South Platte River Derby Preview: R2 vs NoCo Hailstorm

COMMERCE CITY – It’s the second ever South Platte River Derby in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Colorado Rapids 2 of MLS NEXT Pro host USL League One’s Northern Colorado Hailstorm. This comes a year after the Rapids first team beat Hailstorm 3-1 in their first cup match.

When: Wednesday, April 3 @ 7:30 p.m. MDT

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

TV/Streaming: MLSSoccer.com

Rapids 2 Talking Points:

Let’s start with the fact that R2 is playing in Open Cup instead of the first team. MLS backed out of Open Cup this year and it was ugly and clearly political. Colorado did vote to stay in the competition but were outvoted. That said, Rapids 2 manager Erik Bushey is taking this very seriously. They had a comprehensive performance against Azteca in the previous round.

Expect a few first team Homegrowns and the draft picks to be in the lineup tonight. They’re looking at this as a tough test. The winner of this game isn probably getting USL Championship side New Mexico United or El Paso. There’s a chance the winner of this game gets whomever wins Union Omaha vs Sacha Kljestian’s Des Moines Menace.

“We played them preseason. They’re a tough team for sure. Great athletic quality. Savyness up high. They’ll be up for it. We’re going to have to be a strong group. If we’re good as a collective, we can win that game,” Bushey said of NoCo.

When asked about Irvin Parra, “he’s tough. He has the experience. He’s proved that against us. He’s a handful. He’ll get our attention.”

Norther Colorado Hailstorm #HailYeah Talking Points:

Hailstorm had Easter weekend off, so they should be well rested. They’ve again been road warriors to start the year and had a back-and-forth 1-0 loss at Spokane recently. Irvin Parra is back and captaining the side as their No. 10. They’ve got a plethora of wide threats with Marky Hernández and McCain Clarke

They had significant turnover this offseason, losing their two best players Trevor Amann and Arthur Rogers. But they’re confident they’re better in the aggregate this year.

“Erik Bushey, he’s done a fantastic job with Rapids 2. They’re a reserve league. It’s a respectable league. USL League One is an independent third division. They’re completely different. Anytime we’ve played them in preseason, it’s been a competitive game where both teams put up strong lineups. This year, it finished 2-1. I expect another tight game. Our players will be fully ready. We’ll go at it as if we’re playing the Rapids first team,” NoCo manager Éamon Zayed said.

Betting Odds:

Sportsbooks in Colorado are very interested in this matchup, and they’ve got a heavy favorite. FanDuel has Hailstorm at -179. Rapids 2 are +390 underdogs. A tie (through 90 minutes) is +300. This isn’t the only game in which a NEXT Pro team is a home underdog.

Prediction: Hailstorm win 2-1 in extra time. Goals from Irvin Parra, Alec Diaz, and Ethan Hoard.

Photo Credit: John Babiak

Thank you for reading Burgundy Wave. Support us via our Patreon starting at $5/month. We’re always looking for new talent. Let us know if you’re interested in covering Colorado Soccer.