one RMC appearance was as a sub in the second ever game.
As a side note, Trembly was one of two Colorado natives to be on the inaugural RSL squad. Trembly is from Littleton, just like Cole Bassett. Goalkeeper Chris Baumstark of Thornton spent just 2005 with Salt Lake.
Clint Mathis: Colorado 2006, RSL 2005
The MLS 2.0 meme that is Clint Mathis made a name for himself outside this rivalry. Mathis joined expansion side RSL from Hannover 96 in Germany. He scored three goals in 2005 for them, one of which was in the third ever RMC match, a 2-1 Rapids win.
That December, he crossed the Rockies in exchange for Jeff Cunningham (that’s a future MLS pub trivia question). Mathis scored two goals in 25 appearances in his only season in Black and Blue, none in the derby. Cunningham would go on to score three goals in four RMC legs that year. Mathis was traded to New York before the start of the 2007 season.
Jordan Cila: Colorado 2004, RSL 2005
Another Bradenton Academy OG. He joined Colorado as an undrafted player and made 15 starts in his one year with the Rapids. He played alongside fellow Bradenton teammates Kyle Beckerman and Seth Trembley. He had four goals and two assists with Colorado.
He was traded across the Rockies in February 2005 and seemed to be happy about it. The Long Island native made one start and one sub appearance in RMC. He recorded three goals and an assist in 12 appearances in his one season with RSL, but none against the Rapids. A year later he was joined New York. The Duke graduate now works in fixed income sales in New York.
Jeff Stewart: Colorado 2002-2004, RSL 2005
Fact checking all the details on Cila was hard enough. There’s almost nothing on this guy. Per his Wikipedia page (which has no external links related to his MLS career), he was drafted 19th overall in the 2002 SuperDraft. He played 23 games as a rookie but then just eight games in 2003 for the Rapids
After no MLS minutes in 2004, he was left unprotected in the 2004 MLS Expansion Draft. He was taken second to last by Chivas USA. The only other Rapids player taken in that draft was Antonio de la Torre, also by Chivas. Six former Rapids played for RSL in their first year, none of which were taken directly in the expansion draft. MLS weirdness at its finest.
Days after that expansion draft, Stewart was traded to RSL for a permanent International Roster Slot, again according to his Wikipedia page. If true, what was with RSL and trading INT Slots permanently in their early years? An injury kept Stewart from ever playing for RSL in 2005, his last year in MLS.
Duncan Melvin Tarley: Colorado 2006, RSL 2005-06
Tarley played 9 games for RSL, all in 2005. He started in the final three RMC matches that year, but the forward never scored. He played just three MLS games after crossing the Rockies, none against RSL. There’s nothing on this guy outside of his Wikipedia page. It’s not clear how he came to RSL from Minnesota Thunder. He apparently was traded to Colorado in August 2006 for a 4th round Supplemental Draft pick and was waived at the end of that season. Melvin apparently is a nickname.
The Club and League Legends:
For a derby matchup that no MLS neutrals pay attention to (because time zones and it’s so one sided), there have been some big names who wore both shirts.
Jeff Cunningham: Colorado 2005, RSL 2006-07
The legendary striker played 14 seasons in MLS for five different teams. Before Landon Donovan and Chris Wondolowski, he held the MLS goal record with 134 regular season goals. The 5’8″ Jamaican was skillful, creative, and accurate, especially in tight spaces and in transition.
Colorado was his second club. He joining them in 2005 for a first round SuperDraft pick, which turned in to Kei Kamara (another good factoid). He scored 12 goals in 26 games, tied for the fourth best regular season of his career. One of those goals was the game winner in the second ever RMC match, which Mathis also scored in. RSL Cunningham outscored Rapids Cunningham 3-1 all time in the rivalry.
Kyle Beckerman: Colorado 2002-07, RSL 2007-2020
One of the best hair styles in MLS history. Most tackles in MLS history. Grinded his way into being an important player for the USMNT at the 2014 World Cup. One of the best holding midfielders in league history. Most caps for an RSL player by almost 100. Captain for the 2009 MLS Cup winners. If MLS ever created its own Hall of Fame, Beckerman would be on the first ballot.
Colorado cleaned up in the allocation and dispersal drafts after the two Florida teams folded after the 2001 season. Miami Fusion teammates Pablo Mastroeni, Chris Henderson, and Kyle Beckerman all came to the Rapids. Those first two are in the Gallery of Honor. Beckerman would be have been as well, had Colorado not traded him.
After five and a half years in Colorado, he was traded to RSL for Mehdhi Ballouchy. The team known for great defensive midfielders traded away a player at that position to their arch rival who went on to become their best player ever. Just imagine what Beckerman could have done playing alongside Mastroeni and then Sam Cronin for how whole career.
