Another House of Horrors for Colorado- Rapids vs Seattle Preview

Seattle, Washington – It’s a return to another house of horrors for the Colorado Rapids as they head to Seattle to face Western Conference foes Seattle Sounders. Lumen Field has not been kind to the Rapids in the past, with their last win there dating back to 2016. The latest trip for the ‘Pids ended in a 1-1 draw, so perhaps the tides are turning. Colorado enters this game on the back of one of their best performances and results of the season, beating 2nd-place Vancouver 3-0 at home. The Rapids will have to take this momentum into Seattle if they want a chance to get any sort of points against a top Seattle team. Could we see the new third kit that will be released on the same day as this match? Let’s take a look at the matchup.

When: Wednesday, July 16th @ 8:00 p.m. MST

Where: Lumen Field

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, FS1, Fox Sports, fuboTV, Fox Deportes

An Almost Perfect Win Against Vancouver:

The Rapids finally got their win against a Cascadia side. A draw and three losses in the previous four matches against Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle. This form turned around for the Rapids as they beat Vancouver handily at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park. Not many gave Colorado too much of a fighting chance against the 2nd-placed Vancouver side. The Rapids replied with one of their best, if not the best, performances and results of the year.

The Rapids jumped out to a 3-0 lead, not so similar to the 3-0 scoreline that we saw against New England. Colorado was dominant in this match and was a goalline clearance and a penalty miss away from being five goals to the good by the 59th minute. This dominance was evident in the final stretch of the match. The Rapids were able to see out the game and secure all three points without Vancouver posing too much of a threat.

It was a comprehensive performance from the back to the front, with Zack Steffen returning and commanding his defense to a clean sheet. The front four for Colorado was exceptional, with Djordje Mihailović getting three assists on the night, with one finally being on a corner. Calvin Harris, Rafa Navarro, and Andreas Maxsø got in on the goals and helped the Rapids get their biggest win of the season.

Rafa’s penalty miss was he only downside to this match. The play to get the penalty was special from Ted Ku-DiPietro. The finish, not so much. It is now the second missed penalty from the last three for Colorado. Djordje missed his previous penalty against Sporting KC. Relinquishing the penalty duty to Rafa, who scored his against Sporting, but missed his next against Vancouver. It opens an interesting discussion on who should be taking penalties from here on out. Does the team stick with Rafa, go back to Djordje, or give a third party like Bassett a chance? No matter what the Rapids decide on, one conversion from their last three penalties is poor. It is an area to look into for Chris Armas.

Lineup Prediction:

Steffen / Cannon, Awaziem, Maxsø (c), Vines / Atencio, C. Bassett / C. Harris, Mihailović, Ku-DiPietro / Navarro

Colorado goes two straight weeks with a relatively healthy roster. Nico Hansen has a groin injury. Homegrown left-back Jackson Travis returns from his questionable suspension. Wayne Frederick and Alex Harris remain out with their respective injuries. In terms of players who are expected to start, however, Chris Armas will have everyone available for selection.

This raises many questions about how the team will be structured. Will the team return to the 4-2-3-1 formation from Vancouver? Will they opt for a different look on the road? We could see a return of the six-minute formation, the 4-4-2 diamond. Rotation may also have the team back in the 4-2-2-2 formation. Colorado has tested numerous formations throughout the 2025 campaign and possesses the tactical fluidity that comes with it. I have predicted a return to a 4-2-3-1 formation, but I could see many different formations being considered against Seattle.

It will also be interesting to see how the team looks with the rumors of Chidozie Awaziem potentially departing the Rapids for FC Nantes in the French first division. At this moment, any news of his departure is a rumor. However, if he is excluded from the matchday roster without being listed on the injury report, the transfer gains more traction. Without Chido, the obvious replacement at center back is Ian Murphy, but after that? It gets very thin for Colorado. If the Rapids can’t get a center back in the transfer window, we could very well see Michael Edwards or Nate Jones make a return from their loan, or one of the Rapids 2 guys will get the call-up. You don’t want to look too far ahead without Chido out the door. But center back may become a real concern for the Rapids down the stretch.

