SANDY, Utah -- Clint Mathis has seen both ends of the spectrum in his pair of stints in a Real Salt Lake uniform.
Mathis was with the club in its inaugural season -- when RSL's playoff hopes were extinguished well before the final month. Now, after rejoining the Utah team during its stretch run this time around, he stands on the brink of seeing history and feels excited at the possibilities ahead.
"It would be great to be part of a team making its first playoffs," Mathis said. "You never know what could happen if we get there."
To finally reach that milestone, RSL must come away with at least a draw when it hits the road to face Colorado on Saturday. The stakes are always high for each combatant in the annual Rocky Mountain Cup. But so much more is riding on this single game than in any from past seasons.
A win or tie for Real clinches the third seed from the Western Conference and sends them to the playoffs. A loss, on the other hand, will catapult the Rapids right past their archrival and leave RSL sitting home with the sting of knowing they missed out on reaching the playoffs by the slimmest margin.
It adds a new dimension to a rivalry where extra incentive to secure a victory is not needed. Still, RSL players acknowledge that Saturday's game will mean more with something greater than pride on the line.
"It's definitely going to be heated," defender Chris Wingert said. "But, more than anything, it's going to be heated because of the playoffs, not because of what has gone on in the past."
Indeed, Real values clinching a playoff berth much more than simply locking down bragging rights for a second consecutive season in the quest for the Rocky Mountain Cup.
Veterans like Mathis, Wingert and midfielder Kyle Beckerman -- who have suited up for both sides -- have even gone to great lengths to insist the rivalry isn't infused with the same degree of venom and meaning to them than what fans assign to these games with Colorado. "In the past, the rivalry was all there was to play for," Beckerman said. "This game, it will just be what it is. It's a playoff game pretty much. It's great that we'll get that cup. But it's a bigger thing when that's the only thing you're playing for."
When RSL takes the field against the Rapids, they will be at full strength for the first time in several weeks. Oft-injured stars like Dema Kovalenko and Fabian Espindola are fully healed from recent injuries that sidelined them. Nat Borchers is expected back from the neck strain that sidelined him against FC Dallas last week.
For RSL coach Jason Kreis, it means he will have a host of tactical options to consider on who he starts and who he brings in as a substitute and what formations he will use against Colorado.
"It will be the first time in a long time I can remember that we have everyone in consideration for the 18 and everybody in consideration for the starting 11," Kreis said. "There's going to be some difficult choices to make."
While the stakes are high for RSL in this match, the outcome is equally important for the Rapids on several levels.
Real cost Colorado a playoff berth with their 1-0 road victory in the 2007 season finale to claim the Rocky Mountain Cup for the first time. For the Rapids, revenge would be twice as sweet because they are more than simply a spoiler.
A win this time would not only take back the Rocky Mountain Cup, but thrust Colorado into the MLS Cup Playoffs over their resurgent rivals.
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