Rapids Concacaf Draw: It’s LAFC in Round One.

Update: Concacaf announced the schedule Friday afternoon. Colorado Rapids will host LAFC in the first leg February 18. The second leg will be at LAFC on February 25. Both games will be a 8 PM MT kickoff.

MIAMI, Fla. – The 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup is set. It was déjà vu for Colorado Rapids. They will play Los Angeles FC. The seeding is A1 vs B1. The winner will play Columbus Crew in the Round of 16.

This was an exciting Rapids Concacaf draw with a troubling result for many Rapids fans. Colorado had a 5/11 chance of getting a Liga MX team. They beat four LMX teams on their way to finishing 3rd in Leagues Cup last year, which qualified them for Conca Champions. It’s a bit repetitive to play another MLS team.

And of all the MLS teams to get, LAFC was arguably the worst. Colorado has an abhorrent record at BMO Stadium. They lost in league play last year 3-0 after a Kévin Cabral red card. They then played at LAFC in the Leagues Cup semifinal, losing 4-0. All time at LAFC, Colorado have lost all seven games. The aggregate scoreline is 21-2.

That said, this is a two leg series. Colorado will be at home for the first match. LAFC hasn’t played well at altitude, especially their stars. Colorado got a historic 1-0 win in Commerce City in 2018. Last year, they came back to beat LAFC 3-2 in a win that kickstarted their season. The Black and Gold did play a snow game at Salt Lake early last year and lost 3-0. If the first leg is Snow Clasico 5, the Pids have a chance.

They need a result in that first leg. Must win. They can’t come into that second tie on the road needing a draw. They’ll get LAFC’s best effort and we’ve seen what happens then. Colorado’s lost by multiple goals every time they’ve played at LAFC. Go for it in that first game then try and manage the aggregate scoreline in the second leg. Most of last year’s squad is coming back. They should have continuity to start the season. Hopefully they can hit the ground running.

Concacaf did not announce the schedule for the first round at time of publishing. Expect the first round to take place midweek in February and be done before the opening weekend of MLS. My guess would be the two Wednesdays before the first MLS games.

Rapids fans, start praying to Chris Bianchi for Snow Clasico 5.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken

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