Rapids LAFC Preview: Colorado’s Bloody Nose vs an Awoken Giant

COMMERCE CITY – It’s a rare afternoon kickoff at the Richard. Colorado Rapids are hosting Los Angeles FC tomorrow. The Burgundy Boys are coming off a tough and controversial loss to Houston Dynamo. LAFC have woken up after their 5-0 win against Nashville SC.

When: Saturday, March 30 @ 2:00 p.m. MST

Where: DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colorado

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

LAFC Happenings:

The back-to-back Western Conference Champions underwent a significant turnover this winter. Kellyn Acosta left for Chicago. Eduard Atuesta is back. Omar Campos is in from Santos Laguna at fullback for the departed Diego Palacios. Hugo Lloris has come over from Tottenham Hotspurs. Carlos Vela’s out of contract and somewhere.

After a rough few weeks, that included a snow game, LAFC broke the duck last week. Denis Bouanga opened his 2024 account as they ran over Nashville. Compare that to how Colorado did against Gary Smith’s side in their home opener.

This is still one of the best teams in MLS. We’ve seen LAFC come got DSGP and be less energetic. They’ve got El Trafico next weekend. Have to believe they want two wins going into that derby. Can they come put in a professional performance and take easy advantage of Colorado’s weaknesses?

Colorado Rapids Happenings:

Chris Armas has some lineup decisions to make. Moïse Bombito is back from national team duty and should start at center back. Lamine Diack is ready to play and awaiting his debut. Does Armas finally give him a start? Oli Larraz and Cole Bassett have done well in the double pivot, albeit against two teams that did not press them.

Then there’s the issue of the attack. The press looked better but this team still isn’t create quality shots on goal. Rafael Navarro and Djordje Mihailović have to do better and they have a tough task ahead. LAFC should be the best team on the ball they’ve played so far this season. The press will be put to the test.

So too might the defense. The structure has been way better this year. But Andreas Maxsø will likely play with a broken nose tomorrow. Maybe the mask will scare LAFC attackers. Colorado’s lucked out with opponents so far having injuries to key attackers. That will not be the case this weekend. Zack Steffen will need to be ready to organize the defense and make at least one big save.

Betting Odds:

Sportsbooks in Colorado are split on this one. FanDuel for example has a Rapids win at +200, LAFC at +120, and +250 for a draw. The visitors are a slight favorite, but all three outcomes have more than double a payout. Bettor’s choice. How optimistic are you, Rapids Community?

I’ve got a 2-0 loss.

Photo Credit: John Babiak

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