Have We Seen the Best Eleven for Colorado?

It has been a year of tactical and formation adjustments for the Rapids. Armas has tried to find the best look for the players available. We have seen the team play in a 4-3-3, 4-2-2-2, or even the 4-4-2 diamond formation, which lasted all of six minutes against LAFC. Against Vancouver, however, Chris Armas opted to stick with the formation and personnel he had used for most of 2024. He returned to a 4-2-3-1 formation, which he had used on numerous occasions already in 2025. However, it was the first time we saw the 4-2-3-1 utilized in this way, against Vancouver. Cole Bassett finally returned to his preferred double pivot with Connor Ronan next to him. Djordje was able to stay in his best position, centrally. And the team trotted out two outright wingers to help Rafa up top.

This look not only allowed Cole to start in his preferred spot for the first time this season, but also didn’t sacrifice much to do it. Everyone in the eleven was in their preferred spot, and this was evident in how the team performed against Vancouver. We have seen the 4-2-3-1 formation with Bassett as a winger. Cole was much more effective in his double-pivot role. This look worked for the Vancouver fixture, but is it our best eleven?

I believe it is, perhaps with some minor tweaks needed for certain matches. But the core is all there and in their best spots. The only real downside from this formation and personnel look is the depth behind them. The midfield had already been plenty depth-filled before Bassett had joined, with Connor Ronan, Oli Larraz, and Josh Atencio fighting to fill the two spots available. With Cole back in the double pivot, this leaves three starting-caliber center midfielders with one place.

Of the three, I would expect to see Josh Atencio more than not due to his defensive ability pairing well with Cole’s ability to get forward. This would leave out Ronan and Oli, who have done well when they have played this season. Depth is rarely a bad thing to have; however, too much depth in the center of the park, with minimal depth out wide or even for Djordje, could become a problem with this look.

It is coming down to the later stages of the season for Colorado, and now is the time to establish an identity to move forward with for the rest of the season. The look used for Vancouver has been our most successful attempt, and is a look that I would not be surprised if they move forward with.

An Injured Seattle Team, but Still a Seattle Team:

Lumen Field has been a house of horrors for Colorado over the last nine years, and this trend is unlikely to change despite the expected absences from Seattle. The Sounders will be without Paul Arriola, Nouhou Tolo, Joao Paulo, and Stefan Frei. Despite these absences, the core of Jordan Morris, Albert Rusnak, and the Roldan brothers remains intact. This alone makes Seattle a dangerous opponent, especially at Lumen Field.

This matchup has already happened once this season, with Seattle escaping with a 1-1 draw at DICK’s earlier this season. Colorado left that match feeling hard done by the refereeing decision that took away the potential game winner for the Rapids after some negligible contact by Rafa on the headed goal. If all is right in the world, maybe we’ll see a Seattle game winner chalked off for minimal reason. Outside of the controversy late in the match, the game was a textbook example of a “Rapids during a bad spell of form” type of game. A late goal in the first half (remember when that was a big problem) from Seattle gave the visitors the lead, and despite a cheeky under-the-wall free kick goal from Djordje, the Rapids could not find the winner at home.

Seattle has found good form after crashing out of the Club World Cup without a point. But losing to European giants PSG and Atlético Madrid, alongside South American Botafogo, is not unexpected. Seattle has since gone three unbeaten, beating Austin and Sporting KC and drawing against Columbus. Seattle will still be Seattle, and Lumen Field will still be a tough place for the Rapids to get a result. Colorado will need to build on the momentum from Vancouver and take the game to Seattle if they hope to gain any points from this fixture.

Prediction: Lumen Field remains a challenging venue for Colorado to earn points. Seattle wins it 2-1.

Photo Credit: Spencer Baldwin

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