Colorado Rapids MLS Home Opener Preview: Retro Ski Night Against Dallas

COMMERCE CITY – The 2025 Colorado Rapids have their home opener at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park against a fellow MLS Original in FC Dallas. The Rapids are coming off an exit from the Concacaf Champions Cup at the hands of LAFC and look to right the ship in league play. Let’s take a look at this matchup.

When: Tuesday, March 1 @ 7:30 p.m. MST

Where: DICK’S Sporting Goods Park

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

Colorado’s Exit from CCC:

The Rapids are coming into this home stand three days out from their 1-0 loss (2-2 on aggregate, Rapids lost on away goals) at the hands of LAFC in Los Angeles. It was one of the better results the Rapids have had at BMO Stadium, but it wasn’t enough to advance in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

The Rapids defense put in a good shift, frustrating the hosts in the first half and limiting them to only two shots on target. Similar stats were created in the second half, but a 49th-minute goal from midfielder Marco Delgado ended up being LAFC’s one big chance of the game. Rafa Navarro missed the Pids’ only big chance of the game early, and the Rapids failed to produce a shot on target for the whole game.

The Rapids can say that they were in the game throughout, which cannot be said for most visits to BMO Stadium. But it was not a clean game from the Burgundy Boys. Throughout the game, the Rapids’ players were too loose with their passes and gave the ball away too much in poor spots. When LAFC dropped back into a low block in the second half, Colorado couldn’t seem to string two passes together in the final third and instead opted to play around the back in key late moments of that game.

Chris Armas and his players can take a lot of good from their short CCC appearance, but they also have things to iron out before they meet FC Dallas on Saturday.

Early Woes in Front of Goal:

In the first three games of the season, the Rapids have scored twice, both through Djordje Mihailović, and have totaled five shots on target through that stretch. All five shots on target happened in the first leg against LAFC, and the ‘Pids have gone two straight games without a shot on target. 

In 2024, the Rapids was near the top of the league in expected goals and now has gone two straight games without creating a shot on target. The good news is that it is still early in the season and that the fixtures themselves are tough ones. LAFC and St. Louis away are some of the hardest games of the year, and both were accompanied by more defensive-minded tactics from Armas.

Now, if the Rapids aren’t able to get the offense rolling at home against Dallas, the alarm bells may have to start ringing in Colorado.

Lineup Prediction:

The Burgundy Boys haven’t been spoiled for choice when it comes to depth, and it seems to continue into this matchup. 

We could see the return of Andreas Maxsø, Darren Yapi, or Connor Ronan into the starting lineup, but I would bet on them seeing the bench for a game or two before being slotted back into the starting lineup. Here is my prediction for the lineup against Dallas:

Steffen / Rosenberry(C), Awaziem, Murphy, Cannon / Atencio, Bassett / Cabral, Mihailović, C. Harris / Navarro

With Jackson Travis out for 4-6 weeks and Vines still out of team drills, I can’t see much rotation along the backline. I believe we will see Bassett slot back into his preferred position alongside Atencio, allowing a more attacking approach from Armas. It was interesting to see Armas opt for youngster Alex Harris to make his debut for the Rapids before looking Omir Fernandez’s way at LAFC. It could be a trend that could see less of Omir in the coming weeks, or the opposite, and he was being rested for this game. Either way, until Ted Ku-DiPietro is healthy, that winger role is a hole in this team.

New Look Dallas:

The FC Dallas front office knew there had to be some changes to the team that had finished 11th in the Western Conference and missed out on the playoffs in 2024. And changes there were. They traded away important players like Jesús Ferreira and Paul Arriola to Seattle, while Sam Junqua and Nkosi Tafari went to RSL and LAFC, respectively. They also saw to the transfer of Alan Velasco to Boca Juniors in Argentina while offloading 15 total players. 

But they brought in just as many new faces, with the standout pickups being MLS star Lucho Acosta from Cincy and MLS veterans like Lalas Abubakar, Leo Chu, Anderson Julio, and Shaq Moore. They rounded out their transfer window with some signings from North Texas and some free agents, so this Dallas team will have a new look under new head coach Eric Quill, and they have more help on the way:

We got a first look at this Dallas team in their impressive 2-1 win at Houston last Saturday. However, it wasn’t all pretty, as Houston scored first off of a mess of a clearance from the Dallas backline. They equalized through a comically bad pass from Houston centerback Ethan Bartlow and scored the eventual winner though ex-RSL man Anderson Julio getting on the end of a well-placed Petar Musa through ball. 

The new designated player, Lucho Acosta, didn’t get on the scoresheet but showed his quality and his ability to create for Dallas. He will be a man to keep tabs on for Colorado, along with Petar Musa, who has been great for Dallas since joining them in 2024. The Rapids will also have to make sure they do not recreate Bartlow’s mistake and look better on the ball than they did in LA. The speed that Dallas has up top will be a problem as well, and it was on display for Anderson Julio’s winner in Houston. It is the early days for Eric Quill in Dallas, so it will be interesting to see how his team shapes up in Colorado.

The Return Of Lalas Abubakar:

FC Dallas is a familiar foe for Colorado, and now they have a familiar face with them. Lalas Abubakar joined Dallas as a free agent after the Rapids could not come to terms on a new contract with the 30-year-old. Lalas had become a fan favorite in Colorado during his six-year stay, and Saturday will be his first game back in Colorado.

Lalas didn’t start for Dallas in their season opener at Houston and did not make an appearance in that game. FC Dallas head coach Eric Quill opted to start Sebastian Ibeagha and Osaze Urhoghide at center-back. I expect Quill to lean toward those two again in Colorado unless he wants to ultilize Lalas’ experience at DICKs Sporing Goods Park.

Start or not, it will be a weird sight to see Lalas on the other side on Saturday. I expect the Rapids faithful to give him a warm welcome and for him to return the favor.

Cheer for Chido at 6 Minutes:

Awaziem accused Sergi Palencia of using derogatory language towards him towards the end of the game on Tuesday. Concacaf has launched an investigation. Many in the Rapids Community have suggested the fans do what they did for Moïse Bombito last summer. Cheer for Chido at 6:00 on the game clock.

Prediction: The Rapids have a better night in front of the goal and continue their good defensive record against a dangerous Dallas attack. Rapids win 2-1. 

Photo Credit: John Babiak

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