Harrison, New Jersey — That was one bitter pill to swallow for Rapids 2 and fans who were hoping to see a trophy at the end of Saturday night.
Colorado Rapids 2 saw a 2-0 lead in the MLS NEXT Pro Cup evaporate in the manner of minutes against New York Red Bulls 2. What was tantalizingly close was upended by New York Red Bull II’s ruthless attack. The regulation whistle sounded at 3-3 and even after extra time, the teams could not be separated. New York Red Bulls II went on to win the shootout 3-1 and with it, claimed the organization’s second title in front of a NEXT Pro Cup record-crowd of 9,095.
While Rapids 2’s head coach Erik Bushey emphasized all week that Colorado had to get out on the front foot from the jump, it was the hosts, Red Bulls II who were extra aggressive.
Roald Mitchell, the catalyst for Red Bulls II, had a few huge looks early on. In the 8th minute, Mitchell split his defenders brilliantly and was in on goal, but Zack Campagnolo denied him from point-blank range. Mitchell immediately got the rebound back to him, but his header went over the cross bar.
In the 11th minute, Nate Worth had a chance to make it 1-0, but veteran R2 defender Steve Flores cleared the shot off of the back line, as Campagnolo was beaten. Fortunately, Flores, who has been with R2 for four seasons, was perfectly positioned to read the opportunity well.
After weathering the storm, Colorado grew into the game. In the 34th minute, Mamadou Billo Diop scored a remarkable goal to give Rapidos the lead. On a rare first-half counterattack, Steve Flores sent in a tantalizing cross but Billo Diop overran the ball. Still, he stuck his back foot out and the ball managed to loop into the back of the net to make it 1-0. The Rapids 2 talisman scored his 15th goal of the 2025 campaign.
Colorado would capitalize again with more of the ball later in the half. In the first minute of stoppage time, Alex Harris lined up for his signature long throw-in. His throw-in looped high but fell perfectly to the feet of James Cameron, who outmuscled his defender and buried it to make it 2-0. It was Cameron’s second goal in as many games, as he also scored a crucial goal in last weekend’s Western Conference Final.
That would be the halftime scoreline. While Bushey told his players to keep pushing, New York Red Bulls II’s head coach Michael Bradley also knew his high-flying side weren’t out of the game by any means.
Second half: Red Bulls II stampede back
In the second half, it was Red Bull II’s attackers who were unrelenting in their pressure applied on a stout R2 backline. In the 60th minute, Curtis Ofori was brought on and made life challenging on the left flank. Shortly after, Red Bulls II struck back as Rafael Mosquera slotted home a shot after Nate Worth found him. It was Red Bulls II’s 21st shot of the game and the dam broke for Rapids 2. A short time later, New York tied the game at 2-2 as Mitchell received a feed from Nehuén Benedetti and he beat Campagnolo with a one-touch finish.
Colorado would hit back again as Bushey and his staff made more changes. Bassett and Cameron came off and were replaced by Wayne Frederick and Antony García. The change instantly paid off as one minute after coming on, Garcia dribbled through Red Bull II’s center backs and fired a shot that no ‘keeper could stop to make it 3-2 in the 78th minute.
While Colorado took the lead and it seemed that might be that, there was another twist. Charlie Harper brought down Worth two minutes later as Red Bulls II came up the field again and the referee did not hesitate to point to the spot. Mosquera made no mistake, dispatching it away to make it 3-3.
Extra time and Shootout: Close but no cigar for Rapids 2
Both Campagnolo and his counterpart Austin Causey made terrific saves to keep the game level as it went into extra time. In the extra half hour, both sides nearly scored as Red Bulls started the period brightly, but R2 countered well and had a few shots that caused issues. At the end, it was going to be decided by the cruelest of ways to end a season: A penalty kick shootout.
In the shootout, Colorado sent its best strikers left on the pitch and whether it was the moment or the crowd, R2 came up short. Anderson Rosa hit the post; Billo Diop’s shot clanked off the crossbar; Garcia scored, but Harris had his final shot denied, which sent Sports Illustrated Stadium into celebration mode.
An ode to the Rapids 2 glue guys
There have been a few players who have been within the Rapids 2 organization for the past few seasons. Guys such as Stevie Flores and Daouda Amadou who have seen the highs and lows of the program, Bushey was feeling for them a lot in his post-game press conference.
“They’re dying a slow death, that’s how they are feeling and they have the right to do that because they’ve given so much. … They’ve seen a lot.
“They’ve seen Year 1 when we were trying to get through games smoke and mirrors, three subs and breaking the amateur rule almost every other weekend. Then, for my money the best team in the country in Year 2. A completely different experience, one of the bottom teams in ’24. Talk about ebbs and flows in a game, I mean, their pro careers have been that way. I’m grateful to those guys who played with us in this being their first year, and guys who’ve been with us since they were 12-years-old.”
Harris says group will learn a lot in loss
Harris stepped up to the podium after a loss and was well-poised as ever, even given the circumstances. He mentioned how disappointed his teammates were, but also reflected on what got them to the Cup final in the first place: Grit.
After giving up a pair of goals to level the game, R2 fought back and re-took the lead. For him, it summed up what made 2025 a strong first season as a Burgundy Boy.
“That’s mainly the thing that carried us to this final; It was our resiliency and character as a group. I mean, we trust in each other and know that when times are tough, conceding two goals in the span of a couple of minutes, we know that we can stick together and count on each other to go out and push forward, get more results and hopefully win. We weren’t able to do that tonight, but we were in the past.”
Onward to 2026
With Saturday marking the final game of the 2025 calendar for the Colorado Rapids organization, it’s important to take stock of where this group is at. Rapids 2 has been a positive change maker for the Rapids as a whole. Guys have seriously competed for minutes coming out of this group, while those that spend a year or two might move on, they are going to USL-level caliber clubs, a positive sign of where player development is at within R2. While club president Pádraig Smith will ultimately have to make a say about who will be head coach, he’ll have to consider the whole ecosystem as a whole, including Bushey and the impact Rapidos has had on the first team. While it’s a heartbreaking way to end the season, there’s no way to sugarcoat it, at least R2’s fighting spirit is worth holding onto for the long-term health and passion within the organization for striving for trophies.
Eamon Shaw 
Matt Pollard 