Five Games Winless: Colorado Rapids Lose in First Trip to Snapdragon Stadium

San Diego, California– The Colorado Rapids suffered their second straight 2-0 loss at the hands of a California team. The first away trip to San Diego FC and Snapdragon Stadium did not go to plan for Chris Armas and the Rapids, who struggled again to create and limit chances throughout the match.

The Rapids made six changes to the team that lost to San Jose at the weekend, which included a lot of rotation of the usual starters for Colorado. Keegan Rosenberry made his first start since Vancouver, and lined up alongside a back four that only kept Maxsø from the last match. Wayne Frederick also made his second start of the year for the Rapids, as the Rapids looked to keep the legs fresh amidst a busy May schedule.

San Diego did not rotate their lineup much, and did not feature ex-Rapid Jasper Löffelsend. It was a very strong starting eleven from the expansion side, who lined up Hirving Lozano and Anders Dreyer up top, a pairing that gave the Rapids a whole lot of problems throughout the match.

San Diego started the game quickly. Steffen was forced to make a save off a Hirving Lozano shot just three minutes into the match. This trend continued as Steffen had to make another save from a long shot by Lozano in the ninth. The real chaos was moments later, as a long ball found Lozano in a 50/50 with Steffen, which Steffen won, but the ball fell to Anibal Godoy, who had two separate bites at the apple, but couldn’t put it away.

San Diego continued to put on the pressure, and the Rapids did not make life easy for themselves. A string of mistakes from Ian Murphy and Kévin Cabral allowed Godoy to have a half chance that we sent over the bar. The Rapids remained unpunished, but it didn’t last long. In the 33rd minute, San Diego whipped in a corner that Wayne Frederick didn’t deal with on the near post, and the flick-on header found a Christopher McVey that Murphy had left unmarked on the back post. The center back made no mistake breaking the deadlock.

The Rapids continued to make life difficult for themselves in the first half, as Zack Steffen gave the ball straight to Alex Mighten, who plays a one-two with Anders Dreyer, as the Rapids are left scrambling back. Ian Murphy blocks the ensuing shot from Mighten, and Colorado avoids disaster right before halftime (again).

It was not a sharp half from Colorado, although they had some half-chances to end the half that included a midfield shot from Djordje Mihailović that San Diego keeper Dos Santos had to race back and tip over the bar. San Diego had dominated the first half, having 67% possession, 15 shots, and 1.48 expected goals to Colorado’s three shots and 0.15 expected goals. It was just 1-0 though.

The second half was not much kinder to the Rapids, as San Diego were able to sit back and counter a Rapids side that were pushing men forward to try and find the equalizer. San Diego was able to find a ton of space in the Rapids’ defensive half, where they couldn’t seem to link up well enough to find a shot.

It went from bad to worse for the Rapids as in the 58th minute, San Diego played out of the high press of Colorado and switched the field of play to Anders Dreyer, who takes on Sam Vines and hits a shot to the back post. The shot ricochets off the back post and finds Dreyer again, who is in a much more advantageous position to find the back of the net, which he did. The result was really starting to get out of hand for the Rapids.

However, in the 70th minute, the Rapids were given a lifeline with a Ted Ku-DiPietro cross striking the outstretched hand of Willy Kumado in the box, giving the Rapids a chance to find some life in the game, twelve yards out. But it wasn’t to be for Djordje or Colorado, as Mihailović’s attempt was saved by Dos Santos. It was a golden opportunity for the Rapids.

The rest of the game was filled by some half-chances by a desperate Colorado side, and ended with a no-call on a penalty shout as Calvin Harris was brought down in the box by San Diego defender Luca Bombino. Penalty or not, not much was saving the Rapids from a loss in this one.

“Want to put it behind us quickly, as we have another important one coming up. It’s a tough game tonight for us. At home, we put San Diego in a tough spot, and they put us in a tough spot tonight. They were pretty good on the night, San Diego, so give them credit, and we move on,” Chris Armas said after the match.

Missing Rafa Navarro up top:

The Rapids were without their Brazilian number nine for the first time this season, and it was a loss that the team could not overcome in San Diego. “He’s our striker. He’s our DP. He’s the heart and soul guy of our team. So anytime you don’t have him, you miss all the things he brings. So hopefully we have him back for Saturday,” Chris Armas told Burgundy Wave.

The timeline starts with whether Rafa Navarro will be fit and ready to play against RSL in the first edition of the 2025 Rocky Mountain Cup on Saturday. When asked about his availability, Armas said, “It’s still a question. If he could have played at 80% or 70% tonight, he would have. So that’s day to day.” The Rapids will be very aware of Rafa’s recovery during this busy May schedule, and will hopefully have him back for the weekend.

Rotated Lineup for Colorado:

Chris Armas made six changes to the team from the weekend, giving guys like Wayne Frederick and Ian Murphy a start that had been rare up to this point. With the Rocky Mountain Cup on Saturday, some rotation was expected, but Chris Armas said that wasn’t in his head when selecting the team.

“It had nothing to do with Rocky Mountian Cup. We have a roster that is deep. We have players that are performing all year long, and it’s time in a three-game week to give guys opportunities. Sam Vines, Keegan Rosenberry, starters for us last year. Wayne Frederick, the guy coming through, made a big move to get Ian Murphy. If I don’t play guys on nights like this, they might never play,” Chris Armas told the media.

Keegan Rosenberry sang the praises of his team and their willingness to be in and out of the lineup. He told Burgundy Wave, “That’s what the full squad is all about. It’s very difficult to be thrown in and out of the lineup, and maybe not have those match minutes. It’s something that we pride ourselves on. A lot of guys showed in the minutes they gave us tonight.” The Rapids will have to look for depth and the next man up in a busy month of May.

Keegan Rosenberry Returns:

The captain made his first appearance since Vancouver, and it came with a start for the right-back. His exclusion had been a talking point amongst Rapids fans, especially with a spotty defensive record as of late. Chris Armas sang Keegan’s praises despite the 2-0 loss. Armas told the media, “On the night, I think you saw that he dug deep. He really pushed hard. You can see in the second half he’s pushing, pushing really hard against Lozano. It’s a tough matchup, and he came out ahead in so many moments.”

When asked about his recent exclusion, Armas downplayed the lack of chances for the defender, telling the media, “Look, we have competition in so many spots. Reggie Cannon, who we went and added last year, there’s just real competition there. Keegan Rosenberry is such an important piece to this team, and having his presence out there, even when things get tough, you can see the leader that he is.”

Gears Shifting Towards the Rocky Mountain Cup:

Chris Armas was very open about how the team was going to be taking this three-game week. He and the team are aware of how much the Rocky Mountain Cup means for the fans and the team, but the most important game was the next one, and after San Diego, the team will have to balance dissecting the San Diego game and looking ahead to RSL.

“It’s always a balance,” Keegan Rosenberry told Burgundy Wave about how much the team will look at the San Diego game and move on to RSL. “Especially when the games come quickly throughout a week. I think there’s a bit of both. We’ll look at that, take a hard look. Some travel, some rest, and quickly it’s some prep in the day before the game session on Friday.”

Chris Armas talked about the tough result and how the focus has shifted to the next match. “Saturday is our focus, all of our energy now spent on recovery. It’s a big match for the players, our club, and our fans,” Armas told the media.

The Rapids will face Real Salt Lake in the first edition of the Rocky Mountain Cup at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Saturday, May 17th at 7:30 PM MT.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken

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