Fan Appreciation Night with Playoffs on the Line- Rapids vs LAFC Preview

Commerce City, CO— It’s Fan Appreciation Night at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park for the last game of the regular season for the Colorado Rapids. Playoffs are on the line in the final game, but now Colorado does not have full control over their destiny. They will need help elsewhere and to at least get one point against a red-hot LAFC team that will be fighting for playoff seeding. Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga are coming to town. Can Colorado turn around their recent form and sneak their way into the playoffs? Let’s take a look at the matchup.

When: Saturday, October 18th @ 7:00 p.m. MST

Where: DICK’s Sporting Goods Park

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

Lose the Game, Win the Rocky Mountain Cup:

A 1-0 loss was enough for the Rapids to be back-to-back Rocky Mountain Cup champions for the first time since the first two years of the cup in 2005 and 2006. It was a confusing night. There was the bad. Losing the match, being lucky that the scoreline wasn’t worse, and putting themselves in a predicament when it comes to the playoffs. There was the good: winning the cup and creating enough chances to probably win the game. Colorado can feel a tad unlucky that the scoreline wasn’t more in their favor. Totaling an expected goals value of 2.15 on the night, to RSL’s 0.64. But Colorado was lucky that RSL did not convert on multiple easy counterattack chances late in the second half. 

The RSL goal was another frustratingly similar one that the Rapids can’t seem to defend. RSL broke through the backline through the wide area. Everyone for Colorado in the Rapids’ box starts to ball watch. The Colorado backline all go towards the endline, not really marking anyone dangerous, but it helps defend Steffen’s six-yard box. The problem is with Connor Ronan, who joins the backline and fails to defend anyone along the endline. Josh Atencio pressing the ball out wide makes the top of the box wide open for the opposition. A cut-back ball sprouts an easy finish, and it was enough for RSL to take all three points. It is a tough sight to see how the Rapids’ backline and midfield try to defend a ball along the endline again and again. 

Another consistent for this Rapids team that seems to stir up trouble, Cole Bassett started out wide again. It is the fourth straight game where Cole has been put in a spot he is very vocal about disliking. The Rapids were a last-minute own goal away from getting two points from those four games, all against West playoff hopefuls, battling for spots with the Rapids. Cole out wide hasn’t worked, and it really hasn’t ever worked out, so why does Chris Armas keep going back to it? With a winger room that has been bolstered by the addition of Alexis Manyoma, and still has Ted Ku-DiPietro and Calvin Harris, it’s not great to see Cole forced out wide consistently.

Lineup Prediction:

Steffen / Vines, Maxsø (c), Holding, Cannon / Ronan, C. Bassett / Ku-DiPietro, Aaronson, Yapi / Navarro

Colorado has two new names on the injury report. Calvin Harris is out due ot a knee injury. Wayne Frederick II is out due to being on international duty. The Rapids have Noah Cobb and Adam Beaudry back, but it shouldn’t affect the starting lineup. Calvin Harris will affect the starting eleven. He has been a mainstay on the wing for the Rapids as of late. It opens the door for KDP or Alexis Manyoma to get some minutes.

It will be something to follow where Cole Bassett plays on Saturday. He is obviously good enough to start, but has been in an unconventional winger role too much recently. He should be back in his preferred double pivot role. It is on him to make those minutes good and go back to the form he had throughout 2024 with late runs into the box. It will do wonders for a Rapids team that needs help in creating and finishing opportunities.

Colorado could have gone into this game without a chance at the playoffs. It would have made the starting eleven a lot more interesting. But with a shot at the postseason, it should be what Chris Armas believes is his best eleven. Keep an eye on Alexis Manyoma, especially if the game isn’t trending in the right direction. The newest Burgundy Boy hasn’t found many minutes recently. If he is the future project that the Rapids believe he is, he should get some valuable minutes in this game.

Playoffs Scenarios:

Another late collapse by a Chris Armas-led Rapids has made the playoffs more complicated than they needed to be for a second year straight. This year, Colorado are on the verge of not making the playoffs altogether. After the Rapids spent the majority of the season comfortably above the playoff line, four points in the last six games were not good enough to stay above the line. Now the Rapids will need to get a result against LAFC and look elsewhere.

There are four teams fighting for the two final Wild Card spots, which are in 8th and 9th place. FC Dallas sits in 8th with 41 points. RSL is right behind in 9th place with 40 points. The Rapids sit just outside the playoff line at 10th with 40 points, as RSL has the first tiebreaker of more wins. Just behind the Rapids are San Jose with 38 points. These four teams can either make or miss the playoffs during Decision Day. 

No matter what happens elsewhere, the Rapids will need to get at least one point in order to have a chance at the playoffs. They lose against LAFC, and the season is over. Colorado can make the playoffs with a draw, but it will require two of three results going their way: RSL to lose, Dallas to lose, and they must avoid a San Jose win. San Jose wins, and the Rapids get a draw while RSL and Dallas lose, San Jose will host the Rapids in the wild card. Highly unlikely, but still possible.

The most realistic way for the Rapids to make the playoffs is to win their game against LAFC. They will still need help, but it would give them a better chance of sneaking in. With a win, all it would take is either RSL or Dallas to tie or lose their final game, and the Rapids are in. No matter what happens at DICK’s, if RSL and Dallas both win their final match, Colorado are eliminated from the playoffs. 

The Most Familiar Foe of 2025:

This will be the fourth matchup between the Rapids and LAFC this season, after the teams met in the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup in February. Colorado got the better of LAFC in the first matchup, with a Djordje Mihailović brace propelling the Rapids to a 2-1 win. LAFC has had the Rapids’ number at LA, and this did not change in 2025. A 1-0 loss knocked the Rapids out of the CCC. A controversial early red card for Jackson Travis marred a potentially good game in the third matchup, with LAFC comfortably winning that game 3-0. Colorado has historically done well against LAFC at home, but it will be a different look for both sides in the final matchup in the 2025 regular season. 

It was a busy summer window for both teams, with the Rapids having a memorable one. Despite multiple club record transfers from the Rapids, including the sale of Djorjde and the acquisition of Paxten Aaronson, the biggest news from either team had to be LAFC’s acquisition of Son Hueng-Min. The longtime Tottenham Hotspur made the summer transfer to LAFC in the biggest deal of the summer transfer window. It has been nothing but great for the South Korean international in the United States. Son has eight goals and two assists in nine appearances for the Californian club, and will add another layer of danger to an attack that already has Bouanga on the other wing. 

Son has propelled LAFC to another level since his arrival. LAFC had gone on a six-game winning streak with Son before he went on international duty, including beating RSL 4-1 at home and away. LAFC would lose their only game without Son, losing to Austin 1-0. All signs are pointing towards a full-strength LAFC team in Colorado. The Rapids have had some good history with LAFC at home on Decision Day, with the same matchup ending in a 5-2 victory in 2021 that crowned the Rapids the Best in the West. It will take another Herculean effort from the ‘Pids to have another successful Decision Day against LAFC.

Prediction: Colorado makes it an interesting Decision Day, and gives them a chance for the playoffs. Rapids win 3-2. 

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