Different Competition, Same Rapids: Nashville 2-1 Colorado

Colorado entered Sunday night with hopes of turning around their season with a good showing in the Leagues Cup. A 2-1 loss certainly hinders that goal. Although at times dominant, the Rapids were taught a lesson in finishing by Hany Mukhtar. The German star took less than two minutes after coming on to open the scoring for Nashville. Of the Rapids 17 shots, only four were on target, resulting in a deflected goal by Andrew Gutman. 

Positive First Half

One of Nashville’s first possessions almost turned into a goal as the ball found Teal Bunbury inside Colorado’s penalty area. The veteran striker laid it off to Randall Leal, who’s shot from a tight angle only managed to find the side netting. Winger Jacob Shaffelberg was the most dangerous player on the field in the first half, with his pace, trickery, and crossing accuracy proving difficult for Colorado to deal with. 

Colorado began to show some life, with new signing Andrew Gutman appealing for a penalty after going down rather easily. The left back began his run deep inside his own half before dribbling past numerous Nashville players. Replays showed that Gutman’s momentum led him to go down, and that the referee’s decision was correct. 

Cole Bassett was able to run in behind Nashville’s defense in the 13th minute and fired across the box, just missing the outstretched Calvin Harris. In an almost identical play 10 minutes later, Bassett once again drove in a cross, but Harris was unable to get sufficient contact to threaten the Nashville goal. 

Nashville then responded against the run of play, with Shaffelburg firing straight at Yarbrough after Rosenberry’s failed clearance. Nashville’s best chance came through the danger man Schaffelberg, as he once again created space for his cross and found Bunbury lurking in the box, with his header just wide.

The half ended in a 0-0 stalemate, but the Rapids knew they had wasted an opportunity. Fraser sounded resigned in his post game press conference, stating “Felt like we had a lot of control in the first half and if we’d have taken some of that control, and been a little bit sharper around the box, maybe it would’ve been different”.

MVP Does What MVPS Do

Colorado started the second half brightly, picking up from where they left off in the first. The Rapids were clearly beginning to exert their will on the match, and Nashville’s head coach Gary Smith could sense it. 

The Nashville crowd erupted when reigning MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar was substituted onto the field, and for good reason. Mere moments later, Ralph Priso’s risky cross field pass was intercepted by Dax McCarty. The former USMNT international combined with Mukhtar before playing the ball back to him, and the German attacker did the rest. His shot wasn’t very powerful, but a deflection from Danny Wilson was enough to divert the ball past Yarbrough in the 56th minute.

 Fraser tried to counter by taking off Priso and Calvin Harris for Möise Bombito and Bryan Acosta. That did little to stop the bleeding. The Rapids suddenly seemed unbothered to mark Nashville’s two most dangerous players and that led to a second goal. 

Mukhtar found himself in space with all the time in the world to pick out a man, and he found Shaffelburg. The Canadian was easily able to steer the ball towards the bottom left hand corner past Yarbrough. 

Nashville began enjoying themselves, with numerous chances to make it 3-0. Mukhtar and Bunbury both saw their efforts saved by Yarbrough. Fraser’s last roll of the dice came in the 70th minute. Michael Barrios and Kevin Cabral were brought in for Darren Yapi and Galvan. Another frustrating night for Yapi, as his missed chance in the first half proved to be monumental. 

Too Little, Too Late

Gutman has been phenomenal since coming over from Atlanta United, and his drive in the 79th minute, seemed to deflect off Cabral before nestling into Nashville’s net. The goal clearly galvanized the Rapids, as they looked to push for a late equalizer.

Bassett then almost had the goal of the season for Colorado, but his phenomenal free kick was denied by the crossbar in the 85th minute. Fraser’s men showed remarkable desire to grab a second, especially Gutman as every attacking play seemingly ran through him, but the final chance just didn’t come. 

Gutman Shows Up

The biggest positive was undoubtedly Gutman’s performance, with his attacking forays from left back crucial for Colorado at the moment. He’s aware of his attacking presence and what that can bring to this Rapids team. “That was one of the reasons they told me they brought me in: to attack more, to try to help score goals, to give assists. For me it was super important to get my first goal, you know I think that’s the hardest goal to get at any club, so hopefully I can just continue the momentum here, and give a spark in the attack”.

They’ll certainly need more offensive contributions from him if they are to snatch a result against Liga MX side Toluca in next week’s crucial home game.

Another tough result to stomach for Rapids fans, as the win was there for the taking. A mental collapse that lasted perhaps all of 20 minutes will cost you when facing quality opposition, and Hany Mukhtar was just that. The team is playing better in recent weeks, but that is still a meager consolation.

Photo Credit: @ColoradoRapids via Twitter

Thank you for reading Burgundy Wave. If you want to support us, join our Patreon starting at $5/month. Also, we’re always looking for new talent to contribute to the site, develop, and give opportunities to. If you’re interested in covering Colorado Soccer in any way, let us know.