Commerce City, CO– The Colorado Rapids (1-1-0, 11th place) stay at home this week to face the LA Galaxy (1-0-1 5th place) on Saturday. A much-needed win for Colorado against Portland has things looking up, but an undefeated Galaxy team stands in their way. Colorado will look to build on the positives from the win over Portland. LA will look to continue their undefeated record through the third MLS matchweek. Let’s take a look at the matchup.
When: Saturday, March 7th @ 7:30 p.m. MST
Where: DICK’s Sporting Goods Park
TV/Streaming: Apple TV
Much Needed Win and Performance Against Portland
There were signs of life after an underwhelming season opener for the Rapids. Against Seattle, Colorado had struggles, especially in the first half. It was a completely different team against Portland, however, and the stats are a key indicator of the uptick in form. The Rapids finished the game with 24 total shots, with nine on target. Portland had half that at 12 shots, and managed only three shots on target. Colorado cashed in on this in the 2-0 win, and it was a few James Pantemis saves, and Rob Holding misses that kept the game from being ugly in favor of the home side.
It was not perfect from Colorado. Hamzat Ojediran’s goal will be hard to replicate. Rob Holding had two golden opportunities to open his Rapid account, and Alex Harris should have put another away to make this game a whole lot less close. The Rapids were also fortunate enough that Portland was wasteful when the few chances they had went their way. Kristoffer Velde had a howler right before halftime that should have been the equalizer. Gage Guerra should have notched one as well, with Steffen making a good save in a tough spot. Jimer Fory’s red card was debatable, though probably the right call. On another day, and if things swing the way of the visitors, it could have been a much different outcome.
Despite this, Colorado got the deserved three points in Cole Bassett’s homecoming. The Colorado native was mostly quiet in this game. An early header that Steffen saved and Lucas Herrington beating out Bassett on his goal were the two big moments for Cole in his return. It is still weird to see him in Portland Timbers gear. Either way, it was a complete 180 in performance for the Rapids, and Colorado can leave the game feeling optimistic.
Lineup Prediction:
Hansen / Cannon, Holding (c), Herrington, Travis / Ojediran, Atencio, Aaronson / Sealy, Navarro, Manyoma
The big news is that Zack Steffen is out with a shoulder injury. Sources tell Burgundy Wave it is not a long term serious injury. We will get an update from Matt Wells at the postgame press conference. Luckily for Colorado, Nico Hansen has stepped in for an injured Steffen before and done quite well. It will be interesting to see how much Wells trusts the young keeper in the buildup on Saturday.
We’ll also find out who Wells likes as a vice captain. Steffen’s worn the armband in both games so far. Does one of the DPs get it? Rob Holding’s the most veteran player likely to start. It will be interesting.
There weren’t too many changes from Seattle to Portland. Wells stuck with the formation and a majority of the players, and got a completely different performance. Holding came in for Noah Cobb, and Wells stuck to his word that Alex Harris had deserved the start after Seattle, and Darren Yapi made way for the youngster.
While Harris deservedly got his first start in MLS, he didn’t have the same impact against Portland. He had that great moment in the second half that could have been a goal but was not as involved throughout the match. He did not play poorly by any metric, but I see Harris making way for a third different winger to play alongside Rafa Navarro and Dante Sealy. Alexis Manyoma was good against Seattle, but didn’t see the field off the bench against Portland. The Rapids are running out of time to see if Manyoma is a guy they want to keep when his loan expires this summer.
It would be crucial if Wells can find a core group of nailed-on starters to continue to build the type of team he wants. Nine Colorado players have started both games, with center back and winger being the only changes between them. The sooner Wells can figure out his best eleven, the better for Colorado. Especially with the style of soccer Wells has the Rapids playing.
Are the Rapids a Good Team or a Bad Team?
It has been a tale of two games for the Rapids so far. Both games had wildly different performances with relatively similar squads. Unless Noah Cobb was the problem (which would be hard to believe), this Rapids side is a question mark on how they will perform in Wells’ third game in charge.
It’s well-known how poorly Colorado looked in their season opener against Seattle. The Rapids did not look like a functional team in the first half, and a mildly better second half left many questions about Wells and this Rapids side. Then they go and have 24 shots and produce a dominant win against a Portland side that had been a thorn in the Rapids’ side for the last few years. Which Rapids side will we see against the Galaxy?
This will be a critical game to know what kind of team Colorado will be under Wells. Was Portland a fluke? Was Seattle just getting the system down? It would be difficult to believe that the team had it all click in between the two games. The most likely answer is that Colorado’s level is somewhere in between the two performances. It will be difficult to get 24 shots in one game every game. It will hopefully be easy to look competent going forward. While Portland wasn’t perfect, if Colorado’s level is around the same under Wells, good things will happen for the Rapids. Let’s see which Rapids side shows up Saturday.
An Undefeated Galaxy Side
The sooner Greg Vanney and the Galaxy organization can put 2025 behind them, the better. LA finished 14th in the West last season, a far cry from their 2024 MLS Cup-winning team. Injuries were a big factor in the Galaxy’s struggles in 2025, with star players Joseph Paintsil, Gabriel Pec, and Riqui Puig all missing significant time, with Puig sitting out the entire season. It will, unfortunately, be more of the same for Riqui Puig at least, as the ex-Barcelona man will miss all of 2026 with the same knee injury.
LA has done decently well without their star midfielder, however, as through two games, the Galaxy remains undefeated. It was a frustrating first game for LA, as a soft penalty saw Carlos Garces receive a second yellow, and the Galaxy conceded the equalizer. LA fought well with ten men to keep the score level. It was much better for the LA side in their second match. Charlotte came to town but seemingly didn’t show up for the first 13 minutes. LA notched three quick goals and saw the result out to win 3-0 against a flailing Charlotte side.
It remains a mystery how this team will play without Riqui Puig, who elevates this team to a different level. To compensate for the loss of Puig, LA went for MLS experience in the winter transfer window. The big move was the acquisition of João Klauss from St. Louis. The designated player will look to fill the gap left by Dejan Joveljić after 2024. LA also signed Philadelphia center back Jakob Glesnes and NYCFC’s Justin Haak. Both are very good under-the-radar signings for the Galaxy. LA looks to be back to being a dangerous team in the West, and the Rapids will have to be well-prepared to take all three points at home against this resurgent side.
Prediction: Colorado looks much more like the Portland game than the Seattle game and will win 2-0.
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Matt Pollard 
Eamon Shaw 