Return of the OG Third Kit- Colorado Rapids vs Minnesota Preview

Commerce City, CO— The penultimate home game for the Colorado Rapids 2025 regular season comes against a Western Conference foe that they bested in the reverse fixture. Colorado went to Minnesota and beat the Loons 2-1 on the back of two Darren Yapi goals. It was a statement win from a team that had just lost its main player, Djordje Mihailović, days earlier. Now, although Minnesota (3rd place, 15-9-7, 54 points) already has a playoff spot wrapped up, revenge against the Rapids (8th place, 11-6-14, 39 points) would help them in playoff seeding, or even a Supporters’ Shield charge. Colorado may have more to play for, as their playoff bid is getting increasingly worrisome with recent results. It is another big game for the Rapids, who may have to deal with that pressure for the rest of the season. Let’s take a look at the matchup.

When: Saturday, September 27th @ 7:30 p.m. MST

Where: DICK’s Sporting Goods Park

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

Burned in Dallas

Dallas wore their Dallas Burn throwback third kit against the Rapids on Saturday, and it was very fitting on the night. Colorado found themselves in another huge Western Conference battle with a Texas team around them in the playoff chase. This time, they couldn’t pull out the late heroics. It was a back-and-forth game, but Dallas created and finished better chances than the Rapids could. In every meaningful stat, other than possession, Dallas was better. Shots were 17 to 9, but expected goals (xG) showed a larger discrepancy, with Dallas coming out on top 2.61 xG to 0.76 xG. Colorado had the ball for more than 68% of the second half, but could only muster one shot on target. 

It continues the worrisome trend that the Rapids are unable to break down a low block. They are also vulnerable on the counter when trying to find a way in. Dallas had more shots and a higher xG than Colorado in the second half, despite holding only 32% possession. Colorado had their moments, though. Darren Yapi found the net, but he couldn’t hold himself onside. Paxten Aaronson had the best chance of the night for Colorado, but put his shot right at the keeper. It may become concerning that Paxten still hasn’t found the back of the net for Colorado. It is not at this moment, but sooner the better for the newest Burgundy Boy.

The loss makes the rest of the way very interesting for the Rapids. Dallas is just two points behind Colorado with a game in hand. It is one of Houston, San Jose, or RSL that can bounce the Rapids outside of the playoff line. Houston is three points behind, San Jose is four points behind, and RSL is five points behind with a game in hand. Colorado will conclude the 2025 Rocky Mountain Cup at RSL after this game against Minnesota. That will be a real six-pointer in the race for the playoffs. Colorado are also falling behind the teams ahead of them, with Austin and Portland both over three points better and with a game in hand. 8th place may just be the goal for the Rapids in the late stages of the season.

Lineup Prediction:

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

Colorado will be without Noah Cobb and Adam Beaudry, as the pair are out due to international duty. Both will be a part of the U-20 World Cup team for USA. Ian Murphy is a new addition to the injury report, picking up a knock recently. Kimani Stewart-Baynes is still out with his ankle injury. 

Chris Armas will have an interesting decision to make when Minnesota comes to town. It will be a rare matchup where the Rapids would come in already with a win away from home against the side. In that win, Armas went with a different look than usual in order to match up with the Loons. He instituted a five-back system, and I would have expected him to do similar since it got the result, but Colorado will be without Noah Cobb, and Ian Murphy has a knock. Colorado may be forced to continue in the 4-2-3-1 formation due to personnel, but I would expect a similar tactical approach in this match as the last time these two sides met. 

The winger room has been an interesting one to watch in the last couple of games. Alexis Manyoma has finally completed the Visa process and is available to play, but hasn’t started yet. Ted Ku-DiPietro hasn’t started in three games and has just one start since Leagues Cup. Instead, a disgruntled Cole Bassett has put out wide against Houston and Dallas. I could see Manyoma getting his first start against Minnesota. I would be surprised to see Cole back out wide again. Darren Yapi made his presence felt against Minnesota last time out with a brace, and with the game being as counterattack-heavy as I expect it to be, I see Yapi getting the nod out wide. 

League-Worst Comeback Team

The Rapids kept to their usual script in the loss against Dallas. Not only was it another disappointing away loss, but it continued the trend of Colorado being the worst team in the league after conceding first. In 31 matches this season, the Rapids have conceded first in 14 of those games. They have zero wins and have racked up only three points in those 14 matches. This is good for dead last in the league, just under New England Revolution, who share the same point total but have a better goal differential in their 14 matches. 

So, 14 out of 31 matches is 45%. Colorado’s inability to secure any wins in almost half of those matches is a significant concern. There are only four MLS teams that haven’t won a game from a losing position (LA Galaxy, Toronto, and New England). Every team not in Colorado has been eliminated from playoff contention. It is not a winning formula. When scoring first, the Rapids are still middle of the road in MLS, going 11-2-3 and having the 14th best record when scoring first. Similar to how the away record is the 11th best in the West, while the home form is the 5th best in the West, there is a facet of the Rapids’ game that is holding them back from taking that next step.

Why is this happening? A potential reason for this could lie in how Chris Armas wants his team to play. It has been a constant struggle for this Rapids’ side to break down a low block this season. After Colorado concedes first, opponents will usually spend a sizable chunk of the remainder of the game in a low block, trying to see out the result. In these moments, the Rapids tend to struggle to create.

This was apparent in Dallas. The hosts allowed the Rapids to have the majority of possession as they sat back in a low block. In this stretch of play, Dallas was by far the better team, creating chances off the counter at a much higher rate and level than the Rapids could muster. The team is not set up to break down these lower blocks, and this can become a real concern for Chris Armas and the coaching staff in the long term.

Chance for Revenge for Minnesota

The Loons will have a chance for revenge after the Rapids visited Minnesota and left with all three points back in early August. It was two well-worked counterattacks from Colorado that allowed Yapi to score his first professional brace, and a Tani Oluwaseyi goal wasn’t enough to bring back the result for the hosts. It was only the third win away from home for the Rapids, who started the year with two back-to-back away wins in March. 

This fixture may suit Minnesota better than their home leg did, as they are the 7th best home team in the West, but have the 2nd best away record in the West. They have gotten four more points in their 15 away matches than in their 16 home matches. Only bettered by Cincinnati and San Diego in away form, there is a reason for their success. Minnesota is built to allow the opposition to have the ball, utilizing well-worked counterattacks and fast breaks to score a majority of their goals. They have also done well in set pieces, becoming one of, if not the best, set-piece teams in the league. They have scored 19 goals from set pieces this season, accounting for over 37% of their goals.

A significant reason Colorado was able to achieve the result in Minnesota was due to the way Chris Armas set up his side. They opted to match up with Minnesota, utilizing a 5-2-3 that allowed the Rapids to sit in and absorb pressure. The Rapids went to Minnesota and played their game, beating them at it. It will take another effort like that for the Rapids to get a very important three points at home.

This is also the second-to-last opportunity for the Rapids to do the double on a team. Colorado has yet to win both games against a Western Conference team this season. 

Prediction: Colorado find it difficult to slow down a rampant away Minnesota side. The counterattack kills them, Minnesota wins 2-1.

Photo Credit: Spencer Baldwin

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