Crucial Western Conference Showdown – Rapids vs Dallas Preview

Frisco, TX— The Rapids will look to get back-to-back wins against Texas opponents when they go to Frisco to take on Western Conference foes FC Dallas. It’s another crucial match in the race for the playoffs as Colorado (8th place, 11-6-13, 39 points) is on the edge of the playoff line, with FC Dallas (11th place, 8-10-11, 34 points) on the outside looking in. It is do-or-die time for FC Dallas, with five games left. A Dallas win would catapult them to ninth. Two points behind the Rapids, and set up a wild-card matchup between the two sides. Colorado will look to climb up the table and avoid the wild-card game entirely. Let’s take a look at the matchup.

When: Saturday, September 20th @ 6:30 p.m. MST

Where: Toyota Stadium

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

Paxten (Sort of) to the Rescue

It was a wild one when the Houston Dynamo came to town, with both teams needing a win. The Rapids got on the board early through a clever free-kick routine. Rafa Santos rolled the ball just far enough for Cole Bassett to wrap the free kick around the wall and into the back of the net. It was the third goal of the season for the homegrown. The team will have to lean on him in this final stretch of the season. 

It took Houston until the 68th minute to find their equalizer. After a better second half from the Dynamo, they were rightfully on level terms with 20 minutes left. The Rapids had to use all 20 minutes plus six more until what looked like a Paxten Aaronson goal in the last moments of the match put the Rapids on top. It went down as an own goal, but it felt like the start of something great in the Paxten Era.

While Chris Armas may be taking a majority of the attention in the later stages of this season, it was another Chris on the coaching staff who stood out against Houston. Chris Sharpe, goalkeeping coach and also the set-piece coach for the Colorado Rapids, helped get the ‘Pids the win. It was two set pieces from Colorado that secured all three points. While there is concern about the team’s inability to score from open play against Houston, it is positive to score goals on set pieces. It has been a difficult go for a team that is usually excellent on set pieces. Set plays can become a crucial piece of Colorado’s playoff push.

It was a crucial three points for the Rapids, who now sit five points clear of the playoff line. However, with a majority of the teams around Colorado having a game in hand, it feels a whole lot more like 2 points. The Rapids control their own destiny when it comes to the playoffs, and it starts against Dallas.

Lineup Prediction:

Steffen / Cannon, Maxsø (c), Holding, Santos / C. Bassett, Ronan / Manyoma, Aaronson, C. Harris / Navarro

Colorado are as healthy as they have been in a while. Only Kimani Stewart-Baynes is out with his season-ending ankle injury. Josh Atencio is available for the first time since his injury against Philadelphia. I would not expect him to start, but he should make the bench if he is available. He may also get some minutes if needed. I stick by the theory that the Rapids’ best midfield double pivot is Cole Bassett and Josh Atencio. We could see this duo sooner rather than later.

Chris Armas set up his team in a 4-2-3-1 against Houston, and this could very well be the formation that Armas decides to go with for the rest of the way. Cole Bassett playing winger was not expected. It would most likely not be a continued trend with the number of wingers that Colorado has at their disposal. Ted Ku-DiPietro hasn’t been starting as of late, Alexis Manyoma is just getting started, and Darren Yapi can do a job out wide. 

Speaking of Alexis Manyoma, it is difficult not to get excited about his limited minutes against Houston. It could be a game or two more before we get to see him starting. But after how he played in his first few minutes, he is one to look out for. Especially after he hit the season’s first deep kick 3 (credit Pidcast).

If it’s not the 4-2-3-1, Armas would go back to the back three. Noah Cobb and Adam Beaudry made the U-20 World Cup squad for the USMNT. Camp does not start till September 22 and they were not listed on the availability report as out for international duty. That said, both players will likely miss the October 4 match at RSL.

The New Guys

We got our first look at new Rapids signing Alexis Manyoma in his first ten-minute cameo for the club. He made it the fourth player in that game to make their home debut for the club. Rob Holding, Rafa Santos, and Paxten Aaronson made their first starts at home for the Burgundy Boys. While Alexis Manyoma only played for ten minutes, it was clear that the shiftiness he possesses got the Rapids to bring him in. He looked good in his first few minutes in Burgundy. How did the other new guys get on in their first start at home?

Rafa Santos was the only one not to get the full ninety minutes of the new guys. He went 75 minutes, and it felt like we got the full Rafa Santos experience. Santos got an assist on the early Cole Bassett goal and was dangerous throughout the night on the left flank. He has a very nice cross that the Rapids are looking to use on free kicks and corners. Despite the offensive production from the Brazilian, it was his man who found himself wide open for the Houston equalizer. The same man who found himself wide open just moments before, and should have made it two for the Dynamo. Overall, it was a good debut from the Brazilian. As advertised, he had some defensive lapses, but was a danger in the attack.

Rob Holding got his second start, and after a shaky first go, he looked to be the player we wanted when we signed him against Houston. Calm on the ball, a rock in the defense, he had a great home debut. He completed the most passes of anyone else in the match and had some crucial blocks that saved Colorado in big moments. He was a Jonathon Bond save away from winning it late, but it was his shot that won the corner that ultimately ended with Colorado running out victors. Holding and Maxsø looked to be a formidable duo in the back for the Rapids.

Paxten looked to have the dream home debut, with a last-gasp winner late in a must-win game. Despite the celebration from Paxten, it went down as an own goal from Felipe Andrade. His goal or not, it was storybook for the record signing. Other than the late heroics, he had a solid performance. It wasn’t outstanding, but it was clear to see the potential that he has and what he brings to this Colorado side. His pressing was phenomenal, and while I would have liked to see him on the ball a bit more, he was obviously the voice of this Colorado attack. He has been great in Burgundy and will be crucial in this late-stage push for the playoffs.

Dallas Getting Hot at the Right Time

FC Dallas is the only Western Conference team to be undefeated in their last five matches, winning twice and drawing the other three. They have only lost once in the last seven matches. Dallas is heating up at the right time, and they will need to continue doing so in order to sneak into the playoffs. Sitting just one point behind the playoff line and with one game in hand over San Jose, who hold the final playoff spot, every point matters for the Texas side. 

It was a wild one in the first matchup between these two sides. The Rapids’ home opener ended in a back-and-forth 3-3 draw that saw Colorado go out to a 2-0 lead, then Dallas came back to lead 2-3, before Rafa Navarro scored his second to level the score. It was a result that helped the Rapids go four games unbeaten in MLS matches, but it felt disappointing. It will be a different look for both of these teams in their second matchup of the season, with both sides losing their star number 10, Djordje Mihailović and Lucho Acosta. The Rapids, particularly, would only be expected to start only five guys from the eleven that played in the home opener. 

Even without Lucho Acosta, Dallas still has dangerous star power that Colorado will have to watch out for. Striker Petar Musa is the obvious choice, as the Croatian scored and assisted in the reverse fixture. He has 15 goals and six assists in the MLS season, and has at least one goal contribution in 11 of his last 13 appearances. It would be remiss if we didn’t mention Lalas Abubakar, a former Rapid who has made Dallas his home after Colorado released him last winter. He just missed out on subbing into that game at DICK’s, but has become a staple on the Dallas backline as of late. It will be nice to see Lalas again, but I hope he doesn’t find the game too much fun.

Prediction: It is another back-and-forth encounter between these two sides, and Colorado gets an all-important point. 2-2 draw.

Photo Credit: Spencer Baldwin

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