Midweek Matchup Against Heung-Min Son and LAFC- Rapids vs LAFC preview

Commerce City, CO– The Colorado Rapids (8-1-10, 11th West) finish their three-game homestand with a midweek matchup with LAFC (10-4-6, 3rd West). The last time LAFC came to Colorado, the Rapids fired their head coach soon after. It’s very doubtful Matt Wells is even close to being in a similar position. This is still an important matchup for other reasons. It would be a statement win for a Rapids team that has come out of the World Cup break with three wins in four matches. An early red card to Rob Holding and a screamer from St. Louis are the only things stopping this Rapids side from being perfect off of the break. All three wins came against teams not in playoff spots right now, so a third-placed LAFC team is a great challenge to see where this team really stands. Let’s take a look at the matchup.

When: Wednesday, August 19th @ 7:30 p.m. MST

Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

TV/Streaming: Apple TV

Two Goals, Two Reds, Three Points

It was an eventful win for the Rapids when Sporting KC came to town. SKC came to Colorado a fractured team. It showed as the Rapids, even on a night where finishing was a problem again, got the multi-goal win. It’s the first game in which the Rapids have scored multiple goals since Inter Miami came to Mile High. It’s also the first time a DICK’s Sporting Goods Park crowd saw multiple Rapids goals since the 6-2 win against Houston Dynamo. Sporting KC are the worst team in the league and were in the midst of losing one of their Designated Players, Manu Garcia. It needed to be a win for Wells’ men. They got it done.

Despite being up a man for over 50 minutes, it took until the 68th minute for Reggie Cannon to head home the opener after debutant Youssef Maziz whipped a ball in off a corner. Another last-minute goal for the Rapids made it two, and by then SKC were down to nine men. It wasn’t a flashy win, or even an impressive win. The Rapids dominated a team they should have, and continued to struggle in front of goal. The good news is that you can only struggle in front of goal for so long. Goals will come if the Rapids keep playing the way they are. It was a good three points to get, but it would have been very bad if Colorado had come away with anything less than a win.

One of the brightest spots in the game was Maziz’s debut. The newest Burgundy Boy continued the trend of Rapids’ debutants getting on the scoresheet in their home debut. Maziz got the assist on the Cannon goal that eventually became the game-winner. Maziz looked active in his debut. His ability on set pieces may be an important tool for Wells. While Dante Sealy has been largely disappointing in his debut Rapids season, he has a knack for delivering a good ball on corners. If Maziz can combine that with corners on the other side, the Rapids may look more like 2021 than 2025. 

Lineup Prediction: 

Hansen / Thompson, Holding, Williams, M. Navarro / Ojediran, Frederick, Aaronson / Yapi, R. Navarro (c), Minoungou

Josh Atencio is the only new addition to the availability report. His suspension means he joins the same five injured players reported recently.

The Atencio suspension makes way for Maziz to potentially get his first start in Burgundy, but it would not be shocking if Wells holds Maziz back a little bit longer. Wells was vocal about waiting for Maziz to catch up physically to the rest of the group, and given how much He likes his players to be conditioned, it may take a while. He will most likely be the first name off the bench.

The number of injuries the Rapids have at the moment may not affect the team as much during a typical one-game week, but during these grueling three-game weeks, the depth becomes a problem. With Jackson Travis out, left back is a real problem. It may force Miguel Navarro to play another 90 minutes. The midfield is pretty sparse, especially with Atencio out. Colorado won’t have a problem fielding the front three, however. Unless the Rafa Navarro rumors are truer and much further along than expected. 

Roller Coaster Form for LAFC

LAFC has had an amazingly up-and-down run over the last few months. In May, LAFC lost four straight and went five games without a win. Then, they won four straight and went five games undefeated. They went undefeated in Leagues Cup, but two penalty shootout wins weren’t enough to get a top-four spot. Since returning to league play, LAFC has lost its only match at home to San Diego. Colorado will be hopeful that this is the start of another downfall in form.

The reverse fixture in this matchup was historic for the Rapids. Colorado earned its first point at BMO Stadium after nine straight losses, with a goal ratio of 2 goals for and 25 conceded. Wells’ first attempt at slaying the beast that is LAFC at home was successful in securing something other than a loss, but he was disappointed they couldn’t come away with a win. 

The script is flipped at DICK’s, however. Since the Rapids lost the first-ever matchup between the sides at home, they have gone seven unbeaten against the LA side. Five wins and two draws are outstanding against a team that is usually near the top year in and year out. No matter how good LAFC looks and how bad Colorado is, it is always a good game in Colorado, and the Rapids have been able to come out on top more than not. This is a great chance for the Rapids to show what they can do against one of the league’s elite. 

Prediction: A close game goes the Rapids’ way, and the team looks slightly better in front of goal. Rapids win 2-1.

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