Darren Yapi Hour Magic! Colorado Rapids Down San Diego FC 3-2!

COMMERCE CITY – The 2025 Colorado Rapids are fun but inconsistent. When they’re on, they can win at home against any team. And Yapi Hour can go long into the night for the South Bank sickos. Wearing their secondary Headwaters kit, the Burgundy Boys held their own against the second best team in the MLS Western Conference.

Rapids boss Chris Armas made two changes from Saturday’s loss to Vancouver Whitecaps. Kévin Cabral was benched after another poor performance. Homegrown Darren Yapi started up top with Rafael Navarro. Keegan Rosenberry was on the bench getting some rest, so Reggie Cannon was at right back and Sam Vines at left back. It was the first starts of the year for Yapi and Cannon. The lineup was otherwise as expected.

For the Chrome and Azul, it was as expected. Early season star Anders Dreyer and Mexican star Chucky Lozano were in attack. Former Rapid Jasper Löffelsend started at right back.

The first half was entertaining and feisty. The teams played like that had beef, not first time opponents. Both teams pressed and tried to be sharp on the ball. They were energetic.

It could have been 2-0 by the 10th minute. San Diego had a break down at the back in the 6th. Djordje Mihailović and Navarro pursued. Navarro eventually had a shot saved. A better angle and it’s an open goal. Navarro and Bassett had a similar sequence off the press in the 33rd that was blocked. That Navarro chance was the best at that point in the game.

Earlier in the 7th, Cole Bassett made a run on his own and had a shot set for the bottom corner that was saved by Carlos Dos Santos.

San Diego could have had a similar goal in the 28th. A long ball was a dime to Dreyer. He headed it down to Onni Valakari who shot wide with Zack Steffen closing him down.

Colorado deservedly took the lead before half on a penalty. Yapi worked hard to fend off a defender in the box. He was taken down in the box. After a few minute delay, the PK was confirmed. Mihailović took it, blasting it through the legs of the diving Dos Santos to make it 1-0.

The second half matched the intensity but had way more finishing. It took SDFC just four minutes to equalize. American International Luca de la Torre got the ball at the top of the box and put it on a rope last Zack Steffen to make it 1-1.

The two sides went at it the rest of the half.

Darren Yapi went out for Yapi hour in the 53th minute. Colorado had a corner kick on the north end. It bounced around in the box before Chido Awaziem headed it down. Yapi tapped it in with traffic all around for a scrappy goal to make it 2-1. It was their first goal off a corner of the year.

Then in the 66th, the Rapids counter attack cashed in. The Bassett Hound made a lung busting run forward. The other three attackers combined to find him. Bassett danced, finding Navarro open in the middle of the box. The pass was a bit off, but Navarro did great on his second touch to send the ball into the top corner.

The match was end-to-end after that. Dreyer had a great chance going shoulder-to-shoulder with Vines in the 75th but he shot over the bar. Dreyer made up for in the 89th, finding Tomás Ángel for a cool finish in the 89th to make it 3-2.

Colorado held on to win, moving them up to fourth in the Western Conference, level on points with SDFC with 14.

Burgundy Boys Bounce Back Again:

This team is young, inconsistent, talented, and fun. When they’re on, they can beat anyone in this league. What a performance from front to back against an excellent expansion team. And to do that after a lackluster loss at Vancouver.

“The team responded and had a good reaction after the last game in Vancouver. We’re looking for consistency. We see how good we can be in moments, certainly in our building. That’s the challenge. How consistently good can we be? Pressing. Running. Scoring. We’ll look to build on it,” a proud Chris Armas said postgame.

This game was everything the Rapids want to be. Intensity. Putting the opponent under constant pressure. Matching the intensity and being chippy. Creating high quality chances on set pieces, counters, and pressing. If last week was out of character for the Burgundy Boys, this was them at their best.

Darren Yapi Hour is Happy Hour:

First start of the season. First goal. Drew a penalty as well. Was a pressing monster. Helped Navarro. This was Yapi’s best performance as a Rapids player. Ever.

“We were all together. I just wanted to work hard and create chances for the team. That’s what I did. I played well. Just doing all the little things. Being a threat is just as important. Happy to get the win,” Yapi said humbly. He went on to say the coaches want him to improve on everything.

Credit to Armas as well who changed the shape but kept the principals of play. Defensively it was a 4-4-2, but then was a 4-2-2 in transition and in possessive attack a 4-2-4. It was a calculated risk. It worked out, in part because Yapi did his job spectacularly. He complemented an elevated Bassett and standard performance from Mihailović.

“It was new. We did it in New York last year. It felt really good to work off another striker,” Yapi said of playing as a second No. 9 along Navarro.

“We tried something different. A whole new formation. Clearly it worked. At home, we need to bring energy. Darren is a player who loves to score. He works so hard off the ball. He earns that goal through all that dirty work off the ball,” added Mihailović.

Rivalry Brewing?

This did not look like a first ever game between these two teams. Cole Bassett got wrecked on a play in the first half that wasn’t a foul. Awaziem bodied Ángel before his goal. Former Rapid Löffelsend had plenty to say after whistles. These was a high energy game between two teams who wanted to win. Two teams that did not like each other at the full time whistle.

Could this become a rivalry even though Colorado has RSL and the Rocky Mountain Cup and Azul has three other California teams? We’ll find out when May 14 turns into Midweek MLS After Dark.

“It’s always chippy when two good teams go at each other and it’s a close game. You try to get the edge, get in each other’s heads. Colorado did a good job delaying our restarts. We’re a direct team. They did a good job delaying that. I don’t like that but I do the same thing when it’s going our way. Can’t complain about it. It’s part of the game,” Löffelsend said.

Ted KDP Debut! Sam Vines Starts!

Ted Ku-DiPietro and Sam Vines won’t make the headlines tonight but they made strides tonight. Vines in his first start of the year looked himself. He was a two-way fullback. Got involved in some attacks. Was good on the ball. Was not a liability defensively. Hopefully the 2021 Vines-back is on the way.

“He’s been on the sideline for a lot of months. Our plan, he can be an attacking fullback but aggressive defensively. He was solid on the night. The best is still yet to come as he gets fitter and fitter. Tonight was a strong performance,” Armas said of the fullback.

Ted KDP brought the energy and the pressing. He had a great chance after coming on in the 84th, but had a poor first touch. He’s still building fitness and getting caught up to the tactics. But you can see there’s a player there. He said next step is to get his first goal. We’ll see if he beats Cabral to that.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken

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