Commerce City, CO– The Colorado Rapids (11-2-12, 7th West) look to bounce back after two disappointing games, each in its own way. The Seattle Sounders (7-7-9, 14th West) have had a disappointing last 12 games in the league. They have zero wins in MLS in that stretch. It can go to 15 games if you include the Leagues Cup, where they had their only win since early May. The Sounders are thin at depth, and injuries aren’t helping. It’s a Georgi Minoungou revenge game, although there is really no bad blood between Minoungou and Seattle. This game falls within the same must-win category as the Montreal game. Let’s take a look at the matchup.
When: Saturday, September 19th @ 7:30 p.m. MST
Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
TV/Streaming: Apple TV
One Win, One Loss: Both Disappointing
The Pids had a largely disappointing two-game stretch this week. They got all three points against CF Montreal in a 1-0 win, but should’ve shown a much better side of themselves. The real blow came in the midweek US Open Cup loss to St. Louis, 3-0.
The Colorado Rapids hadn’t had a bigger home game in years, and only 7,424 people showed up to watch the Pids get brushed aside by a St. Louis side that made it three-for-three against the Pids this season. It was a deserved result, as Colorado handed St. Louis the game multiple times. The worst was third-string goalkeeper Adam Beaudry inexplicably giving the ball and a goal away with little pressure on the keeper.
Matt Wells told the media after the match that it felt like the Pids were the better side and didn’t come away with the win. It’s hard to believe that. St. Louis looked like a team that knew what it was doing and how to be dangerous in attack. The Pids did not look anywhere near those categories. The Pids were good at getting the ball into somewhat dangerous areas and then recycling it back to their own keeper, who sometimes just gave up a free goal.
Colorado had one shot on target all match. It was within the first 20 minutes. Down three for over 30 minutes, the Pids didn’t even take a shot on target. New Rapid DP Morgan Whittaker played a full 90. He was a complete non-factor. Sayed Abu Farkhi came on late and did nothing. Paxten Aaronson played one of his worst games in Burgundy. The team completely collapsed at its biggest moment.Â
The ideas are there. The team is playing some great possession soccer. The team is also completely lost in the final third. St. Louis plays a very similar style. They looked dangerous and competent; Colorado hasn’t in months. It’s possible to be dangerous in the attack. Wells has to figure out how to do that. It doesn’t feel like it’s a Whittaker and Abu Farkhi away from clicking either.
Montreal were awful and should have been beaten by more than a penalty.
Lineup Predictions:
Hansen / Cannon, Holding, Williams, Navarro / Ojediran, Aaronson, Frederick / Whittaker, Abu Farkhi, Minoungou
It was good to see Whittaker go 90 against St. Louis. It certainly wasn’t his best performance, but it is encouraging to finally see the summer transfer reinforcements start to make their mark. Abu Farkhi is still waiting to get his first start. It’ll likely come against Seattle.
The concern, and the most likely reason for any changes to the prediction, will be rest and rotation. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Whittaker rested after going 90 in Colorado at altitude. Donavan Philip has been good out wide; Darren Yapi could fill in if Abu Farkhi starts. Patience for the new Rapids attack is running low, given how poor it has been over the past few months. Ibrahim Sadiq is frustratingly taking much longer than the other two, and he will be a much-needed and welcome addition to this attack.
Injury-Riddled Seattle
The past few months have been interesting for Brian Schmetzer and Seattle. The Sounders haven’t had a bad season by any stretch, but they’re on the verge of going 13 games without a win in MLS. Schmetzer had his own Anthony Hudson moment a few weeks ago, going on a press conference and basically saying his team isn’t good enough, especially his bench depth.
While Seattle didn’t make a complete makeover in the summer transfer window, they did acquire Dejan Joveljić, one of the best strikers in MLS for years. It was a great move for Seattle, but it has elevated this roster to a danger level similar to Sporting KC throughout this season. If you can stop Joveljić, you can stop this team.
Seattle’s aging core has continued to age, and it seems to be biting them now. The injuries certainly haven’t helped. It will never feel correct to count this Seattle team out, however. They seem to always find a way to be dangerous and scrappy. The late-season surge has helped Seattle get into playoff spots and win trophies in the past. They are just two points away from a playoff spot and seven points behind the Rapids. You never want to see Seattle in the playoffs, especially if they get much healthier by then.
Prediction: It’s another disappointing 1-0 win for the Pids, who would have preferred to win by more than that.
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.
Eamon Shaw 
Matt Pollard 