Beckerman went on to boss the midfield, stuff Rapids players to get the ball back, and lead Salt Lake to 11 Rocky Mountain Cups in 14 years. He did lose it in his final year though. The then 38-year-old was an unused sub in that 5-0 win at the RioT.
Chris Wingert: Colorado 2006-07, RSL 2007-2014 and 2016-17
Gosh the Rapids had several good players who they let go to RSL who went on to be great for a long time. Wingert is no Beckerman, but still. He was a regular for Columbus in his first two years in the league. Colorado acquired him for a 4th round Supplemental Draft pick. He was there for a year and a half but did not play as much.
RSL got him for a first and a second round Supplemental pick. He was a reliable starting left back for the next seven years. Won MLS Cup. Was a part of that defensive corps along with Beckerman and Nat Borchers. The left back position was the one question mark for the Rapids in 2010. Wingert would have been great to have for seven more years. In the 10 seasons he spent on just one side of the Rockies, he went 9-1 in the RMC.
Nat Borchers: Colorado 2003-2005, RSL 2008-2014
This one hurts Rapids fans, less than Beckerman, more than Wingert. Colorado picked up the Denver Pioneer after he played with their PDL affiliate in 2002. Borchers was a reliable starter for three years. The club made it to the Conference Final in 2005 in part because of him.
His play earned him a move to Odds BK in Norway. A year later, he returned to MLS to join RSL. He grew out his facial hair, was a physical center back and leader, and had success. He then played two years with Portland Timbers, winning a second MLS Cup. He went 7-1 in the Rocky Mountain Cup.
Dude has one of the best beards in MLS history. He played in Colorado, Utah, Oregon, and Scandinavia. Perfection.
With all due respect to Anthony Wallace, Jeff Larentowicz, and Marvel Wynne, put these three RSL stalwarts around Drew Moor and the Rapids have great success from 2007-14.
Robin Fraser: Colorado 2001-03 and 2019-2023, RSL 2007-2010
Fraser never played for RSL, but he still should be on this list. He played for the Rapids for three years and had ties to Denver having played for the Foxes in the PSL pre-MLS. After retiring, he was an assistant coach and sometimes commentator for RSL for four years. He was part of that 2009 MLS Cup staff. He coached a young Collen Warner, who then joined him in Colorado in 2020.
After coaching stops at Chivas USA, RBNY, and Toronto FC, he was hired as head coach of the Rapids in August 2019. He held that position for four years.
Fraser was a minor figure for RSL, but is a significant part of Rapids history. He’s one the best center backs ever in MLS. As a player or coach, he’s competed with or against pretty much every other person on this list. In four years at Salt Lake, he was 4-0 in the RMC. He won just one with Colorado as a coach. His final game as Rapids manager was a 2-0 loss at America First Field, securing the trophy for 2024.
Fraser’s still the second best coach in club history, at worst. And maybe that doesn’t happen if Jason Kreis doesn’t given him a chance in 2007.
The Middle Guys:
There’s several players who’ve crossed the Rockies who played notable roles for both clubs. They’re not legends. There’s a discussion to be had who they contributed more to and which fanbase(s) claim them.
Mehdi Ballouchy: Colorado 2007-10, RSL 2006-07
The Boulder Rapids Reserve midfielder joined RSL as a Generation Adidas player in 2006. He made 32 appearances as a rookie. He was a starter again to start 2007, but was traded straight up for Beckerman. He was a central attacker and at times a right winger. His best years were 2009-10, where he recorded five goals and 12 assists for the Pids. Near the trade deadline, Ballouchy was traded to RBNY for Mac Kandji.
This trades gets a lot of talk from RSL fans for obvious reasons. Beckerman’s a legend. He could have been Colorado’s legend. It is worth pointing out that both clubs have just one major trophy. Beckerman went on to help RSL win MLS Cup. He was at the center of a corps that made two more finals and were really good for a decade. Ballouchy was an MLS journeyman who never had more than 10 goal contributions as an attacker. But he was traded for Kandji, who created the own goal that won Colorado their MLS Cup. Beckerman turned into Ballouchy, turned into Mac, turned into MLS Cup. At the end of the day, both teams have just one star above their crest.
His only RMC goal contribution was an assist to Omar Cummings in a 1-1 draw in 2009. He only won the RMC with RSL.
Atiba Harris: Colorado Rapids 2013, RSL 2006-2007
Saint Kitts and Nevis native. He signed with RSL in 2006 from Cádiz in Spain. He was mostly a bench player during his time in Salt Lake. The utility man went on to play for Chivas, Dallas, and Vancouver before joining Colorado for an International Slot. He made 24 appearances and six goal contributions for Óscar Pareja. One of those goals was his only goal contribution in the RMC, a 1-0 win in 2013 which was the difference that year. He won the RMC twice in three years being a part of the rivalry.
