Dark Clouds: Dom Badji Scores to Down Rapids

Dark clouds descended on DICK’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night as Colorado Rapids hosted FC Cincinnati. The Front Range got all the spring storm weather. Lightning was visible from the stadium several times in the first half. Coming off two loses in one week to Real Salt Lake, could the Colorado withstand the storm? Former Rapid Dom Badji was the storm.

Head Coach Robin Fraser again had his hands tied. Ten players were unavailable between injuries, two suspensions, Darren Yapi on international duty, and Max Alves out due to his investigation.

Calvin Harris got his first league start as a Burgundy Boy, against his former team no less. Three Rapids 2 players made the bench. Cole Bassett was on the bench, making the gameday squad for the first time since April 15.

The first half did not have many chances. There were several lightning strikes in the distance with dark clouds to the south, but the game was not delayed.

Cincy came out with good energy. Colorado again struggled with turnovers while playing out of the back. Lucho Acosta and Brandon Vazquez had chances as a result. The Pids tried a few long balls to Keegan Rosenberry and Jonathan Lewis, with mixed success.

Cincinnati made the Rapids play in the 34th minute. Off a turnover in the attach with numbers pushed up, they left space for FCC to counter. Obinna Nwobodo got into the box and drew Lalas Abubakar towards him. That left Badji open on the flank. He took at touch to control the ball and picked out the far bottom corner. The half ended 1-0.

Yosuke Hanya and Moïse Bombito subbed on for Harris and Abubakar at halftime. Connor Ronan hit the post moments into the half. Bombito had a great individual effort on 70 minutes, but Celentano made a great save. Yarbrough denied Yuya Kubo, but left the rebound and an open goal for Sergio Santos who bottled it.

Kévin Cabral won a free kick just outside the box in the final minutes. Replay showed the foul was outside the box. Ronan’s free kick did not clear the first line of defense. The match ended 1-0.

Bad Weather, Bad Results:

Five losses in a row, four in a row in league play. No home wins in seven league games. They’re injured, poor on the ball, and the perfect team to play when struggling or your striker needs to break a goal drought. Fraser said fatigue was a factor in their being poor on the ball.

Things are dark. Predictably dark. It’s hard to see how and when this gets better. This reporter is running out of ways to say the same thing.

“You can’t allow yourself to wallow but I think everyone does in the back of your mind. ‘We just need a break’ but part of it is that we know we have to earn a break. We have to finish one of these chances. We have to execute defensively,” said Fraser, adding “For us to get out of it, the feeling is we have to be perfect. While perfection is unattainable, it’s what we have to strive for.”

Of course Dom Badji scores in his return:

This was Badji’s first goal for FC Cincinnati in all competitions. His last goal was on Decision Day in 2021 as a member of the Rapids. It’s fitting and a cruel joke that he comes back to Colorado and scores the winner. Cincinnati were otherwise pedestrian finishers on the night. Colorado could not take advantage.

“It was nice to be home. In the heat of the moment, it was just another goal.”

“It was weird. I almost kept going straight into the Colorado locker room. Colorado will always be home for me. I miss Colorado.”

His celebration was classy though, with no visceral reaction, and the heart hands pointed towards the south stand. That was very much intentional, Badji added saying “I love the Colorado fans. They’ve shown a lot of love for me. I’ll always have love for Colorado.”

Cole Bassett’s back and the reserves were alright:

Bassett subbed on in the 77th minute, returning from his hamstring injury that would not go away. He looked ok. It was his first appearance since April 15 and just his second in two months. He and other young players like Hanya and Bombito were a bright spot in the storm. Here’s hoping it’s onward and upward for them along with the injured players. They are sorely needed.

“It was good to have Cole back for 15 minutes tonight. That was a positive. Hopefully he can have more minutes on Wednesday. Hopefully we get a couple of other guys back,” Fraser said of Bassett.

“Tonight was an opportunity to get him on the ball in a little bit more of an attacking role and it almost paid dividends,” he said of Bombito.

“He brings some new young energy. He’s doing really good. He’s also dangerous up in front. He’s strong and fast. He has a bright future,” Andreas Maxsø added.

Take care of yourself, Rapids Community:

This match was Mental Health Awareness Night. The club wore their secondary blue New Day Kits instead of burgundy. I wrote about that here. The club is accepting mental health testimonials from the community. You can submit them here. Take care of yourself.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken.

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