Commerce City, Colo. – Last night the Colorado Rapids defeated CF Montreal 1-0. It was a Paxten Aaronson penalty goal, won by Donavan Phillip that was the difference. With this result, Colorado Rapids have won six straight home games with six clean sheets. That is a club record. Let’s see how the Rapids players did individually.
Nico Hansen – 6.5/10
It was good to see Hansen back in goal this week, no disrespect to Adam Beaudry. Hansen made five saves in the game, two of them decent challenges. Just 0.34 xG faced though, according to FotMob. He still has work to do playing out of the back. That opening minute pass that leads to a chance for Montreal comes to mind.
Keegan Rosenberry – 6.5/10
This is the captain’s first start since May 13 and he looked like himself. Was solid in possession. Got forward a few times but kept the right flank locked down. Even took a few corners. A comfortable and uneventful night for Rosenberry. His start should allow Matt Wells to start others for the two big games next week.
Rob Holding – 6.5/10
Rob Holding hit the crossbar on his one shot in this game. That’s got to be four or five posts he’s hit in a year at the club. What else does he have to do to get his first goal? That aside, similar to Rosenberry, a familiar and uneventful evening for Holding. Didn’t have a lot to do defensively. Kept it simple. No mistakes to give up big chances. Job done against Prince Owusu.
Loïc Williams – 7/10
Similar to Holding, dealt with Owusu well. Didn’t give former teammate Dante Sealy space when he cut inside. Kept it simple in possession. We’ve seen Williams dribble out of the rest defense before. But he had a great one in the second half where he gets past a man and earns a foul. The next phase for the center backs is probably more long passes out of the back that Lucas Herrington did or dribbling. Something to watch for.
Miguel Navarro – 8/10
Miguel Navarro has quietly been excellent this season. I would exercise the purchase option on him now. That hustle play to keep the ball in play and maintain possession tells you everything you need to know. He works hard on both sides of the ball. He was crafty when pressed. This was one of his better attacking games as well. Two chances created on two crosses.
Hamzat Ojediran 7.5/10
Hamzat scores that chance in the 70th minute and he’s Man of the Match. Was sold in possession despite having traffic around him most of the time. Supported the center backs and really limited Montreal from doing much in transition. You know he’s having a good game when he’s doing his thing in the half space between the backline and the midfield and getting a chance or two to shoot.
Josh Atencio 6.5/10
Atencio’s come under criticism the last month or so. He hasn’t been great in possession. Most yellow cards in MLS now. That said in this game, he tried to be more creative on the ball at times. It worked. Won three of his four duels. He’s a great compliment to Hamzat Ojediran when they’re played together. He was solid and controlled between the boxes. Every MLS team needs a number 8 like that.
Paxten Aaronson – 8.5/10 – Man of the Match
Aaronson took the first penalty for the club since Rafael Navarro’s departure. And he took it well. Outside of the goal, it was what we’ve come to expect from Aaronson. He had to cary a bit more water in midfield with Youssef Maziz out. Was 32/37 on passing for 86%. Moved around a ton and helped limit Montreal’s break out, just like Ojediran.
Darren Yapi and Georgi Minoungou – 6/10
I’ve grouped these two together for a reason. They’re basically in the same boat right now. Forced to start due to lack of other options. Both under pressure with the new signings getting their paperwork, to move them to the bench. Both desperate to score.
Yapi was better positionally in this match. He helped in the buildup and in defense. But just not threatening in the attack. Just three shots, two of which were blocked. Part of why Yapi didn’t get more shots was because of how trigger happy Minoungou was. I credit the effort and the urgency. But the execution isn’t there. Minoungou doesn’t have a goal this season. Neither looks like they’ll be scoring anytime soon. Bring on the new signings.
Donavan Phillip – 7/10
To quote Inside Rapids, why was Dante Sealy getting minutes over Donavan Phillip? The MLS rookie has an amazing few weeks. First start on Wednesday and was good between the boxes. He continued that in this match but drove more with the ball. His dribble in the first half won the penalty. That almost as good as an assist. I’m still waiting for him to be goal dangerous. If he does that, he’ll be a useful substitute for the new signings in the coming weeks.
Substitutes:
Morgan Whittaker – 7/10
Morgan Whittaker’s debut was as advertised. He got the ball, he went forward, and he looked to shoot first. Four shot attempts on 26 touches in 36 minutes. He was lively. Hopefully more to come as he builds fitness and gets more familiar with the team.
Sayed Abu Farkhi 6/10
A less polished debut for Sayed Abu Farkhi when compared to Whittaker. Positioning was a bit off in some of the attacks. Only had 11 touches on the ball. He ran around a decent amount for 36 minutes. It’s hard to judge him or Whittaker given they’ve barely had time to train with the team.
Wayne Frederick II – 6/10
Frederick subbed in for 22 minutes. Did his usual work in midfield. He has a role and he’s decent at it. He did have one really got shot attempt in the 70th that was saved. Didn’t get much of the ball in between the boxes. Would have liked to see more of that. He’s at his best taking a few touches in the half spaces and moving the ball forward.
Kosi Thompson and Noah Cobb – NA
Both subbed in with less than 10 minutes to go. Not enough time to truly rate them. Cobb did take that little cheap shot on the end line at the end of the game. Glad that didn’t lead to an injury.
Matt Wells – 8/10
Whatever Wells has been doing with Phillip individually, it’s paying off. Coaching staff did good prep with Aaronson on the penalty as well. The game was well managed in terms of bringing on the new signings and controlling the match. Montreal regressed in the second half. The Rapids played the game state to see off the 1-0 win. Job done by the manager and his staff.
Lastly, on Dante Sealy. His first MLS start since rejoining CF Montreal. Like Minoungou, he was energetic. Went to go on almost every touch he got in the first half. Four shots for a combined xG of 0.14, so he maybe he was trying too hard. Got a deserved yellow card in the second half. Good luck to him, but wasn’t his night. And it hasn’t been his year.
Thank you for reading Burgundy Wave. Support us via our Patreon starting at $5/month. You can also make a one-time contribution via Tip Jar. We’re always looking for new talent. Let us know if you’re interested in covering Colorado Soccer.