Zac MacMath: Colorado 2015-18, RSL 2020-Present
Zac MacMath’s carved out a great career in MLS ever since he got to work with Chris Sharpe in Colorado. He got Wally Pipped by Andre Blake in 2015 at Philadelphia Union. He got loaned to Colorado the acquired permanently that offseason. Like many other middle-talent Rapids goalkeepers, he was a good player in a lot of bad games where he gave up goals at no fault of his own.
Midway through 2016, he was playing well. The team was near the top of the conference. Then the Rapids signed Tim Howard and he got benches. The analytics showed little difference between the two, albeit with Howard a decade older. He was a serviceable backup until 2018 when he got traded to Vancouver. A year later, he was traded to RSL. He battled with David Ochoa for minutes but has been the regular starter since 2022. He’s 4-4 in the RMC going into this year. He was in goal for that 5-0 loss in 2020.
He’s a good shot stopper. He’s humble. He leads from the back. He’s been a big part of two emotional teams that rely on hardworking and sticking together under Pablo Mastroeni. I’m having a hard time confirming this, but I believe he’s the only player to captain both teams. He had a great moment scoring a penalty in a friendly in 2018, wearing the armband.
The Randos:
Get ready to have your memory jogged. Turn this section into car/supporter bus trivia for your next away day.
Scott Garlick: Colorado 2001-03, RSL 2006
The goalkeeper spent a decade in MLS. He started the 1997 MLS Cup with D.C. United, winning against Colorado. He joined the Pids midway through 2001 as a part of the Carlos Valderrama trade. He was the main starter for 2003. After two years with FC Dallas, he joined RSL for the last season of his career, which he started 31 of 32 games, including all four RMC games that year. Colorado won the cup that year 7-4, despite being outscored 6-5. Joe Cannon started three of those games for Colorado with Bouna Coundoul starting the first leg.
Ritchie Kotschau: Colorado 2001-05, RSL 2007
Like Garlick, Kotschau joined Colorado in the Valderrama trade. He previously played for Chicago and Miami. He was a regular starter in defense for the Rapids. He spent a year with Columbus before joining RSL, making 20 appearances in 30 regular season games. Despite recording seven goals and five assists in his first two seasons in MLS (1998 with Chicago, 1999 with Miami), he never made a goal contribution in the RMC.
Kotschau retired to the Denver area. He played in some Open Cup preliminary games for Colorado Rovers a few years ago. Per his LinkedIn, he works in sales and real-estate.
Nathan Sturgis: Colorado 2013-14, RSL 2007-2008
The defensive midfielder was originally a GA player for LA Galaxy. He was traded to RSL midway through 2007. He barely got 500 minutes in a year and a half there. He spent time in Seattle, Toronto, and Houston, before being traded to Colorado in the Omar Cummings deal. He was a regular in 2013 and even had four goals. The next summer, he was traded to Chivas USA.
His only appearance for RSL against Colorado was a start in the fourth leg in 2007. RSL won the game 1-0 on a Robbie Finley goal to clinch to the cup for the first time ever. He played in the second and third legs in 2013 and in the first leg of 2014 before he was traded. In his three full seasons being a part of the rivalry, he won the RMC three times. Sturgis now lives in Arizona and works in investment management, per his LinkedIn.
Collen Warner: Colorado 2020-22, RSL 2010-11
Denver East High School’s finest. Warner was taken 15th overall in the 2010 SuperDraft by Salt Lake. He made 13 appearances as a rookie. His sophomore season was no slump with 24 appearances and five assists. Not bad for defensive midfielder. Montreal Impact picked him up in the expansion draft that offseason. He then bounced around the league for a few years.
After playing for FC Helsingør in Denmark, Colorado picked him up off the scrap heap just in time for the MLS is Back tournament. His first RMC appearance was off the bench in that 5-0 win later that season. He started the first and third legs in 2021, both in Sandy. Colorado lost those games 3-0 and 3-1.
Warner was waived at the end of 2022. He’s been an assistant coach for Rapids 2 ever since. He’s well liked by the players and Erik Bushey.
Luis Gil: Colorado 2017, RSL 2010-2015
Gil joined RSL in 2010 as a GA player after a trade from Kansas City, who won his rights in a weighted lottery. It took him a few years and a loan to AC St. Louis to break into the first team under Kreis. His best year in MLS no question was 2013: 24 MLS starts, five goals, and three assists as a midfielder. He didn’t make the team for the U.S. Open Cup final though, which Salt Lake lost to lowly D.C. United at home. His contract expired in 2015 after two less productive years. He went 4-2 in the RMC during his time at RSL.
