Saint Paul, MN– The Colorado Rapids (4-1-7, 11th West) have a quick turnaround to try to turn around their bad form when they travel to Minnesota to face Minnesota United (6-3-3, 5th West). The Rapids have been in freefall, going winless in their last five MLS games, and scoring only once in their last four. It is not going to get any easier when they travel to Minnesota, with the Loons flying high in fifth. It hasn’t been the best last five matches for the Loons, either. Can Colorado finally get that much-needed win? Let’s take a look at the matchup.
When: Wednesday, May 13th @ 6:30 p.m. MST
Where: Allianz Field, Minnesota
TV/Streaming: Apple TV
Another Must-Win Turned Loss Against St. Louis
There had been frustrating games for the Rapids this season. The games against Seattle and Vancouver were just poor performances, frustrating, but they are good teams. It would have been very impressive for the Rapids to get anything from those games. St. Louis was supposed to be a get-right game. It did not turn out to be a get-right game.
The big storyline from the game was Rob Holding’s 50th-minute red card. The defender was ruled to deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity after St. Louis forward Simon Becher went to ground. Whether that call was the right one, it put the Rapids in a precarious position, down a man and already down a goal. Colorado actually got better down a man, but it wasn’t enough to get an equalizer. Even when it became 10v10 with Chris Durkin seeing red with a few minutes left, Colorado could not find that goal. Georgi Minoungou came close late and probably should have had two goals, but the Rapids left with no points against a team flailing at the bottom of the Western Conference.
There was this question at the start of the season. Is this Colorado Rapids team a good team or a bad team? At some point during the season, it felt like this team was good. It felt like that question was answered. Now, it feels like the question has been answered, but the answer is different. A good team doesn’t lose to Houston with two shots on target. A good team doesn’t lose to St. Louis at home. There have been flashes of a good team this season. But the team that was tied for first in goals scored this season has been missing in the last month or so.
Lineup Prediction:
Hansen / Cannon, Herrington, Cobb, M. Navarro / Ronan, Frederick, Aaronson / Manyoma, R. Navarro (c), Sealy
A combination of suspensions and injuries has this Rapids side in a tough spot for this midweek matchup. Ted Ku-DiPietro is still out. Josh Atencio and Zack Steffen join him, both of whom are still out with the injuries that kept them out against St. Louis City. Rob Holding and Hamzat Ojediran are suspended for the match. Ojediran is out for yellow-card accumulation, and Holding failed his appeal to the disciplinary committee.Â
It was a bit surprising to see that Holding’s suspension was upheld. Center back is a position that the Rapids have cover at, however. Noah Cobb should just slot in easily. Center mid is where some problems may arise. The three healthy out-and-out Rapids first-team center midfielders are Connor Ronan, Wayne Frederick II, and Ali Fadal. Ronan and Frederick are coming off multi-game injuries. Ali Fadal has yet to make an appearance in MLS. Matt Wells may have ot get creative in this game.
Another key thing for Wells to consider is the Rocky Mountain Cup on Saturday. It is another quick turnaround for the Rapids to cross over the Rockies. Wells hasn’t been great with rotating his team so far this season. It has potentially caused problems. There is a shout to rotate the squad for this match, with one eye on the midweek rivalry. It just doesn’t seem like Wells to do that, however. Expect a good team on Wednesday, potentially with some creative roles for multiple players.
Bump in the Road for Minnesota Amidst James Drama
Not many other MLS teams are getting the attention that Minnesota United is getting this week after recent signing James Rodriguez has announced he will be leaving the club to join Colombia’s World Cup preparation within the month. The star playmaker has had an interesting few years, never really settling anywhere. This continues in Minnesota, but shouldn’t come as much of a shock. He joined Minnesota to get ready for the World Cup. He used the team as a way to get match fit and stay sharp. Through all the hype from the league and Apple TV crews, this was one of the weirder transfers in MLS.
James Rodriguez was not exceptional in his short stint in Minnesota. He got two assists in their last match against Austin, but had zero goal contributions in his first six matches with the team. He didn’t even start against Austin. Minnesota United is so much more than James Rodriguez, and whether or not he plays against the Rapids, this team is dangerous. Despite this, Minnesota has had a somewhat rough stretch of games recently. After winning four MLS matches in a row, they have since only won once in their last four.
Kelvin Yeboah is the name that should be getting the headlines out of the Minnesota camp. He is the only player other than ex-Rapid Anthony Markanich to score more than once this season. Yeboah has seven goals in 12 matches. He has been a key figure in the team since his arrival. The Loons actually have conceded more goals than they have scored. It wasn’t helped after their 6-0 loss to Vancouver. It isn’t a flawless team in Minnesota, but it will be a tough match for Wells and co.
Prediction: Minnesota is not kind, and it isn’t the place for Colorado to start turning around their poor form. The Loons capitalize with a 3-1 win.
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Matt Pollard 
Eamon Shaw 