U.S. Men’s Olympic soccer coach Marko Mitrovic is punching the air right now.
From the spot in the 88th minute, Colorado Rapids midfielder Cole Bassett took the Rocky Mountain Cup back from Real Salt Lake for the first time since 2020.
Before the game, Bassett said he was envisioning a hat trick. With a goal and two assists, three goal contributions were a fine substitute, capped by the last-minute penalty shot that delivered a 3-2 victory on a stormy Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
“Sometimes, you’ve just got to put stuff out into the world and it happens,” Bassett said with a smile.
The penalty came on a handball awarded off of a corner kick. The ball seemed to have bounced off Calvin Harris’ head, but referee Ramy Touchan instead saw it hit the outstretched arm of an RSL defender. He immediately called the penalty, and a subsequent VAR review didn’t take long.
Earlier in the game, Bassett snuck a peek at RSL goalkeeper Gavin Beavers’ water bottle, which had notes written on it predicting which way different players would go on a penalty. On the list were Rafael Navarro, Connor Ronan and Bassett. With the blueprint of where Beavers thought Bassett would go, the midfielder went down the middle. Beavers went to his left.
“The rest was history,” said Bassett, who has three goals and three assists since learning of his Olympic team snub earlier this month.
Both RSL and Mother Nature threw all they could at the Rapids, with both RSL goals coming within the first 10 minutes of both halves. In the 9th minute, Andrés Gómez sent a rocket past Zack Steffen down low to the bottom left corner from around 25 yards out and struck again with an even better strike to the top left corner from the edge of the box in the 49th minute to tie the game at 2-all.
The Rapids responded to the first goal by scoring two in quick succession to take the lead toward the end of the first half. First was Jonathan Lewis, who scored his second of the year in the 35th minute on a wonderful half-volley on a sort of botched pass by Bassett. Defender Sam Vines finally opened his account four minutes later when he found himself on the end of a Lewis cross, preceded by a pass from Bassett, for a tap-in.
In three straight starts, Lewis has now amassed four goal contributions.
“(Lewis) understands what we’re doing, he embraces it and he likes it. I think that empowered him to play the way he did tonight,” Rapids coach Chris Armas said. “He stepped up in a big way.”
Then came the downpours and the lightning. Those things plagued the Rapids a year ago, resulting in seven different weather delays both home and away. Due to heavy rain and lightning in the area, the game was postponed at halftime for more than an hour.
Those sorts of delays can be tough for different players, especially those who haven’t experienced it as much. Some eat Uncrastables, some Saturday even indulged in spicy marinara sauce. Either way, dealing with soreness and having to stay ready without knowing when you’d get back on the field is challenging.
Any doubt or concern was quelled with a Bassett laser down the middle from the spot to beat Beavers. During celebrations after the final whistle, Rocky Mountain Cup in hand, Armas pumped it up harder and yelled louder than any player who did so before or after him, much to the delight of the Rapids fans still in attendance in the Centennial 38 Supporters Group section.
Before the season, Armas took time to speak to those fans and find out what was most important to them. The Rocky Mountain Cup was very high on that list. Deliverable, delivered.
But the way he connects with both his players and the fans is just another thing that makes Armas unique, according to defender and captain Keegan Rosenberry.
“It has a lot to do with the success we’re having right now, the way we interact with each other, the way we perform and the way we approach matches is fun to watch,” Rosenberry said. “I think his ability to give the right messaging before big games is awesome. It’s a real asset that he has. The way he relates to our guys and with our fans, it’s fun to watch, fun to be a part of and he fits right in.”
After months of having games twice a week, the Rapids will have a 12-day break heading into Leagues Cup. The first match of the group stage will be at Portland Aug. 1 at 8:30 p.m.
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