He moved to Mexico to sign with Querétaro FC. He never made it work south of the boarder and got sent on loan to Orlando City. Midway through the year, he came to Colorado in a trade for Dillon Powers the week before Pablo Mastroeni was dismissed. He made four appearances and didn’t do much. You might think he scored the goal in the 1-0 win over RSL in the home finale, but that was Josh Gatt. Gil never played in the RMC for Colorado. His loan expired at the end of the season. He now played in USL League One.
Enzo Martinez: Colorado 2018, RSL 2012-13
RSL fans barely remember him as a draft pick that never played. Rapids fans remember him as El Vikingo. Martinez was selected 17th overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. He spent two years with RSL but never made his MLS debut. He bounced around the USL Championship. Colorado picked him up for 2018 after he scored 16 goals and five assists in one year.
Then Anthony Hudson happened. Martinez, who was a No. 10 in the USLC, got moved to other positions. He made intense runs, tried hard, and matched physicality for Uruguayan short king. His effort was appreciated, even though he and the team weren’t good enough. His option didn’t get picked up.
He’s back in the USL, being a fan favorite, balling out, and looking like a barbarian. He never got his revenge tour on Kreis though. He started a 3-0 loss and 2-2 draw in the RMC in 2018. He was an unused sub for the 6-0 loss that Colorado finished with nine men.
Kelyn Rowe: Colorado 2018*, RSL 2019
Like Gregorio and Fraser, Kelyn Rowe shouldn’t really be on this list. It’s like that joke some Rapids fans make when they call Kei Kamara an FC Cincinnati legend because he was picked in their expansion draft and traded to Colorado in the same sentence.
Rowe was a Burgundy Boy on paper for less than two hours on December 18, 2018. Colorado got him from New England in exchange for the MLS rights to Edgar Castillo then sent him to Sporting KC for Diego Rubio and some cash. In hindsight, good work by the Rapids FO to turn Castillo (sans the transfer fee from Mexico) into Rubio (one of the best attackers in club history) and some Garber bucks.
Rowe spent the back half of the 2019 season with RSL and was occasional assigned to the Monarchs. He played just 180 regular season minutes for RSL that year. He never played in the Rocky Mountain Cup.
Craig Waibel: Colorado 2000, RSL 2014-19
Waibel is in a similar category as Robin Fraser. He had a cup of coffee with the Rapids on loan from Seattle Sounders (then in the A-League) in 2000. He played 62 minutes in two appearances. He went on to win trophies with San Jose, LA Galaxy, and Houston as a player. He became an assistant with RSL in 2014 after coaching in college for a few years. He was promoted to the front office in 2015 and was with the club until 2019. They won the RMC all but one year he was with the organization.
The New Guys:
Jasper Löffelsend: Colorado 2024, RSL 2022-23
The German midfielder is the latest player to cross the Rockies. RSL drafted him as a graduate student out of Pittsburgh. He played 51 games in two seasons and did well. Now he comes to Colorado hoping to help improve the team this year and retain his perfect RMC record. Learn more about his story here.
Pablo Mastroeni: Colorado 2002-17, RSL 2021-Present
I saved the biggest and most contentious for last. Pablo Mastroeni joined the Rapids through the Allocation Draft after Miami Fusion folded. He played 12 seasons for Colorado. He and Marcello Balboa are the two most significant players in club history. He holds club records for appearances, starts, minutes, fouls committed, fouls endured, yellow cards, and red cards. He’s everything you’d want in a defensive midfielder and captain. He led the team to MLS Cup in 2010. He’s the only player to have his number retired by the Rapids.
After finishing his career with LA Galaxy in 2013, he took the Rapids head coaching job basically cause they couldn’t find anyone else. He coached through tough years rebuilding and learning on the job. That culminated in the 2016 season, when they finished second in the league and made the Conference Finals. That team embodied Pablo as a player. The organic club mantra Keep Fighting was born.
Then everything went to crap in 2017. He got fired. The team rebuilt with mixed results in the seven years since. Mastroeni got back into coaching, first as an assistant with Houston. He moved to Salt Lake in 2021 and was named interim when Freddy Juarez left that season. He led the team to the playoffs, two poop-house playoff wins, and has been the permanent coach since.
He was 3-6 in the RMC as a player for Colorado and 1-2 as their coach. He got fired with just one leg played so far in 2017, so I don’t count that year. He’s 3-0 with RSL, so 7-8 all time.
Ironically, his only goal in the RMC was an own goal in 2007. Take that goal away, and Colorado retains the trophy that year to start the rivalry off 3-0.
Read more on the complexity of Pablo’s affiliation with both clubs and how fans feel about it here.
Photo Credit: John Babiak
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John Babiak