Commerce City, CO– The Colorado Rapids (11-3-13, 7th West) return from their two-week break to face Western Conference foe San Jose Earthquakes (13-6-8, 4th West) at home. The Rapids may still have a sour taste in their mouths after their last MLS game, but it won’t be for the last time San Jose comes to Colorado. The Rapids beat San Jose 2-0 in the US Open Cup quarterfinal in May. That game marked the start of a steep downfall for the Quakes, but they’ve since regained their footing and look like one of the most dangerous teams coming out of the Western Conference. Both teams have changed a lot since they last met. With Colorado chasing a non-wild card playoff spot, and San Jose chasing the top of the West, this is a big game for both teams. Let’s take a look at the matchup.
When: Saturday, October 10th @ 7:30 p.m. MST
Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
TV/Streaming: Apple TV
Another Lost Lead in LA
The Rapids cruised to a 2-0 first-half lead with direct-play goals from Donovan Philip and Paxten Aaronson at LA Galaxy. Colorado looked dangerous with and without the ball, constantly threatening vertically, with Philip leading the line. We hadn’t seen this kind of danger from a Wells-led side. It worked brilliantly against LA, who looked shocked that Colorado even considered going direct. LA were caught high multiple times in the first half, and Philip could have had a hat-trick if LA keeper JT Marcinkowski hadn’t made two great saves.
That’s when the positives ended. LA scored three unanswered goals in the second half, all through some awful goals to give up. Two set-piece goals and a horrific error by Nico Hansen erased the first half’s positives. It was uncharacteristic of Colorado, at least not the Colorado of late. The Rapids have given up nine goals in their last three matches. Three of those were on set pieces. They had conceded on four set pieces all season before these last two games. The Rapids conceded eight goals in the ten matches after the World Cup break. A once-stalwart defense looks to have been exploited in the past three games.
While the result was frustrating, it was interesting to see how unfazed Matt Wells was afterward. The usually fired-up coach took a much more clear-headed approach to the post-game press conference. Wells seemed unconcerned about the mistakes against LA Galaxy; he understood they were preventable, and in most games like that, the Rapids would have a real shot at winning. It was not a good game for the Rapids. But it didn’t mean the end of the world. The international window also took many players away from selection that day. No Abu Farkhi, Wayne Frederick, or Georgi Minoungou is an issue for this Rapids side.
Lineup Prediction:
Hansen / Cannon, Holding, Williams, Navarro / Ojediran, Atencio, Aaronson / Whittaker, Abu Farkhi, Minoungou
It’s disappointing that Youssef Maziz is still out. Ted Ku-DiPietro is questionable after missing most of this season. San Jose has a whole host of injuries. It will be interesting to see how much the guys who went on international duty can play.
The other interesting side note is that Ibrahim Sadiq is now available for selection. He was made available a week ago. Sadiq has had some time to get into shape and understand how Wells operates. He could easily get minutes in this game, and if need be, we have seen Wells start players straight from being available before. If they want to rest Minoungou more, Sadiq could start just a week into his Rapids tenure.
Up and Down Form in San Jose
Luckily for San Jose, their form has been up recently. They started the year with 11 wins out of 12 games. San Jose then got one win in their next 14 games. They are now unbeaten in their last four. Colorado could be in a tough spot if San Jose continues its up-and-down form, with the Earthquakes just starting another uptick.
San Jose has several injuries, but their core should still be starting. For San Jose, it all starts with their two forwards, Timo Werner and Preston Judd. With all the hype around Werner joining the league, Judd should be getting the headlines. Judd has 15 goals this season, more than double any current Rapids player’s best mark. Judd has been a revelation since leaving LA and joining their cross-state rivals. Werner hasn’t been a slouch either, scoring six and assisting five.
San Jose hasn’t changed much since these two teams last met. They have replaced their goalkeeper, and Eduard Löwen has joined from St. Louis City. The Earthquakes will hope that’s enough for them to get a better result than last time they came to Colorado. The stats favor them. In MLS, the away side has won this matchup in all four meetings. San Jose are also second in away form. Colorado may have a tough task ahead.
Prediction: Colorado returns to their home form and wins this game 1-0.
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