Commerce City, CO– The Colorado Rapids (7-1-10, 11th West) return to action at home after taking a week off. Sporting KC (4-2-12, 15th West) make the trip to Colorado as they try to save their season. It has been a disaster of a season for Sporting KC, who may have been at their lowest when the Rapids went to Kansas City and beat them 4-1 earlier in the season. It was two different teams back then, but this feels like a must-win for Colorado. It’s the first game without Lucas Herrington, and the first with Youssef Maziz. Will we see the newest Burgundy Boy against SKC? Let’s take a look at the matchup.
When: Saturday, August 15th @ 7:30 p.m. MST
Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
TV/Streaming: Apple TV
Late Win Against Austin
The Rapids took last weekend off with Leagues Cup kicking off. The break was so close to being such a frustrating period of time until Rafa Navarro saved the day. The match was headed to a 0-0 with Colorado having over two expected goals on the night. That was until second-half stoppage time when Rafa Navarro got on the end of a saved shot by Darren Yapi and also got on the end of a foul in the penalty area. Rafa put away the ensuing penalty with a new and improved run-up. The Rapids won, and the break in play felt so much better.
The late goal improved the outlook for the game, but before that moment, it had been a frustrating night. Austin did a spectacular job in a low block, and Austin forward Brandon Vasquez did a spectacular job of being manhandled by either Loïc Williams or Lucas Herrington. Austin did not do well at creating on the counter for most of the game, and their attacks struggled to get through Vasquez. The sheer number of opportunities without finding the back of the net was impressive and frustrating. But as always, it’s better to have chances and not finish than to not have chances at all.
Austin went into that game in 14th place in the West. They still sit there, just three points above Sporting KC. But after almost getting a result against Colorado, they went on a tear in the Leagues Cup, taking eight points from three games and going undefeated in that stretch. This result may be more impressive for Colorado than originally thought. Either way, the Rapids should have used this break to practice finishing.
Lineup Prediction:
Hansen / Cannon, Holding, Williams (c), M. Navarro / Atencio, Ojediran, Aaronson / Sealy, R. Navarro, Minoungou
There is nothing shocking about the injury report for the Rapids. It’s the same five guys. Doubt any of them would start even if healthy.
The big news came with the sale of Lucas Herrington. The 18-year-old has gone to Hull City in the Premier League for big bucks. 17 million big bucks. In a truly massive deal for the Colorado Rapids, Herrington says goodbye. In terms of lineups against Sporting KC, Colorado has pretty good depth at center back. Rob Holding and Loïc Williams are more than capable. Noah Cobb is a great first guy off the bench. We have also seen Keegan Rosenberry and Kosi Thompson there before. Even Miguel Navarro has gotten minutes at center back. While it will be interesting to see how the backline adapts without Herrington, the question falls on the rest of the roster.
$17 million is a whole lot of money. It is more than the Rapids have ever gotten for any player. Club President Padraig Smith said that the club is in a position to reinvest the whole transfer fee. Where do Wells and Smith want to make those additions? The wingers haven’t been a great position group, but a lot of money has been thrown at players already there. The midfield has seemingly taken shape under Wells with Ojediran-Aaronson-Maziz. The backline has been great as of late. It’s a tough question. But players should know that the club has a large influx of cash and could make a purchase to add competition or make the team more Wells.
Sporting KC: Somehow Worse Than Earlier
Sporting KC was at the bottom of the league when the Rapids visited Sporting Park in March. They haven’t moved from that spot since. It didn’t help that Colorado left 4-1 winners that night. It has been all bad for SKC this year, and they desperately need a rebuild.
The team has had signs of it being Dejan Joveljic and 10 middle-to-low-quality MLS players, and those signs have never been more apparent. There is not much to get excited about with this roster. Dejan Joveljic is always going to be a problem. Calvin Harris has the story behind him, coming back to Colorado for the first time since he left. He will probably be involved in something. It just isn’t Sporting KC’s year, and it is more and more a must-win game the more you look into SKC.
The Rapids have scored just six times in the last 10 MLS matches. They scored six against Houston earlier this season. If there was ever a time to get back on that track, this is the match. It is crucial not to get complacent, however. This game could very easily be similar to San Diego or Austin. It could even be worse. This is a great opportunity, but Colorado will have to take it.
Prediction: Colorado gets it going against a poor SKC team. Rapids win it 4-0.
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