Rapids’ Leagues Cup Magic Runs out. Djordje Mihailović Personal Reasons Absence.

Commerce City, CO – Fly too close to the sun enough times, eventually your feathers melt, you fall down to earth, and a Mexican team laughs at you on the internet. Sunday night saw the Colorado Rapids host Club Tijuana in their second Leagues Cup game. With a key absence, the magic against Liga MX teams finally ran out.

The lineup was a disconcerting surprise for many Rapids fans. Djordje Mihailović was out of the squad entirely for personal reasons. All Burgundy Wave staff hope he and his family are ok given he has a 1-year-old and his mom has been battling cancer. Darren Yapi started in place of him. Chris Armas rotated the fullbacks with Keegan Rosenberry and Jackson Travis starting. Wayne Frederick II was in midfield.

For Club Tijuana, the star 16-year-old Gilberto Mora started out wide.

The first half was open. Vitor Ferreira and Frank Boya were busy creating chances for the visitors. Ferreira was a live wire in transition. Boya had looks on the six corners they had. It was center back Jackson Porozo who scored in the 39th off a corner. He got a head onto the ball inside the six. He put the ball off the post then tapped in his own rebound.

Colorado had chances of their own. With Mihailović out, it was Cole Bassett on corners and free kicks. He had a direct free kick in the 14th that went wide. Rafael Navarro had two great chances. In the 21st, he had an open header off a recycled throw in that was saved spectacularly by Antonio Rodriguez. Then at the end of the half, he and Yapi battled the defense for a ball on a corner. Navarro got to it but his shot was blocked on the line by Unai Bilbao and collected by the keeper.

The half was chippy. There were quick yellow card to Frederick and Mora. Ted Ku-DiPietro was tackled hard several times but only earned one foul. He sustained a left shoulder injury but stayed in the game. Xolos manager Washington Abreu got a yellow for dissent.

Tijuana adopted a more defensive posture in the second half. Colorado struggled at times to break down the low block 4-4-2. They created danger when they found space. That paid off in the 72nd. Alejandro Gómez got into the box and delivered a hard shot. Steffen made the save but the rebound fell to Ramiro Árciga on the doorstep for a tap in.

Colorado poured on the pressure. The Homegrowns seemed to take matters into their own hands. Sam Vines subbed on initially at left wing in front of Travis. Oli Larraz and Bassett knocked the ball round. In the 74th, they combined to find Yapi in the box. The play saw Jackson Porozo head the ball into his own net for an own goal. It was 1-2 with 16 minutes to go.

Colorado huffed and puffed to find an equalizer. Steffen made great back-to-back saved in the 79th. Bassett had a free kick after that that was saved by Rodriguez.

Both teams had a decisive moment in stoppage time. Xolos had a 3-on-2 counter attack. Árciga hit the post on the first shot and sent the rebound rolling wide. Then Yapi had a knockdown header that was blocked with shouts for handball. The match ended 1-2.

Leagues Cup Magic runs out:

After five straight wins (including some PKs) against Liga MX teams, the Rapids have lost to a Mexican teams. Every one of those matches has been close. It was about time a bounce went against them. Tijuana isn’t a bad team. The all Mexican officials let a number of plays go which didn’t help Colorado the way they tried to force the coincidence. They were playing from behind and didn’t finish their chances. The better team won.

Djordje was missed. Depth wasn’t great.

Speaking of not being the better team, they were missing Mihailović. Navarro did great in the creator role at times. But they could have used a bit more quality on the final ball. Even without Djordje, they were dangerous on set pieces. But Mihailović is their best player and Cole Bassett was leggy in the final 20 minutes as they chased the winner.

Mihailović missed the game for personal reasons. He does have a 1-year-old. He’s been open about how his mom has been battling cancer. It’s also the transfer window and he’s an amazing player who might have gotten an offer.

“Djordje’s working through some personal reasons he’s working through right now. That’s something he’s working through. We’re behind him,” Armas said.

Armas rotated his squad. The kids who got a chance weren’t poor but were not effective. Travis did great defensively returning from that red card against LAFC. Frederick took an early yellow card that forced him off at halftime. He didn’t do much in possession. Alex Harris and Sam Bassett subbed on late and ran a lot. They didn’t bring the quality needed to create scoring chances. Sam Vines did well in a rare left winger position. For all the emphasis on youth development, this young corp of Rapids players are not yet impact substitutes.

Defensive breakdowns:

The team didn’t handle Tijuana’s movement well and were reactionary. They put out fires well enough in transition. On both goals, the rebound fell to an attacker for an easier finish. Steffen could have done better on the initial shots. There was not enough pressure on the ball. Bad luck or lack of anticipation, it’s hard to win games when you give up goals like that.

“In the first half we just came out flat. Not enough intensity. Just sitting back and passing the ball around isn’t good enough. They were doing what I think we should have done. Move the ball more. Interchange in midfield. That let to them getting a lot of shots off and confusing us and getting chances,” Frederick said.

Thursday is a must-win:

Colorado play Cruz Azul in the final Leagues Cup Phase One game Thursday at 8:30 p.m. MT. They are on three points. After two games, Seattle and Portland already have six minutes. Miami has five. Five teams have four points. Four other teams have three points.

“We’re normally sharper, more energy on the night. There’s a lot to play for. We’re playing against one of the best teams in Mexico. It’s going to be a tough game out in LA. Six points might get us through. We’re still alive,” Armas said.

Colorado likely can finish no higher than third given Portland and Seattle have superior goal differences. Colorado likely needs a win and a lot of help. Cruz Azul were one of the best teams in Liga MX last season. They beat LA Galaxy in penalties so they are on two points. They also have an uphill battle. They need three points and a bunch of goals to have a chance. There’s a real chance six points for Colorado and five for Cruz Azul will not be enough to advance.

They have former LAFC star Mateusz Bogusz, who terrorized Colorado in the past. They need their best road performance of the season to have a shot. If Mihailović isn’t back, it’s hard to see how they do that.

Photo Credit: John Babiak and Spencer Baldwin

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